The Informers [Soundtrack]

Performer: Original Soundtrack/Christopher Young
Engineer: Justin Stanley
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Jason Falkner (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion); Justin Stanley (keyboards, drums, percussion); David Palmer (keyboards). Audio Mixer: Justin Stanley. Based on the Bret Easton Ellis collection of short stories of the same name, THE INFORMERS is an expansive study of debauched characters set in the decadent, glamorous Los Angeles of the early 1980s. Centered loosely on the cocaine-fueled music industry, the stories intertwine through the saga of a fictional pop band the Informers. Like other films based on Ellis' work (LESS THAN ZERO, AMERICAN PSYCHO), the soundtrack culls music from the era to butress the films authenticity. Featuring a host of classic '80s hits from the likes of Pat Benatar, Gary Numan, and Men Without Hats, THE INFORMERS also features thematically relevant original compositions by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, Nine Inch Nails) and 7Ray. Director Gregor Jordan's screen adaptation of The Informers, a book of short stories by Bret Easton Ellis, is set in "Los Angeles, 1983," and this album (not to be confused with another disc featuring period pop songs heard in the film) contains Christopher Young's score. Young seems to have been conscious not only of the setting, but also that his music would be sharing screen time with the likes of Wang Chung and Gary Numan, so he has developed the moody, contemplative background cues using electric guitars and keyboards, especially an organ, but also lots of synthesizers. As the titles suggest, such tracks as "Toupee Tango" and "Hawaiian Dissonance" provide a bit more rhythmic and noise content, but most of this music proceeds in a slow, low-key way, with patterns set up and repeated by the guitar or a keyboard, contrasted with another minor theme. There is a creepy edge to the sound, the echoing, reverberating strings bouncing lazily around, and that may be the right effect to capture L.A.'s ambient, isolated tone and the rootless characters in the film. ~ William Ruhlmann Director Gregor Jordan's screen adaptation of The Informers, a book of short stories by Bret Easton Ellis, is set in "Los Angeles, 1983," and this album of songs (not to be confused with another album containing Christopher Young's score) consists of synth pop tracks from that era, plus some new recordings made in that style. Whoever chose this music focused on one-hit wonders Men Without Hats, A Flock of Seagulls, and Gary Numan, with a couple of lesser hits by Pat Benatar and Wang Chung, and a song by Simple Minds that was not a hit. (By the way, the Wang Chung song, "Dance Hall Days," dates from January 1984, making it slightly anachronistic.) 7Ray provides "The Devil Made Me Do It," which calls to mind another one-hit wonder of the period, Soft Cell, and "Tainted Love." The team of Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Jason Falkner, and Justin Stanley (with, in one case, Dave Palmer) adds some other tracks in an early-'80s synth pop mode. None of it is likely to spark a revival of interest in the style. ~ William Ruhlmann

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5