This is the first time I’ve reviewed a soundtrack without seeing the movie, but a good soundtrack should stand on its own. And in the case of Annette (which comes out August 6), the soundtrack was created by Sparks–a band I’ve loved since I was a young lad–so I was more than up for the challenge. Formed as Halfnelson in 1968 by California brothers Ron and Russell Mael and renamed in 1972, Sparks have served as a constant source of inspiration. They’ve stuck to their unique, off-kilter brand of witty, literate, avant-garde glam pop while constantly reinventing themselves. The sheer impossibility of pigeonholing them is just one reason they’re so beloved. The Mael brothers are currently having a rennaisance, evidenced in part by the documentary The Sparks Brothers, released in June. I more or less wept throughout the movie, but I also learned that they’d always been obsessed with art films and nearly worked with the legendary Jacques Tati on a motion picture project. So when the Mael brothers slipped an in-progress concept album to French director Leos Carax (a major Sparks fan), they were delighted that he responded by asking to work with them to turn it into a film musical. The stars of Annette include Marion Cotillard, Adam Driver, and Simon Helberg, who each lend their vocals to songs about the lives of their characters.
“So, what about the tunes?” you ask. I’m happy to report that Sparks are still way on top of their game. The opening track and single, “So May We Start,” is a classic Sparks-style banger with staccato piano, minimal percussion, and a gloriously liquid melody that morphs into a full-blown new-wave symphony. The Mael brothers’ trademark cleverness (which somehow isn’t annoying) manifests itself in lines that seem to frame the song as the intro to a movie: “Please shut up and sit” and “The exits are clearly marked.” “True Love Always Finds a Way” is gorgeous, spectral chamber folk, and “She’s Out of This World” is a dense, synth-laden anthem that seems to aspire to be the new number one song in heaven (yes, this is an unapologetic reference to Sparks’ 1979 hit single). “Six Women Have Come Forward” would surely also top the charts in a parallel world where baroque aesthetics and quirky pop falsettos live side by side. I have to admit, though, I don’t love the songs where Russell Mael doesn’t sing. Cottilard’s chirpy Doris Day warble on “Girl From the Middle of Nowhere” is nice, but I’m not sure Driver’s burly voice goes well with some of his tunes–though he snarls the punky “You Used to Laugh” effectively, his pedestrian pipes on “Sympathy for the Abyss” made me wish Russell had sung it instead. I’m sure these choices make a bit more sense in the context of the film, so I’ll suspend further judgement until I see it. In the meantime, I’ll keep enjoying all the new Sparks classics on the soundtrack. v
