GET THE REPO! SOUNDTRACK HERE!
When Darren Lynn Bousman started talking about a musical entitled Repo! The Genetic Opera, I thought he was crazy. Some gothic horror fairy tale about a repo man of death in a futuristic world of torment and pain… but with music? Again, he had to be crazy. And then came the casting of Paris Hilton. Okay, was it April Fools already?
But no, he was absolutely serious. I personally am not a big fan of musicals aside from a select handful. But then again, another dark fairy tale entitled Sweeney Todd made my top ten list last year so you never know. And here we are, music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of REPO! is here. It includes “Night Surgeon”, “Legal Assassin”, “Choice”, “Come Up and Try My New Parts”, “21st Century Cure”, “But This Is Opera!“ and “Chase the Morning”. All available through digital download at Amazon.com, iTunes and anywhere else you may want to purchase your music.
The complete soundtrack will be available sometime mid-October at conventions, signings, and through the films official website at www.repo-opera.com. And with the soundtrack, perhaps the film itself will get some respect from Lionsgate. The reason… it looks absolutely fascinating. It is strange how it is the exact dreamscape Darren had described before, yet I think it may be far from crazy… possibly even brilliant?
Now, being one of the few online peeps that hasn’t seen the film, I can’t say that it will live up to my expectations. But I can talk about the soundtrack. I am here to delve into the nightmarish world in which society has gone mad. And within the madness, all the singing and slashing that goes along with it. After a rash of organ failures, a savior has come in the form of a biotech company called Geneco. They specialize in organ transplants, but if you can’t pay, The Repo Man is sent your way to collect. There promises to be a lot of gore and darkness and of course… music.
After all, this is a rock opera. So how is the music behind the madness? Well, it is a little bit goth. It is a little bit rock and roll with some pop driven beat mixed in. And it even finds itself treading into actual operatic heights. It digs deep in your soul with some wonderfully poetic words of death as The Repo Man (Anthony Head) croons that he is ‘The nightmare that she should fear… is the father you left alone.’ on “Legal Assassin”. Mr. Head gave an impressive performance back when he appeared in the critically acclaimed episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer turned musical in “Once More With Feeling”.
Repo! The Genetic Opera is a live wire of sound. Music that is encapsulated by a hyper-mix of beats and electric pulses. It feels at one moment like something Marilyn Manson should be hissing at you, it then transforms into a kind of operatic beauty with Sarah Brightman‘s vocal abilities. It even delves into a couple of punk pop delicacies with songs like the brash and bratty, “Seventeen” and the lamenting “I Didn’t Know I’d Love You This Much”. Some of the soundtrack even includes the underrated musical talent of Poe. I’m sure that was inspired by her elegant and ghostly track “Haunted” on her album with the same name. Other contributors to the music itself include Richard Patrick from Filter, Richard Fortus from Guns & Roses, and Melora Creager from Rasputina.
There are a ton others that collaborate to bring the sound a surprisingly rich portrait of death. But it is the actors themselves that bring the songs to life. Anthony Head, Paul Sorvino and Sarah Brightman really offer up some strong vocals that create a creepy atmosphere. As for Alexa Vega, she really shines for the most part. While she definitely isn’t the strongest of voices, she adds a sort of Avril Lavigne sound which actually works… after all, a pop punk princess seems to be right at home in this dark and dreary world.
The rest of the talent offer up some unique voices. I didn’t even find myself cringing at Paris Hilton. She is used minimally and it is produced well enough that she seems to fit right in. While not all the actors are great singers, they sound better than Pierce Brosnan on Mamma Mia. Although that speaks very little I suppose. The opening number starts things off with a bang. “At the Opera Tonight” up until “Legal Assassin” begin this journey quite nicely. While it remains fairly consistent, there are a few tunes that don’t quite work including “Can‘t Get It Up If The Girl‘s Breathing?” and “Zydrate Anatomy“, but they probably will work better in the context of the film.
I also felt that it picked up around half way through for “Night Surgeon” and beyond. With some really enticing tunes at the final turn with “Let the Monster Rise”, “I Didn’t Know I’d Love You So Much” and finally “Genetic Emancipation”. Luckily, Alexa is more than capable and Mr. Head is ridiculously talented. I can’t wait to see his performance. In fact, the key to a good soundtrack is its ability to create interest in the film it is from. And Repo! The Genetic Opera certainly has made me very interested in seeing Darren’s latest come to bloody life. The only major downside is that I know exactly how the film ends. Even still, I highly recommend the surprisingly powerful music of Repo!
My rating 3.5/4 —
JimmyO