Juno - Music (Various Artists)

New York singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson may be familiar to many, seeing as her existing infamy is based on being one half of acerbic so-called 'anti-folk' duo The Moldy Peaches who made ripples around the turn of the century with taboo-provoking pared-down romps against this, that and the other. It might be a surprise to find her ramshackle and largely solo performances heading up a film soundtrack, but to Juno's independence and understated qualities she turns out to be a remarkably good fit. She's mellowed a little with age perhaps, but then to counter that claim take the track "Loose Lips"; she rallies through a nonchalant stream-of-consciousness rant against such adversaries as President Bush, the Iraq war and self-harm/suicide, curling out blunt matter-of-fact lines like "call me up before you're dead, we can make some plans instead," that in the simple is as simple does context she provides resonate beautifully. Hardly lightweight then, but far from coarse or unwieldy. Like the film itself, she handles issues with straightforward clarity, an ambling pace and effortless humour. And to complete the soundtrack, a couple of typically twee compositions from Belle & Sebastian, The Kinks' "A Well Respected Man", Sonic Youth's excellently woozy cover of The Carpenter's "Superstar", the Velvet Underground's daft as elastic "I'm Sticking with You" and Cat Power (the queen of ramshackle) with the fragile "Sea of Love", make this a delightfully humbling listen. --James Berry

Customer Reviews of Juno

Spider Monkey
UK
23rd December 2008

Juno Soundtrack
I have to start by saying that the songs selected for this film have created one of those soundtracks that fits the feel of the film perfectly. Kimya Dawson features heavily and her off-beat, quirky lyrics match Juno's nature perfectly. Apparently Ellen Page (who plays Juno) suggested the Mouldy Peaches to the director and he was so impressed that he asked Dawson to add more to the soundtrack. You get all the standout tracks from the film like 'All The Young Dudes' by Mott the Hoople, 'Superstar' by Sonic Youth and the delightful 'Vampire' by Antsy Pants, plus a load more that featured, but slipped through the net of your attention first time round. The album finishes with Ellen Pages duet with Michael Cera singing 'Anyone Else But You' which is endearing and the best way to end this collection. If you've seen the film you'll know what to expect and if not, all I can say is that this is an excellent, quirky and kooky collection of fun tracks and is well worth a try.

MBrooks
Belgium
23rd September 2008

Quirky sing along
Loved the movie, bought the disc. Unlike some movie sound tracks where you wonder how you thought the soundtrack would keep alive the memory of the movie, this one really does. The quirky and independent music mirrors the film's style and characters, witty, unusual and highly entertaining. How can you not love a disc that includes such lyrics as from Kimya Dawson's 'Loose Lips'; "they think we're disposable, well both my thumbs opposable are spelled out on a double word and triple letter score". Awesome.

Monty
UK
17th September 2008

Better late than never
Only just seen the film recently, but was really taken with the music throughout. I purchased the CD and have given it a good few listens now and think this is an excellent album, I would recommend it to all those who enjoyed the film.

Lady P

11th May 2008

Beautiful
Delicate sounds; perfect for sitting in the sunshine with a glass of wine. This arrived on Friday - and I have not stopped listening to it... Kinya Dawson's lyrics are amazing. Highly recommended.

Nc Reynolds
Bristol, Uk
26th March 2008

Forget Soundtrack, this is my all time ALBUM of the year
This is sheer genius, I thought the film was supurb but I left the cinema thinking 'oh my god I need that soundtrack!' The songs are all thouroughly provoking, catchy, uplifting and simply unforgettable. I think anyone who has a sense of humour and an ounce of good music taste will adore this soundtrack.