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TyronneSnakes on a Plane Soundtrack
August 28th 2006 03:22
For almost six months now, there hasn't been a blog in existence that hasn't at some point mentioned "Snakes on a Plane." Until now, Music Times has been the exception. However, with the movie now out, the accompanying soundtrack rates a mention. At first glance, the album follows in the footsteps of superhero flicks like Superman - essentially, pop-punk. Boasting artists like Panic! at the Disco, The Academy Is, and All-American Rejects, the album seems no different from the others.
Until you actually hear it, of course. Rather than simply keep the tracks as they are, the people behind the Snakes on a Plane Soundtrack have taken it one step further and ensured that the majority of the tracks are remixed, to the extent that they are almost unrecognisable, save for their lyrics and vocals. And, overall, it seems like this was done for the better, making for a soundtrack that is actually quite enjoyable.
Cobra Starship
The theme song, for those that don't know, is the result of a competition held by New Line Cinema to give a chance to unsigned bands hoping to make it big in LA. The winner was Cobra Starship, and the end product is absolutely rubbish. The lyrics are shallow and make poor attempts at reflecting the internet phenomenon surrounding the mention, mentioning everything from "Snakes on a Blog" to Samuel L. Jackson's infamous "motherf'n snakes" line, borne by fans and added to the movie during reshoots. As if this wasn't bad enough, but it is quite obvious the song has been polished by the production team, leaving it a mangled wreck. Like Evanessence's debut single, Bring Me To Life a rap track was added for no apparent reason and as a result, the song is merely a ploy by New Line Cinema to play into the demographic.
From then, the album becomes filled with pop-punk remixes. The first, a remix of the second track on Panic!'s "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out," is much slower than the original, and will seem to drag for many who are accustomed to the untampered track. An average remix, it is put to shame by the next one, the "Teddybears Remix" of Black Mamba, chosen obviously for the snake reference in the title. The remix, however, is brilliant, slowed down, but almost an entirely new song, restructed, with no instrumentation from the original, and a great listen.
The fourth, Ophidiophobia, is a departure from the pop-punk setting, but moves into the all-too-familiar ground of the Hip Hop/R&B stylings of Cee Lo Green, better known as the bigger half of Gnarls Barkley. The song, in my opinion, would have been the better choice for theme song, catchy enough, and still capitalising on the current popular music scene.
Unfortunately, this attempt to capture the minds of teenagers everywhere goes beyond the bearable. The pop-punk remixes move from average to enjoyable - the remix of All-American Rejects' Can't Take It particularly so - but there are points where it is plain stupid. The opening track, as mentioned, makes references to the surrounding internet culture of the film, but that's nothing compared to the song, New Friend Request by Gym Class Heroes. The typically R&B song spends roughly four minutes talking about Myspace. And I'm not joking - the entire song is dedicated to Myspace. As if I couldn't hate the website more.
Nevertheless, regardless of three or four really bad songs, and some misplaced ones - they randomly placed a reggae song on the album - the soundtrack is enjoyable for the most part. With the majority of the songs being pop-punk remixes, and the first Coheed and Cambria song that isn't annoying as hell, the soundtrack isn't for the typical indie-rock fan but suited to the teenage Myspace and Internet-based population, though this is not surprising, since the movie is targeted to the same demographic.
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Comment by candy starr
furthermore, the random rap verses that you claim are in it are sung by the aforementioned travis mccoy. if youd done some research you would have realized that it is not random at all, the four singers are label mates on the record label fueled by ramen/decaydance and thus did a quartet for the movie.
Comment by candy starr
furthermore, the random rap verses that you claim are in it are sung by the aforementioned travis mccoy. if youd done some research you would have realized that it is not random at all, the four singers are label mates on the record label fueled by ramen/decaydance and thus did a quartet for the movie.