Ever since the boys upstairs have discovered that soundtracks can be strategically used as a method to market a movie, the records once filled with three-minute instrumentals by film composers are gone and have been redesigned as promotional items for the teenagers with disposable income and filled with songs aimed toward the audience that see the film they are trying to sell. Looking at the song list for the soundtrack for the hit comedy Wedding Crashers, the term “music inspired by” is used on the cover of the album very loosely. One has to wonder what about the crude Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson vehicle did Ben Gibbard find so inspiring that he had to write “The Sound of Settling” and wondering when in the movie did they hear Jenny Lewis’ voice as Rilo Kiley’s “More Adventurous” was found nowhere underneath the juvenile jokes and sight gags. The album does serve its purpose to any college freshman preparing for the wonderful world of college radio. From Spoon to Bloc Party, the CD is the perfect primer of what’s hip with the indie kids smattered between renditions of “Shout” and “Hava Nagilah.” Flaming Lips completists will pick it up for the rare track “Mr. Ambulance Driver,” a brisk low-key psychedelic-less track that recalls 70’s soft-rock more than it does 60’s mind-expanding tunes.
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