Songs From Cool World

David Bowie leads off with "Real Cool World" in yet another one of his chameleonic incarnations. Even though clocking in at over five minutes, its quick-beat techno rhythm is not prolonged agony. It's the next track, the Thompson Twins' "Play With Me," my favorite by the way, that is unlike anything Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie have ever done. Sure, they ruled with Here's To Future Days, but in terms of keeping with the thematic sound and feeling of the movie, this song succeeds admirably.

When are the Pet Shop Boys not the Pet Shop Boys? Answer: when Neil Tennant does lead vocals in "Disappointed," in his side project Electronic, also with Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr.

The hardest song is the Ministry's Psalm 69 song, "N.W.O." and that boosts the album as well. It's the next song, the Cult's "The Witch," which is unlike anything from the new-wavy Love or AC-DC crunch of Electric. There's an industrial buzzing punctuated by chords slightly reminiscent of Electric. Ian Astbury sounds muted by the fuzz and buzz of this song. Still worthwhile, though.

Moby contributes two songs here, "Ah Ah" and "Next Is The E." This is early Moby at his best, and his triple figure BPM and soul-tinged female vocalist is in its best in "Next Is The E."

"Do That Thang" out-kapow's "Next Is The E" in its energetic vivaciousness, hard guitar chords, funky vocals, electronic effects on overdrive chaos. I dare anyone to hear this song and not feel energized.

Sassy is the key with My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, especially with the guitar crunchy "Sex On Wheelz," with its hard-driving vocals. "Her Sassy Kiss" is different, with whirly synthesizers and brassy inclusions.

The last three songs belong to the ambient category, with Pure's "Greedy," Brian Eno's "Under" and Tom Bailey's sexy and seductive "Industry And Seduction," complete with grinding metal on rock, whizzing sounds, sirens, light whips, and panting. "Under" brings about the contemplative image of staring at the stars, with the neon lights aglitter below in the never sleeping city from a high floor apartment window.

A case where the soundtrack is leagues more superior than the movie, and where the techno/industrial/ambient unity is achieved.


"Cool" Soundtrack.   March 6, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I thought the movie was good, but this cd is great. It's pretty much a good sampler of early 90's electronica and industrial music. "David Bowie" starts with a song that's as good as anything he's done in the past 11 years. There's a couple early tracks from "Moby" that are sweet. The whole disc is suprisingly good, right to the last instrumental track, which jumps from speaker to speaker. But the real punch comes from "Ministry", "The Cult", and "My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult". Those three songs are awesome. If all soundtracks were this good, it really would be a "Cool World".