The music for the new movie, "Kick-Ass," is exactly what a good superhero movie soundtrack should sound like.
The music for this new "Superbad" meets "Spider-man" action flick is jam-packed with adrenaline-pumping rock songs, which wholly embodies the comic book-esque feel "Kick-Ass" is going for.
"Kick-Ass" is a film about an awkward New York City teenager without super powers or fighting ability who one day decides to become a superhero and fight crime, and the tracks and flow of the album seem to fit this premise.
The soundtrack was well utilized within the actual movie, and, on its own, it still manages to incite the same sort of buoyant, daring temperament that the movie leaves its viewers with.
There's little to be found in ways of slow numbers on the album, but, really, what place does a ballad have on a soundtrack for a movie titled "Kick-Ass?" The upbeat, electronic-driven rock songs directly correlate with the key elements of the film. Like the movie, the soundtrack is fast-paced, definitively unique and just plain fun.
"Stand Up" by Prodigy opens the soundtrack and best characterizes the movie. Like "Kick-Ass" itself, "Stand Up" falls somewhere between retro and modern. It's an instrumental piece and it brings together the sound of trumpets, hip-hop drums and electronic keyboards that all mesh seamlessly together. The song is distinct and fits the tone of the film like a glove. There's just something humorous and upbeat about
"Stand Up" that is well suited for this cutting-edge new comedy.
The soundtrack also contains an original song written by Mika for the movie, titled "Kick Ass (We Are Young)." The song has the catchy electronic beat common amongst many modern pop songs, but it also mixes a pop style dance beat with driving rock undertones. The end result is a unique and unforgettable title song that will have listeners singing along after only a few choruses.
"Omen," the fifth track on the album, resembles "Stand Up" with its original electronic beats. The instrumentals of "Omen" follow along this superhero theme in the way that they sound as if they could have been pulled directly off the soundtrack of an arcade video game.
Unlike "Stand Up," which is pure instrumentals, "Omen" is embedded with lyrics, but they are greatly overpowered by the beat of the song.
The album also contains contributions from a few unlikely individuals. For instance, "Gossip Girl's" Taylor Momsen's vocals are put to use in the track "Make Me Wanna Die" by her band Pretty Reckless. Without a doubt, Momsen's vocals are far from lacking and prove to be a surprising talent for the young TV actress.
When compared to the soundtracks of other popular indie films like "(500) Days of Summer," many critics have found the "Kick-Ass" soundtrack lacking in terms of continuity and consistency of tone.
However, after watching the actual film that the soundtrack accompanies, this sense of discord and discontinuity within the album seems not only logical but appropriate.
Emily Lake can be reached at emily.lake@student.shu.edu.
