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BUY THE CD
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Okay, so I didn’t have a lot of good things to say in my review of the new Jennifer Garner movie, Catch and Release—but I do now. Because while there are a lot of things that the movie gets wrong (and I do mean a lot), there’s also one thing that the movie gets very right: its soundtrack. It manages to do exactly what a good soundtrack should: it builds on the overall feel of the movie to create a compilation of a variety of songs and artists that seem to blend together perfectly.
The movie takes place in Boulder, Colorado—a town surrounded by imposing mountains and sparkling rivers. It’s a place filled with ski bums and hikers and fly fishermen—as well as a good number of yuppies who show up with their cell phones and their state-of-the-art equipment. Boulder is a beautiful town. It’s hip, and it’s musical, and it’s natural. And this soundtrack is the essence of Boulder. It’s the hippies who are there to be closer to nature, mixed with the yuppies who are there because it’s cool. It’s folksy alternative music that occasionally leans a bit, either toward rock or toward old country. It’s a little moody, but it’s carefree. It’s mellow vocals, lots of guitar, and beautifully natural harmonies.
I will freely admit to adoring Colorado. It’s one of my favorite places in the world. And the Catch and Release soundtrack brings me right back out there—from the very first notes of the Foo Fighters’ “Razor.” Just about every song on the album sounds like the music I listened to back in the days when I was making frequent trips west. They sound like the bands I met in the local bars, like the bands I listened to while driving through deserted back roads—like the music that plays in your head as you watch the sun peek through the mountains and reflect on the water in the river. From the mellow and melancholy to the catchy and danceable (The Magic Numbers’ “Mornings Eleven”) and even the frenzied (Gomez’s “These 3 Sins”), you’ll pick up vibes from Simon and Garfunkel or the Beach Boys or the Monkees—with a bit of a modern twist. And though the album has a variety of songs—meaning that it’s not an hour of the same sound over and over—they all feel like they belong together. Nothing really sticks out. And if you like one of the songs on the album, you’re almost guaranteed to like them all. I did.
This laid-back, carefree album is an excellent soundtrack for any afternoon of hiking or fishing or road-tripping—or even just for navigating through traffic on your way home from work.
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