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Based on the movie starring Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel about a five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter
David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, The End of the Tour
soundtrack is just as boring as the premise sounds.
Renowned composer Danny Elfman is responsible for the majority of the songs,
but he seems to run out of material after the “Intro” because each new
composition sounds like a rehash of the previous one. Whether that’s an
indicator of a lack of creative control for a composer who’s usually more reliable
(and diverse) remains to be seen. But, in the end, this soundtrack will still go down as a
check mark in the forgettable column for his career.
Sprinkled awkwardly throughout the album is an assortment of random band songs, featuring artists ranging from REM to Tracey Ullman (yes, that Tracey Ullman), in order to add some ‘90s
flavor (you know, since the movie takes place in the ‘90s). Against the
blandness of Elfman’s score, these tracks turn out to be more than welcome
additions, even though most of them by themselves are not very good—with the
exception of REM’s “Perfect Circle.”
Of particular offensiveness was Fun Boy Three’s ghastly rendition of the Go-Go’s hit, “Our Lips
Are Sealed.” I could have been happy the rest of life never knowing about its
existence. But at least it serves as a fitting wrap-up for this review—because
after these last few words, my lips will be forever sealed in regard to this
snoozefest of a soundtrack.
