Various Artists – Elektra – The Album

Compilations are difficult to put together. First you need to find a certain genre to go with, and then bands interested in doing it, find a good fan base, and then pick the songs you think would sell the best. Soundtracks are almost the same, but still a lot harder to set up. The main focus is the movie – you have to get music that will fit the tone and the feel of the movie and the setting, all the while hoping to have a good enough selection to be able to sell as an album. So when I first saw the track listing for the Elektra soundtrack (the new movie staring Jennifer Gartner), it looked hopeful.

Like all compilations, Elektra The Album has some songs which stand out and ones which you feel like skipping, luckily there are more in the first category than the later. And although the album is focused more towards the new rock revival then punk, there is still a big enough appeal in it for most punk fans. It starts off with Never There (She Stabs) by Strata (no, not Sparta) – and if this song is any indication, come March 22nd when they release their new CD, Strata will be a name all over. They follow that up with a slew of bands that have been taking over the airwaves the past year or so with bands like Jet, The Donnas, Finger Eleven, 12 Stones, Submersed and Evanescence. It even features a very catchy and enjoyable rock tune by Switchfoot with Sooner Or Later. The highlight of the album though goes to none other than Victory Records‘ own Taking Back Sunday. The re-make of their 2003 Warped Tour Compilation‘s Your Own Disaster is sure to make head spins as they added piano and smoothed it out more then the acoustic demo. Victory Records made another appearance with a new song by Hawthorne Heights called Angels With Even Filthier Souls.

Elektra The Album was a surprisingly good soundtrack. Sure it features more rock then punk bands, so it’s definitely not going to make everyone here happy. But if you like bands like Switchfoot or Finger Eleven then you will definitely like this 15 song compilation.