Almost Alice OST Review

Posted by Aaron Titan on 03.02.2010

A hookah full of all new music straight out of the looking glass from Wonderland! How's it taste? Well, Aaron Titan will tell you, but only because it's your un-birthday!





Tracklisting
1. 'Alice (Underground)' by Avril Lavigne
2. 'The Poison' by The All-American Rejects
3. 'The Technicolor Phase' by Owl City
4. 'Her Name Is Alice' by Shinedown
5. 'Painting Flowers' by All Time Low
6. 'Where's My Angel' by Metro Station
7. 'Strange' by Tokio Hotel and Kerli
8. 'Follow Me Down' by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch
9. 'Very Good Advice' by Robert Smith
10. 'In Transit' by Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz
11. 'Welcome to Mystery' by Plain White T's
12. 'Tea Party' by Kerli
13. 'The Lobster Quadrille' by Franz Ferdinand
14. 'Running Out of Time' by Motion City Soundtrack
15. 'Fell Down a Hole' by Wolfmother
16. 'White Rabbit' by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

The Album

Well, it’s clear that the Twilight franchise really set a good precedent model for how to get people to take notice of your soundtrack. Just put all original material from artists people enjoy and you'll get a return on your investment.

Then again, record companies are really stupid and deflated their own business to begin with. That’s another story for another day. We’re here to discuss Almost Alice, the soundtrack album from the upcoming Tim Burton-directed live action version of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, Alice in Wonderland.

I think I’ll just take this track-by-track and then comment on the overall album at the end. Sound good? OK! Let’s get to it!

Avril Lavigne: “Alice (Underground)”: Good vibe to start the soundtrack off. The mood of the accompaniment really suits what I already picture for this movie. Avril doesn’t sound too shabby here either, and that’s saying something. I’ve not been a fan of her chops in the past, and while she’s shouting a lot on this track, the lyrics call for it in a way. Good lead single for the soundtrack.

The All American Rejects: “The Poison”: Not bad. I like this for what it is, especially the tempo changes. Goes well for this moment in the story when Alice drinks the vial.

Owl City: “The Technicolor Phase”: I want to hate this song and the Slayer fan in me says I should, but I just can’t. Super poppy and over the top at certain points, but not a bad tune. Even with the auto-tuney vocals, I still like it.

Shinedown: “Her Name Is Alice”: A rocker! Fuckin’ A man! I like the mood, the hook, and the production. Shinedown are getting popular for a reason. Not a die-hard fan, but I can appreciate what they do here. Not bad live either if you get the chance!

All Time Low: “Painting Flowers”: Meh… Uninspired and too bleeding heart for me. Band name kind of suits in a way.

Metro Station: “Where’s My Angel”: Another poppy song that’s borderline guyliner rock but there’s just enough synth in there to make it work. I like it!

Tokio Hotel (featuring Kerli): See above but like, way more effeminate. Good tune though!

3OH!3 (featuring Neon Hitch): “Follow Me Down”: Worst song I’ve heard in a long time. What follows this song on the album better be able to save the whole affair.

Robert Smith: “Very Good Advice”: Well that’s better! The Cure’s Robert Smith does an awesome, quirky job covering this song from the cartoon version of the film. I fuckin’ love the howling keyboard solo too! Well done sir! So far, you have my vote for best song of the soundtrack!

Mark Hoppus (featuring Pete Wentz): “In Transit”: Cool mellow vibe with a heavier chorus. I like the piano bits and riffing guitar with the echoic bridge. The only flaw here is that Mark’s voice is turned down too low in the mix, especially in the verses. Good song though!

Plain White T’s: “Welcome to Mystery”: I like this song a lot. It’s like, a ringmaster type guy singing about the wonders and mystique of Wonderland. The hook is a little underwhelming but still, a good mysterious-sounding, plodding jaunt.

Kerli: “Tea Party”: If Miley Cyrus was good, she’d be this chick. Granted, Kerli comes from a world where snyth rock is god, but like, I don’t mind her reappearance on the soundtrack. A fun, poppy song with a rockin’ hook. Cheezy lyrics and all, but like, she owns it in a way that makes it all work. She also uses the word “futhermucker” on a Disney soundtrack, so hey, I can be for that.

Franz Ferdinand: “The Lobster Quadrille”: Channeling some Ville Valo on the baritone vocals, this song reeks of silliness and Wonderland while sounding like a villainous dirge. Very cool, dark song with some lyrics from the Carroll book if I’m not mistaken.

Motion City Soundtrack: “Always Running Out of Time”: Meh…

Wait!

Yeah, meh…

Wolfmother: “Fell Down a Hole” Sorry Robert Smith! This is a song I will replay months from now and have since played on repeat. I love Andrew Stockdale’s guitar work here and to boot, it’s catchy as hell. How the hell do you fire like, your whole band and still kick so much ass?

BEST SONG OF THE ALBUM!

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: “White Rabbit”: Very awesome closer! It’s a highway rocker that has the lyrics to sum up the whole experience of the film and really, the soundtrack too. This song could be played in the background of a Tarantino flick and work pretty well too! Well, if not for the Alice lyrics I suppose.

Let’s get to my summary! I’m very late for an important date!

The 411: You know what? This is a fun album and I happened to enjoy the overall mood and experience that it provided. That's saying something pretty gnarly considering that's a feat pretty difficult to pull off with a soundtrack. Well assembled, well-paced, and overall, well done. It's good, not great though. There's a few stinkers for sure, especially that 3OH!3 song. They need to just go away for a while. You know what?! I BANISH 3OH!3 FROM WONDERLAND. OFF WITH YOUR HEADS! And Motion City Soundtrack: You guys might be next! But seriously, I recommend this one, especially for the Robert Smith and Wolfmother tracks. This also made me look forward to the 3D film a bit more this weekend.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]