CD Review: "Across the Universe" Soundtrack

For listeners even slightly aquainted with the music of The Beatles, the “Across the Universe” two-disc deluxe film soundtrack is a new and fun progression through familiar territory. Instantly recognizable hits like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Let It Be” keep the spirit of the original recordings while bringing something new to the table.


The film of the same name follows the story of Jude, a young man from Liverpool who travels to America in search of the father who left him. Along the way, he befriends Max, a self-proclaimed “irresponsible, unmotivated college dropout” and his naïve sister, Lucy. The music weaves its way through their psychedelic journey to New York City in the 1960s, providing a brilliant musical account of the characters’ lives.

The soundtrack features the voices of the film’s young and talented cast as they sing their way through the 1960s. From Jim Sturgess’s sorrowful rendition of “Girl” to Joe Anderson’s adolescent and slightly flirtatious version of “With A Little Help From My Friends,” the recordings match the film characters’ sentiments to a tee. The listener can truly hear the excited anticipation in Evan Rachel Wood’s voice in “It Won’t Be Long” as her character, Lucy, awaits the return of her boyfriend from basic training.

While songs like “Hey Jude” and “All You Need Is Love” sound quite similar to their original form, other tracks have changed in some way to elicit a different emotion or match the film’s events. But these variations don’t take away from the brilliant lyrics or the heart of the songs – on the contrary, they give new life to songs heard repeatedly on classic rock stations. “Let It Be” begins with a small black child singing the first verse with little musical accompaniment and ends with a church choir belting out the lyrics in a soulful rendition of the original. This fits well with the scenes of violence, death and a funeral during this part of the film.

But what makes this soundtrack stand out more is its ability to reach out to a broader audience. For people listening to soundtracks from musicals like “Rent” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” seeing the movie is necessary to understanding the tracks’ lyrics and tone. This is not necessarily the case for “Across the Universe” listeners – people can just enjoy two discs’ worth of beautifully revamped Beatles music. Having knowledge of the film’s characters can give context to the songs, but at the end of the day, tracks like “Hold Me Tight” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” stand on their own as individual creative works anyone can enjoy (even the younger set who might not be familiar with The Beatles).

So before you turn to your “Rubber Soul” album or a classic rock radio station for your Beatles fix, try out this new take on the band’s music. You’ll be glad you let “Across the Universe” reacquaint you with these songs.

CD Review: Shelter Belt's "Songs from Extraordinary Leverage"

By Amanda Mull

Certain cities become famous for certain types of music: Detroit and R&B, Atlanta and hip-hop, Seattle and grunge, and most recently, Omaha and hipster indie rock. From the Omaha music scene that has brought us indie wunderkinds such as Bright Eyes and Cursive now come Shelter Belt, a seven-member collective that are positive that they’re the best band you’ve never heard of.
It’s a lofty assertion indeed, but after a few spins through their most recent material, Music from the film ‘Extraordinary Leverage,’ you just might be convinced that they’re right. The higher-than-average number of people in the band allows them to achieve a sonic richness that few bands strive for and even fewer attain, and it allows them to make every one of their songs different from the last.
Music from the film ‘Extraordinary Leverage’ is the soundtrack to a short film produced by Anthony Knuppel, the band’s drummer, and featuring several band members as actors. The film is amusing, but the musicians should probably stick to their day jobs, because the accompanying music is excellent and at times even innovative.
Some of the credit can be given to the fact that Shelter Belt collaborate on the music with Omaha legend Luigi Waites, a jazz drummer and vibraphonist that has played with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown in his decades-long career. Waites’ contributions to songs like “Only So Much” give the music a depth of sound that makes them intriguing even after repeated listening, and he brings to the table many sonic flourishes largely missing from modern popular music (when was the last time you heard a vibraphone in a pop song?).
The fact that a legend like Waites is not the first thing you notice about the music, though, is a testament to the quality of work that the band is producing. “What Do You Say?” thumps along with a beat highly reminiscent of Pat Benetar’s “Love is a Battlefield” but somehow manages to not sound at all retro or rehashed.
Shelter Belt’s particular brand of rock is both happy and sad, fast and slow, heavy and light. They change their style with every song and show an amazing range of talent, since all of their material is at least reliably good, and some of the quicker songs are great. They should easily be more famous than they are, but at least now they can’t claim you’ve never heard of them.