Being John Malkovich: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Writing a soundtrack forBeing John Malkovichcouldn't have  been an easy task for Carter Burwell. How many films so freely sneak between  absurdity, fantasy, and dark melancholy--often in the same scene? Thankfully,  the film composer rose to the task. The music ofBeing John Malkovichvaries from introspective simple piano solos to a snippet of Bartók, but mostly  revolves around an orchestrated theme found from the start of the movie (heard  in the track "Puppet Love" all the way through "Future Vessel"). There are some odd  surprises, such asBjörk's  dreamy contribution of "Amphibian" and "Malkovich Masterpiece Remix," in which  the actor reciting his name is transformed into a goofy trip-hop tune. Track 17 is  an excerpt of Burwell verbally explaining a scene to his orchestra; on track 18  ("Lotte Makes Love"), we get to hear the outcome. Just like the movie, this  soundtrack can be repetitive at times, but it's a perfect accompaniment to this weird  and wonderful film.--Jason Verlinde