The Matrix: Music From The Motion Picture
If you're going to pitch a movie about cyber-revolutionaries to plugged-in audiences, you'd best mind your MP3s and BPMs when choosing soundtrack selections. The cynical wireheads who flock to such high-tech conspiracy flicks asBrazilandHackersare thrillseekers of the highest caliber, andThe Matrixsoundtrack meets this challenge faster than a speeding cyborg. The opener,Marilyn Manson's anti-consumerism rant "Rock Is Dead," paints an aural portrait of urban decay. Ominous sirens permeate thePropellerheads' drum 'n' bass track "Spybreak!"; mournful piano alternates with hard shiny beats on Rob D's "Clubbed to Death"; andMeat Beat Manifestofills "Prime Audio Soup" with enough bleeps to make one imagine being trapped inside a motherboard in Hell. It may sound dismal, but the friction permeating this compilation of techno, grindcore, and heavy metal is energizing enough to make fans of these genres feel the same unity as a clandestine community of hackers.--Kristy Ojala