Various - Hallam Foe : The Original Soundtrack

  by Russell Ferguson

published: 5 / 9 / 2007

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Review

This album is taken from the film 'Hallam Foe' which stars Jamie Bell of 'Billy Elliot' fame and is directed by David Mackenzie. The film tells the story of Hallam and the events after his mother's death. With his sister leaving home and his new stepmother causing friction with his father, Hallam runs away to Edinburgh and begins an affair with his new boss. But old habits die hard, and Hallam is soon traumatised by his past and caught in a series of lies when his spying fetish goes wrong. As with all records that are soundtracks it is there to evoke a feeling, to remind you of key moments in the film but if you haven't see the film it makes little sense on its own. The album is a record of two halves, the first featuring upbeat indie rock songs from bands such as Orange Juice, Blueboy, Sons and Daughters, Broken Bones, Junior Boys and Double Shadow, and the second half being more subdued and reflective and featuring acts like Cinema, They Nicked Named Me Evil, Woodbine, I Hope That You Get What you Want, the Bill Wells Trio and Also In White. This record starts off well enough but towards the end of this record, not having seen the film, I couldn’t care if he got the girl, committed suicide, or lived and got everything he wanted. It was duller and drearier than watching an episode of 'EastEnders' on a cold winter's night in a bedsit in Manchester. Perhaps I’m being over harsh. With one song bleeding into another and in which you cannot tell the difference, it is hard to like this record.

Track Listing:-

1 Orange Juice- Blue Boy
2 U.N.P.O.C.- Here On My Own
3 King Creosote- The Someone Else
4 Sons And Daughters- Broken Bones
5 Junior Boys- Double Shadow
6 Clinic- If You Could Read Your Mind
7 Future Pilot AKA- Battle At The Gates Of Dub
8 Hood- Lines Low To Frozen Ground
9 Franz Ferdinand- Hallam Foe Dandelion Blow
10 Psapp- Tricycle
11 James Yorkston And The Athletes- Surf Song
12 Bill Wells Trio- Also In White
13 Juana Molina- Salvese Quien Pueda
14 Cinema- They Nicknamed Me Evil
15 Woodbine- I Hope That You Get What You Want
16 Movietone- Ocean Song

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