Baz Luhrmann's garish, flamboyant adaptation of Romeo + Juliet was hyper-kinetic and colorful, boasting a heavy inspiration from the visual style of MTV, so it's only appropriate that the soundtrack was tailored for the alternative nation that MTV fostered. Combining modern rock acts like Garbage, Radiohead, the Cardigans, and the Butthole Surfers with contemporary soul like Des'ree and adult alternative like Gavin Friday, the album is slick, polished, catchy – and surprisingly strong. Though the soul and pop is good, the alternative rock acts on the soundtrack fare the best, with Garbage and Radiohead both contributing excellent B-sides ("Number One Crush" and "Talk Show Host," respectively), with the Cardigans' sleek, sexy lounge-disco number "Lovefool" stealing the show.
Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys is a compilation album of sea shanties performed by artists representing a variety of genres, ranging from pop musicians like Sting and Bryan Ferry, to folk musicians, including Richard Thompson and Martin Carthy.
In the Name of the Father focuses on the wrongful convictions of Giuseppe and Gerry Conlon, a father and son forced to serve time for an IRA-related bombing in which they never involved. The soundtrack to the haunting biopic finds fellow Irish musicians at the helm and it's not surprising that U2 main man Bono is center. He and composer Trevor Jones shape a dramatic soundscape featuring cult favorites from the Kinks and Jimi Hendrix, as well as hits from Bob Marley & the Wailers and fellow Irishmen Thin Lizzy…