John Cameron Mitchell, star of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, wrote and directed Shortbus. The film is about a New York City club where people meet and work out their sexual problems. Derivative of Robert Altman’s Nashville many years prior, actors in this film also contribute songs to its soundtrack. Sook-Yin Lee, who plays Sophia, pitches in “Beautiful” by applying a lazy, Peggy Lee vocal, while Jay Brannan inserts the acoustic guitar folk of “Soda Shop.” Not everyone is an actor/musician, however. The group Yo La Tengo provides “Wizard’s Sleeve,” a wordless, layered vocal track with Brazilian vibes. Azure Ray’s “If You Fall” imagines ELO fronted by Aimee Mann. Anita O’Day was not an actor or an alternative rocker, but a respected jazz singer, instead. Her “Is You Is or is You Ain’t My Baby” stands out swinging-ly from the pack, and contrasts with this CD’s mostly quiet and thoughtful mood. These are also sex songs, although this isn’t any wah-wah pedal, porn flick soundtrack. Scott Matthew’s “Surgery,” for instance, considers the intersection of sexuality and medicine, while “It’s Not Safe” by Gentlemen Reg underlines the dangers of modern day promiscuity. Except for O’Day’s unique inclusion, the Shortbus soundtrack is far more sexual than sexy.
~ Dan MacIntosh
Release date: November 7, 2006
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