Soundtrack: Lost in Translation
Composer/Artist(s): Kevin Shields, Death in Vegas, Air
Year: 2003
Genre(s): Shoegaze, Electronic

DOWNLOAD -- Lost in Translation

A little more modern with todays pick, Lost in Translation in my opinion is one of the finer selected soundtracks of the decade. Its also a snowy day here in New York City and i refuse to take my headphones off today. it's going to be that kind of day...

I know its a bold statement that many 'ledgers may disagree with, but Sofia Coppola is a master when it comes to music in film. Similar to Scorsese or Fincher, the soundtracks to her films set a tone, pace and setting that the stories breathe in. Even on disc, all of her films are perfect mixtapes. This film sets the mood with shoegaze appeal, layered over mid-tempo rhythm and trance-induced vocals. She also tends to collaborate in a way with her music that most directors barely take time to consider. In The Virgin Suicides she had Air score her entire film, collaborating with the french-duo from practically the conception of that feature. With this film score, she went back to her collaboration with Brian Reitzell (Air Drummer) as music supervisor. In an interview for Exclaim! Magazine, Coppola elaborated on her collaboration with Reitzell for this specific film, "We talked about the music when I was first starting to work on the script. We talked about the atmosphere and looked at photographs. Also, instead of having one singular sound through the whole thing, to make it more like a compilation because the city is like that — it’s such a combination of all different things. You walk up the street and hear music coming from every direction. We just talked about music that made us feel like driving around Tokyo late at night after drinking sake."



Unlike many writers who also direct, Coppola’s inspirations spring not from the pen but from the tools of a filmmaker: cinematography and music. She said, "Tokyo is such a beautiful place, and unreal with those cityscapes and views. We shot it in a way that tries to reflect that — intimate, informal, with handheld cameras. All the decisions about how to shoot it were made based on the atmosphere and the music, all tied together. The tone you’re going for informs all your decisions."

What I was saying before, that every Coppola soundtrack feels like a mixtape... its really true and almost eerie. My Bloody Valentine, Death in Vegas, Air, Kevin Shields and Jesus & Mary Chain are the perfect batch for this movie. Not only for a movie, but for any day that you just want to wander and be lost in translation.