Y Tu Mama Tambien
Soundtrack
Volcano
Hey, I couldn’t tell you what Y Tu Mama Tambien, the film, is all about. But this soundtrack out and out rocks. A dizzying mixture of collaborative original material fits in incongruously among more traditional movie fare like the sultry ballad or the unexpected cover. Plastilina Mosh and Tonnino Carotone and Chalo from Volovan revisit Mexican classic “La Sirenita” and slap on a modern wardrobe – pink hair, pierced septum, Ecko handbag – on the traditional tale of a man and his mermaid. Eagle Eye Cherry takes on the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody” with simple acoustic grace. Senor Coconut’s digi-Latin reworking of Kraftwerk’s “Showroom Dummies” is another interesting highlight.
Lest you think all we have here are covers, here are some original pieces that you may be interested in: Bran Van 3000 deconstruct and reconstruct Eek-A-Mouse in “Go Shopping,” a fun piece of nu-dub. Natalie Imbruglia and Cafe Tacuba also turn in stellar tracks. A few more traditional pieces (Flaco Jimenez’s “La Tumba Sera Final” and Marco Antonio Solis’ “Si No Te Hubieras Ido”) are tumbled in with interesting older material (Brian Eno’s “By This River,” Zappa’s central-scrutinizin’ “Watermelon In Eastern Hay”) to round out the rest of the album.
Altogether, the soundtrack takes some mighty disparate elements and makes them all play nice together. It’s a fascinating tour of music, and I’m anxiously awaiting the day Y Tu Mama Tambien appears at my local arthouse screen or video rental.
