We Bought A Zoo
Columbia
****
Jonsi is no stranger to soundtracks. The Sigur Ros frontman's brand of avant garde Icelandic pop has served as a musical backdrop to many films, including Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky and Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.
His ambient soundscapes have translated so well on to celluloid it is no surprise that Crowe has enlisted his musical help once again, this time around to provide the soundtrack to his new film We Bought a Zoo. "He arrived from Iceland with a toy sampler keyboard and a head full of ideas," says Crowe. "Within a week, he had composed a series of themes that would reflect everything we'd hoped for. In his music were all the highs and lows and passionate in-betweens of the film itself."
The music on this soundtrack does not stray too far from Sigur Ros territory; the score is overflowing with the airy vocals, melancholic tempos and euphoric string arrangements that make up the band's unmistakable trademark sound.
There are also echoes of Jonsi's solo work on the album, with the songs Boy Lilikoi, Go Do and Sinking Friendships all taken directly from his debut studio album Go. The title track, We Bought a Zoo, the lullaby-like Brambles, and the Crowe co-written Gathering Stories are the highlights of the whimsical score that will undoubtedly enhance the pathos of the film.