Various Artists: Wish I Was Here (Music from the Motion Picture) (Columbia) Review

	Friday, April 19th, 2024
      
	Subscribe
	Advertise

Various Artists

Wish I Was Here (Music from the Motion Picture)

Columbia

Jul 31, 2014 Various Artists By Zach Hollwedel

More than anything, the soundtrack to Wish I Was Here sounds like an update to the one for Garden State, which came out in 2004. The reason is obvious; Zach Braff directed both films, and Wish I Was Here essentially comes off as a direct sequel, at least as far as the music is concerned. The Shins featured prominently in Garden State, and they return to Wish I Was Here with the melodious but forgettable “So Now What.”

Of 15 tracks, the most exciting is “Heavenly Father,” a new song from Bon Iver composed exclusively for the film. Justin Vernon fans will enjoy the poetic, almost trance-inducing piece, but the song itself doesn’t warrant the entire album. Made up of predominantly recognizable (and years-old) tracks from such artists as Gary Jules, Radical Face, Badly Drawn Boy, and even Paul Simon, Braff’s Wish I Was Here soundtrack isn’t quite as new as it seems. (www.wishiwasheremovie.com)

Author rating: 5/10

Rate this album
Average reader rating: 6/10