The Bullet Music Reviews
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Album review: Eddie Vedder - Into The Wild OST
The film Into The Wild tells about a boy who has finished college. Instead of continuing his studies, he decides to give away all of his savings and goes to Alaska to find himself in the wildernis. On his journey, he meets different people who change his life. Sean Penn directed the film, after the book by Jon Krakauer, and asked good friend Eddie Vedder to write the soundtrack.
The result is an album containing eleven short tracks, all composed and sung by Vedder, accompanying himself on guitar. There are two covers on it, Hard Sun – also the official single - and Society. The songs follow Christophers journey. Setting Forth is a short introduction about deciding to leave and following it through. No Ceiling is about not looking back and continuing when things get tough. Giving away all your money is mentioned in Empty Pockets; “Empty pockets will allow a greater sense of wealth”.
Eddie Vedder solo is more quiet and modest than Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam frontman. He strums his acoustic guitar a lot, giving the songs a folky sound. A few tracks are instrumental, like Tuolumne, or Vedder hums a tune. The longer songs like Hard Sun, Rise and End Of The Road are beautiful, though Vedder’s vocals aren’t always very strong. At times he seems to struggle with the lower and slower parts of the lyrics.
The cd comes in a cardboard book, containing images from the film with the lyrics on them. The cover is a beautiful picture of Christopher McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch. The back cover is a stunning silhouette of Vedder, taken by none other than the famous Dutchman Anton Corbijn. This isn’t the first time Vedder and Penn work on a project together. Vedder has also written the music for Penn’s film Dead Man Walking. Vedder doesn’t have a role in Into The Wild.
Verdict: Into The Wild takes you through all highs and lows of the character in the film. Sometimes it’s hopeful, melancholic and stubborn. Even if you haven’t seen the film, the OST is worth buying. Vedder is very capable of making music without his Pearl Jam colleagues!