AMG Review of Dedication

Jason Lymangrover
All Music Guide

Former roadie for Fugazi turned director Justin Theroux shows off his eclectic musical taste with the Dedication soundtrack as it schizophrenically switches between disjointed thorny songs and flowery orchestral pop tunes, accurately capturing the movie's two protagonists' extremely different personalities. In the film, Billy Crudup plays an unstable children's book author whose manic eccentricities are accented with the music of Deerhoof, while the more stable behavior of Mandy Moore's character is captured by the somber themes of Cat Power. Even though most of the songs found on this soundtrack are featured elsewhere, Deerhoof completists will find the band's new "Matchbook Seeks Maniac" and their cover of "Little Drummer Boy" essential. Far from just an indie compilation, Dedication includes two tracks by blues musicians, two by film composer Edward Shearmur, a frantic beast of a song by Lightning Bolt, a new wave/electro tune by Fischerspooner, and the Strokes' moving, cello-based "Ask Me Anything." Although the assortment of songs is random and scattered, it's an exquisite grouping and one of the most artsy soundtracks ever to come out of Hollywood. Garden State, eat your heart out.