VA - Amateur - OST (1994)

Although director Hal Hartley has worked with contemporary rock bands before and since (Yo La Tengo, Hub, the Miss Alans), this is his only soundtrack in which they dominate the CD. Here he works with bands that have the same reputation as he does: underground, a little skewed from more popular fare, and critically acclaimed. The only problem is that, at the time of the soundtrack's release, most every track could be found on the individual bands' previous albums; now that some of them have gone out of print, the soundtrack actually works far better. Contributions from Liz Phair, My Bloody Valentine, Yo La Tengo, Bettie Serveert, Pavement, and the Jesus Lizard are standouts on the soundtrack and work even better in the film. The balance of the CD (11 tracks) is filled with Hartley (under the pseudonym Ned Rifle) and Jeffrey Taylor's musical cues and score for the film. It's Hartley's most ethereal sound, featuring keyboards, strings, and vocals, and while it's less pop-oriented than his other work, it's no less arresting. --Randy Silver