If you like your movie soundtracks to go beyond the cuts delivered by the likes of Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola, and are eager to track new filmmakers with a good ear for interesting visuals and music — Joe Swanberg, Ana Lily Amirpour, Xavier Dolan, and Adam Wingard come to mind — then writer/director Rick Alverson is one to keep an eye on. His outré, outsider taste in music is on the indie fringe and of late has provided David Lynch-ian kind of contrasts of strange beauty to stark images or disturbing situations. Alverson, with the help of the folks behind Jagjaguwar Records, released one of the best soundtracks of the year in 2012 with “The Comedy” (not coincidentally, one of that year’s best films too).
READ MORE: Watch The New Trailer For Rick Alverson’s Absurd And Hilarious ‘Entertainment’
Alverson’s done it again, although in much stranger fashion, with his absurdly dark and hilariously nightmarish new film, “Entertainment.” The movie stars comedian Gregg Turkington as a broken down, aging comedian on a hellish tour of third-rate venues in the arid and isolated desert ghostlands of California. It’s a deeply funny, hallucinatory, and abrasive exploration of loneliness and alienation, and the best existential comedy you’ll see all year (our review). Co-starring John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Amy Seimetz, and Michael Cera, it boasts a naturally off-kilter soundtrack that will be released on November 13th and have a limited pressing of 1,000 vinyl copies. The soundtrack will also include comedy segments from the film, as well as songs from a medley of “somber alter egos.”
We’re not sure what that means exactly, but the eclectic, obscurist disc does include American gospel singer Bill Moss, Italian folk artist Pompeo Stillo & the Companions, Frank Sinatra Jr., 1960s Chicago soul outfit Extensions, and more. “Entertainment” opens in NY and is available On Demand on November 13th. The movie hits L.A. on November 20th. Check out the soundtrack details below and watch a clip from the film that features Leah Devorah‘s cry-for-peace song, “Animals in the Zoo," which sounds a bit like Lynch’s former musical muse, Julie Cruise, on cracked acid.
ENTERTAINMENT Soundtrack Tracklist:
Side 1
1. Entertainment “Everybody’s Alright”
2. Pompeo Stillo & the Companions “He Was a Guitar Player and Now Plays Machinegun in Vietnam”
3. Bill Moss “Number One”
4. Entertainment “A Professional Loser”
5. Extensions “This Love Of Mine”
6. Entertainment “It’s Been a Long, Long Day”
7. Leah Devorah “Animals In The Zoo”
8. Entertainment “Cousin John Sings Christmas”
Side 2
1. Entertainment “Sweet Dreams”
2. Frank Sinatra Jr. “Black Night”
3. Entertainment “Yellow Rims”
4. Insight Out “It Makes You Feel So Bad”
5. Nun-Plus “Los Angeles”
6. Entertainment “Should I Be Concerned?”
7. Bob Desper “It’s Too Late”
8. Entertainment Choir “Ave Maria (Daughter Of My Dreams)”