First Love, Last Rites is one of the more interesting motion picture soundtracks to come along in recent times. All of the songs were written and performed by
Shudder to Think, but the catch is that they have a host of different alternative rock stars pitching in on vocals. All of the songs have a strong retro feel, since the music is originating from an oldies radio station throughout the movie. The
Shudder boys show the range of their talents as they back up such alternative favorites as the late
Jeff Buckley ("I Want Someone Badly"),
Billy Corgan ("When I Was Born, I Was Bored"),
Liz Phair ("Erecting a Movie Star"), and others.
Shudder to Think pitches in six compositions that they perform entirely themselves (including vocals), the best of the bunch being the country twang of "Lonesome Dove" and "Diamonds, Sparks & All," which contains a very strong high-school-prom sound. Other highlights include a pair of tracks featuring two rock legends (
Cheap Trick's
Robin Zander on "Automatic Soup" and
X's
John Doe on "Speed of Love"), which help round out a great and unpredictable collection of "oldies." ~ Greg Prato