NEW YORK (Tommy Boy Records) - On February 22, Tommy Boy Records will release the original motion picture soundtrack to the film Goldfish Memory. Directed / written by Liz Gill and produced by Breda Walsh, this comedy/drama presents a blithe look at the dangers and delights of dating in contemporary Dublin. The companion soundtrack features a selection of tracks from Ireland's most talented indie musicians, weaved together with snippets of dialogue from the film. Most notable amongst all is a series of exclusive covers of Jobim tracks by
Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan.
Antonio
Carlos 'Tom' Jobim was a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer, pianist and one of the greatest legends of bossa nova. While classic tracks like 'Girl From Ipanema' and 'Desafinado' forever link him to the genre, Jobim often experimented with new sounds and styles and continually evolved as a musician. A multi-instrumentalist, Jobim released scores of records as a pianist, guitarist and singer for landmark labels including Verve, Warner Bros., Discovery, A&M, CTI and MCA. Although Jobim suddenly passed away in 1994, his numerous compositions continue to inspire countless jazz and pop musicians around the world.
During the two years of the film's development Liz Gill and Breda Walsh played listened to Jobim's music the CD incessantly, daring to fantasize that they might someday be able to use it in the movie. Even though some of the music was 30 years old, the original compositions had a compelling, poetic and bittersweet feeling to them that exactly epitomized the style they were aspiring to in the film. Songs about love, loss and life, that are reminiscent of Cole Porter in that they sound light and simple, but are actually extremely complex musically. They knew that they could never afford the original recordings, but hoped to get great Irish musicians to cover them. When it finally looked like the project was going forward, Gill and Walsh wrote a heartfelt letter to Mrs. Jobim, Tom's widow. Mrs. Jobim gave her blessing and the permission to re-record the four songs that were originally requested: 'Waters of March,' 'Desafinado,' 'Once I Loved' and 'Lamento No Morro.'
When it came time to choose an artist worthy of covering the Jobim tracks, Gill and Walsh didn't have to look far. One artist who really stood out for them was
Damien Rice and his work with Lisa Hannigan, and they approached them about covering some of the Jobim tracks. Their renditions of 'Waters of March,' 'Desafinado' and 'Once I Loved' are stunning works that move far from Jobim's originals while remaining equally sincere and special: Jobim would be delighted!
Jobim's spirit also lives in the film's score, created by Richie Buckley, the well-known saxophonist and composer. Buckley rounded up an all-star cast of musicians to record the songs, 'Lamento No Morro,' 'Once I Loved,' 'Desafinado /(Off Key)' and 'Waters of March/(Aguas de Marco),' and other pieces of score inspired by the bossa nova style. Just to prove how complex the music is, even the great musicians Buckley had brought together were wary of 'Waters of March.' They believe that it had been rarely performed and never recorded in Ireland before, simply because it was too difficult!
The aim for the rest of the soundtrack was to balance the bossa nova with a more contemporary sound. After wading through scores of CD's to try to find tracks that complemented the action and gave the right energy to the film, Gill and Walsh were really delighted with the quality of the music around in Ireland at the moment, the range of artists and the originality of the sounds: The Walls, Nina Hynes, The Frames, hi-rise,
Little Drummer Boy, Super Delta Three, NPB, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Messiah J & The Expert, Sinead Lohan - a very impressive and eclectic line-up! ha (See artist bio's on accompanying pages)
Here's the complete tracklisting:
1. Dialogue Goldfish Memory Philosophy 0.30
2. Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan - Once I Loved 3.01
3. Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan - Desafinado 3.57
4. Richie Buckley - Lamento No Morro 2.53
5. Sinead Lohan - You're in my Love 3.47
6. The Frames - Lay Me Down 3.06
7. hi.rise Loverash 4.03
8. The Walls - Some Kind of a Woman 5.02
9. The Walls - Bone Deep 2.59
10. NPB You're Not Paid to be a Canary 2.27
11. Nina Hynes - Shine 2.49
12. Little Drummer - Boy I Love You 2.41
13. Messiah J & The Expert - Bloodrush 2.31
14. Super Delta - Three Oh Genius 3.29
15. Rodrigo y Gabriela - Foc 3.53
16. Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan - Waters of March 3.49
17. Rodrigo y Gabriela - Temple Bar 4.20
18. Richie Buckley - Waters of March 3.46
