Garden State Soundtrack

The thing I love most about the Garden State Soundtrack is how it sounds like an effortless mixed tape someone put together to follow the life of the character's in the movie. Writer, director, and lead actor, Zach Braff, did an excellent job in putting together a soundtrack that compliments his movie so well, with songs that were not made specifically for the film.

It is a rare case for popular music to successfully connect to the storyline and compliment what is going on in the movie. This seamless collaboration of a wide-spread variety of songs seem to fit not only the plot line, but more so the characters in the movie so perfectly. Included is everything from the popular band Coldplay to the then up-and-coming band The Shins and more unknown artists like Bonnie Somerville.

The music in this movie is not just background music to set the mood of the film, but it very much a main part of the movie. For example there is a scene where Sam (Natalie Portman) hands her headphones to Andrew (Zach Braff) and tells him it’s The Shins and says, “You gotta hear this one song-it’ll change your life; I swear.” Two of The Shins songs are featured in the soundtrack, “Caring is Creepy” and “New Slang”.

The first song on the soundtrack “Don’t Panic” by Coldplay has a lyrical connection to the specific scene in which it plays. Lines like “we live in a beautiful world” play during the scene where Andrew is looking through his medicine cabinet and then out on the traffic of the L.A. streets.

The connection between the movie and soundtrack is also apparent in many other songs throughout the movie. Lyrics like “Too low to find my way/ too high to wonder why” in Thievery corporation's "Lebanese Blonde" play when Andrew is at a party about to take drugs with friends. The jazzy trip-hop sound and sad lyrics do a great job expressing the emotions of the character in that scene.

Other trip-hop electronic songs like "In the Waiting Line" by Zero 7 and "Fair" by Remy Zero included in the soundtrack balance out the old classics like "One of These Things First" by Nick Drake and "The Only Living Boy in New York" by Simon & Garfunkel. With a few other indie songs like cover of the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” and “Let Go” by Frou Frou.

















1. Coldplay - Don't Panic
2. The Shins - Caring Is Creepy
3. Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line
4. The Shins - New Slang
5. Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You
6. Cary Brothers - Blue Eyes
7. Remy Zero - Fair
8. Nick Drake - One Of These Things First
9. Thievery Corporation - Lebanese Blonde
10. Simon & Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy In New York
11. Iron And Wine - Such Great Heights
12. Frou Frou - Let Go
13. Bonnie Somerville - Winding Road

Pictures provided by www.google.com/images