JUNO (Original Soundtrack)

Chuck Taylors and girls with guitars:
The soundtrack to Juno is a refreshing dose of DIY pop music

LINDA: I'm sure we are not the only ones who are saying, "Thank god for Juno!" The hit indie film, popular with both audiences and critics (heck, it even got some impressive Oscar nominations), has been a breath of fresh air, cleansing our minds from the sordid tales of the girls-gone-wild exploits of Britney, Paris, and Lindsay. Juno (played by Oscar-nominated cutie Ellen Page), a smart, witty, and sardonic teenage girl (who, oh, happens to be pregnant) is the anti-Britney that a whole generation (not to mention their older sisters and moms) have been waiting for.

The movie just happens to have a great soundtrack that has been stuck in our CD player ever since we got it home. I believe Stephanie practically melted the disc from overuse when I was out of town for a week, so I thought she would be the best one to review the soundtrack. As she scraped a bowl of chocolate ice cream, and spun back and forth in her office chair, she offered some thoughts about the little soundtrack that is making big waves....

STEPHANIE: I recently read an interview with [award winning illustrator] Mo Williams, who said he purposely illustrated his children's books so that kids would see the pictures and feel like it was something they could draw, too. That is what the Juno soundtrack is like. It has a DIY, Sassy/BUST magazine kind of feel to it. It's very Evergreen State College, riot grrrl, girly barettes, and lipstick-outside-the-lines kind of music. Simply put, it sounds like music that you could make yourself.

Songs by folks as diverse as the Kinks, Buddy Holly, and Belle and Sebastian fit into the flow of the songs seamlessly, with their simple guitars and voice, or their catchy jangly tunes. As for Kimya Dawson (and her Moldy Peaches), there's a very Heavens to Betsy feel to her songs, like they were recorded in her living room (which they probably were). It is the total opposite of Britney Spears manufactured pop music—with no big budget production, tweaked vocals, or drowning synthesizers.

Kimya Dawson's lyrics are like getting up in the morning and making up a song while you're getting dressed. Then you say to yourself, "That was good!" and you sit down and write down the lyrics. And most of the songs on the Juno Soundtrack are all in major keys. Know how I noticed? I played The Smiths' The Queen is Dead, and you think that is jangly music? It's not! It's a major downer in minor keys. Dawson's "Loose Lips" is like getting together at the Democratic caucus and telling off President Bush. And "Superstar" would make anyone a Sonic Youth fan—you don't even notice their token dissonance in the background, just because its so awesome.

The Juno Soundtrack is for people who either are sassy, or would like to be sassy. It's for the DIY girl, or for the girl who has a secret DIY girl inside of her, dying to get out. It's for stitch-and-bitch circles. It's for girls who shop at thrift stores, paint their Chuck Taylors, and thread heart shoelaces in their sneakers. And it's for all the people who love them.