Track Listing

1. Cave - Culver City Dub Collective
2. Breakdown [Film Version] - Jack Johnson
3. Know How - Kings of Convenience
4. We Need Love - Johnny Osbourne
5. Transfiguration #1 - M. Ward
6. Let It Be Sung - Jack Johnson, Matt Costa and Zach Gill
7. Goodbye - Eddie Vedder
8. Needles in My Eyes - The Beta Band
9. Window - Doug Martsch
10. The Road - Matt Costa
11. Vuelvo al Sur [Koop Remix] - Astor Piazzolla
12. Home - Jack Johnson

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40774 in Music
• Released on: 2006-11-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack

Amazon.com
It's up to wave-riding moviegoers to determine whether A Broke Down Melody is its generation's Endless Summer; but as of the release of this soundtrack, one thing's for certain: nobody's making cooler, more chilled-out surf records than Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records. A Broke Down Melody tours the world's coasts and collects accessible tunes that could technically fit in a bunch of genres, whether folk, world, indie rock, or reggae. The thing is, they all adhere to a vibe: Johnson might as well be leading listeners by the hand into his own private village, one where friends make music all around and all it takes to get a sampling is a soft knock on the next grass-hut door. Standouts include the Johnson originals, but it's easy to fall leash-over-longboard in love with some of the lesser-known artists--Johnny Osbourne's "We Need Love" is Bob Marley bright, Matt Costa's two contributions call him out as a major talent, and "Know How," a jaunty little groove by Kings of Convenience, is enlivened by an appearance by the indie darling Feist. Fuzzy, vintage-style photos collected in the liner notes up the appeal; way to wear a wetsuit, Jack. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews

EEEEaaaassssyyyy
Another cool, chill, laid back feel that one would expect from anything with Jack Johnson's name on it.

For some reason the Vedder song just blows me away in how great a song it is and how simple a song it is.

Jack's Consistent
This is another good and well-balanced album from Jack Johnson and crew at Brushfire Records. Everything that Jack personally touches here is gold, but there are some other 'good' (not 'gold') accompaniments. Matt Costa is showing himself to be very consistent as well, offering a well written and melodic piece much like he did on the Curious George album. The one draw back on this album that gave me pause and why I would only give it a 4 star rating is the injections of spoken monologs that are included from the start of the album all the way on through. I am a surfer and I still find them annoying...

Mellow and good...
Here we have yet another surf film soundtrack from Jack Johnson and friends (in the same vein as "Thicker Than Water" and "The September Sessions"). By now most people are familiar with Johnson's nuvo-Buffett style of churning out short, chilled-out, acoustic beach grooves. Whether you're a fan of his style or not, this album will do little to change your mind. It's packed with the same type of jazzy dubs and folky jingles that have made Johnson a favorite of beach barbequers in need of some background music for the past few years.

Most notable on this particular soundtrack are the "film version" of "Breakdown" (which sounds more-or-less the same as it does on Johnson's "In Between Dreams" album, perhaps with a slightly faster, upbeat tempo), and Eddie Vedder backed by a ukulele on "Goodbye."

Of all his friends and musical colleagues, Johnson remains the most consistent in terms of creating superior melodies. But the musical diversity of this album keeps it just alive enough to feel somehow fresh and enjoyable, despite the fact that these soundtracks to Johnson's surf films are all beginning to sound a little too similar.