Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of.
Week of 01/31/2014
WHAT: Despicable Me 2 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
SPOT: 199
We were a little confused by this one at first; after all, Despicable Me 2 was released in July. But, as it turns out, the soundtrack album on June 18 only consisted of the film's score. The folks at Back Lot Music seem to have a good eye for optimal release dates, as the full soundtrack became available right at the time that its headline single-"Happy" by Pharrell Williams-jumps to no. 3 on the Billboard Digital Downloads charts.
Indeed, most of the buyers of Despicable Me 2's soundtrack will do so for the original contributions from Williams. "Happy" is nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, and the appeal in that track is equally evident in the R&B crooner's "Just A Cloud Away" and "Fun, Fun, Fun" (the latter from the first film). Still, his original from the sequel can't live up to his darkly comical "Despicable Me" from the first film. Luckily, that track is included here as well.
The score from composer Heitor Pereira isn't John Williams-epic of course, but no one expected that. Listeners who can appreciate quirky instrumental shorts will appreciate the special agent film parodying efforts of tracks such as "PX-41 Labs" and "El Macho's Lair."
One element that might serve as a make-or-break point for this collection is how well you can tolerate the minions. Gru's small, yellow peons add undeniable slapstick appeal to the film. Their trademark chatterbox language can be grating however. Be warned that this disc includes gobbledygook versions of "Another Irish Drinking Song," "I Swear," "Y.M.C.A." and even a Brahms bit. Of course, we may be "fun-ruiners" as our young nephew claims.
