VA - The Crow: City Of Angels - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1996)

Part of a late-'90s boom in high-profile soundtracks, the Crow: City of Angels matched the stylistic pivot of its namesake film, following a cult-classic first installment and its accompanying goth extravaganza with a schlock-filled, brutish sibling that captured the spirit of the times. When it's good, City of Angels is great. When it's not, it's merely forgettable. Front-loaded with memorable moments, the set served as an unexpected primer for things to come, previewing a new direction for Hole with their excellent cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman" (the first studio recording with Celebrity Skin bassist Melissa Auf der Maur); waving goodbye to White Zombie (and hello to solo Rob Zombie) with an unhinged take on KC and the Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man"; and marking a turning point for Filter with "Jurassitol," one of their three soundtrack hits of the era. Oddly enough, Bush do the best work connecting this sequel to the original with their hypnotizing take on Joy Division's "In a Lonely Place," while Tricky and Gravediggaz bring a fearful menace with the creepy "Tonite Is a Special Nite." Making requisite period appearances, Korn offer "Sean Olson" (recorded during the Korn sessions) and Deftones (who appear in the movie) deliver one of their finest non-album cuts, "Teething," which captures their early unrestrained energy and fury. Elsewhere, Iggy Pop (who also appeared in the movie) and PJ Harvey add artistic heft to the affair. The soundtrack to the Crow: City of Angels is as uneven as the flick and not as timeless as the original, but there are enough standout moments to make it a generational cult favorite with some unexpected gems from artists that went on to have equally unexpected trajectories.~The Crow: City of Angels [Original Soundtrack] Review by Neil Z. Yeung