Amazon.com: Taking a break from his day job fronting rock heavyweight Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder immerses himself into the big-screen story of a young man who gives all his money to charity and hitchhikes to a new life--and his eventual death--in the wilds of Alaska. Prompted by the film's creator, Sean Penn, to contribute to the musical score, the Seattle musician tackled the entire project, playing every instrument on the soundtrack's nine original and two cover songs. Vedder contemplates the traveler "setting forth in the universe" in the opener "Setting Forth," then tracks in the remaining songs the realizations and disillusionments that follow. A wish comes true in banjo-plucked "No Ceiling" to "up and disappear," while affluence is questioned on the hard-rocking "Far Behind," with Vedder singing, "Empty pockets will/Allow a greater sense of wealth." No song in the album's first half exceeds two-and-a-half minutes, remedied by Vedder's pertinent five-minute stamp on the remake of Indio's "Hard Sun," complete with eerie backing vocals by Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker. The songwriter puts wealth on the hot seat in "Society," questioning, "If less is more/How you keepin' score?" The darkly sung folk song bookends the reticent declaration "Guaranteed," wonderfully delivered and quietly strummed, in which the prodigal Vedder wraps the journey in one line: "Leave it to me as I find a way to be/Consider me a satellite forever orbiting." (The record is packaged like a hardcover book, with vivid photography and lyrics.) --Scott Holter
Product Description: track listing and sequence subject to change
Album Description: The young, idealistic Christopher McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch abandons all possessions and life as most of us known it for the Alaskan wilderness. This incredible and intense true story has touched a nerve with millions around the world.
Eddie Vedder is the real deal Lovely music and Eddie's soulful vocals, as well as meaningful lyrics with substance - what more can you ask for? I love what these songs say and the way Eddie conveys these emotions. It's music that I find very poignant and honest and - for personal reasons - impossible not to connect with.
On a side note: Like me, Eddie Vedder is a huge fan of the australian rock group The Church - a band that I highly recommend. Begin with After Everything Now This.
Great companion to the movie!! This has got to be one of my favorite CD's from the Pearl Jam universe. But make no mistake... it's NOT PJ (DUH...), despite being in the same neighborhood. It's merely PJ's lead singer taking a temporary step out of his magnificent band to write and record a few short songs for old buddy Sean Penn, as a soundtrack to Penn's latest directorial accomplishment, Into The Wild (which by the way, is an incredible movie). The songs on here are short, but oh so sweet, and most of them are 100% from Vedder's mind. It's not a loud, in your face assault like you'd expect from PJ, either. These songs are for the most part very reflective, and focus on such themes as greed, materialism, inner peace, and happiness; much of what the movie is all about. In my opinion, this is the greatest soundtrack out there... it matches the feel and purpose of the film to a T. "Long Nights" sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it, and "Hard Sun", though not an "all-Vedder composition", has CLASSIC written all over it in every sense of the word. "Wolf" reminds me very much of PJ's "Arc" off Riot Act. All the songs here are stellar, and are even better once you've seen the movie. I don't think you have to be a total Pearl Jam fanatic to fully appreciate this soundtrack, either. Very good tunes.
Our collective search for meaning in life, and being true to ourselves The music and the words of every song are beautiful. Hopeful. Inspiring. Thinking. Living. Breathing. This is soul; this is art. "Rise" is one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard.
Into the Wild The most awesome CD I have. "Hard Sun" is a classic as well as "The Wolf" which has no lyrics but needs none.
Amazing This is an absolutely amazing soundtrack. Eddie Vedder did an outstanding job on it.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
