The Circle

Issue date: 9/16/04 Section: Entertainment

Writer, director and star of "Garden State," Zach Braff (left) explains the movie´s soundtrack as "a mix CD of the music that [he] felt was scoring [his] late twenties." Proving to be an enjoyable album, the soundtrack is sure to become an instant favorite of music lovers. The album art shows a memorable scene from the film.

My first reaction to the "Garden State" soundtrack was that it played like a great mix CD that your friend made one day, to which you've listened ever since. Zach Braff, writer, director and star of "Garden State," said in an about.com article that that was exactly what he had done.

"Essentially, I just made a mix CD of the music that I felt was scoring my late twenties," Braff said.

Since the soundtrack was selling out in stores during its first few days of release, many people can obviously identify with the assortment of classic, indie, and pop songs that make up the album.

"I never imagined that so many people of so many different ages would respond to the same bands that inspire me," Braff said in the article. "I guess the coolest thing about the soundtrack's success is that it shows the labels that there's a bona fide desire for this kind of music. That, and the fact that my grandmother's driving around Boca Raton cranking Coldplay."

While the success of the soundtrack may surprise Braff, it couldn't be clearer to me that this album will be a favorite of music lovers.

I did see the movie, and though I am sure that this adds a certain depth to the soundtrack for me, the album stands on its own as a great listen.

Coldplay's "Don't Panic" opens the album, a revamping of the track that brings out the guitar strumming more so than it did on the band's debut album, "Parachutes." The brisk pace and resonating guitar provide a solid musical platform on which the song's sweetly simple message stands: "We live in a beautiful world," sings Chris Martin, the band's lead vocalist. The ethereal quality that is so characteristic of the Grammy-winning band fits the mood and theme of the film. "There's nothing here to run from," Martin sings, "'cause yeah / everybody here has someone to lean on."

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