Fans of (largely) mellow songs by (mostly) American indie rock outfits should snap up this superior soundtrack. Representative of the mood is "Pills" by Gary Jules--an original song that feels as Cat Stevens-indebted as Jules's popular cover of "Mad World" on the Donnie Darko soundtrack. Foo Fighters' "Razor" and Paul Westerberg's "Let the Bad Times Roll" see these acts at their calmest. Largely acoustic and gently paced, the CD almost never raises its pulse, and even when it does, as with Audible's "Sky Signal," it remains appealingly melodic. While most of the tracks are from the mid-'00s, it's great to hear the Lemonheads's 1992 "My Drug Buddy" again--it still counts as one of Evan Dando's finest moments. And although the flavor is largely American, trips across the pond result in lovely tracks by the Magic Numbers who supply their customary Mamas and Papas-influenced harmonies on "Mornings Eleven," and by Gomez with their shuffling "These 3 Sins." --Elisabeth Vincentelli
