July 12th, 2007
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| Release Date: July 3rd, 2007 |
| Genre(s): Soundtrack, Rock, Electronica, Hip Hop |
| Runtime: 43 minutes, 53 seconds |
| Record Label: Warner Bros. |
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Official Page: Click Here
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 I usually try to avoid film soundtracks like Michael Vick avoids PETA.
Granted, I've only heard a handful in my 21 years of living, but only a small percentage of those were passable (For example, the "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" disc was 100x better than the actual movie.. which isn't that much of an accomplishment). My major gripe with most albums from movies is the fact a lot of the songs basically have jack squat to do with the subject matter -- which kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
A lot of them are just thrown together to either with no rhyme or reason in a cheap attempt to either cash in on the latest flavor of the month or as a vehicle for the label to solely promote their own bands/artists (2002's "Resident Evil" soundtrack was pretty shameless with Roadrunner artists). I prefer original, exclusive recordings for these things, but I'm fine with cherry picking existing stuff if it's one helluva mix (see 1998's "The Wedding Singer" or 2003's "Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2").
But even today with the internet, making your own custom mix is easier than using the damn bathroom. (In comparison you have to walk to the toilet and take your pants down, where as you just need to click one time to get a song haha). So combining my own cheapness and laziness with the track records I've had with past albums (*cough* MEN IN BLACK *cough*) into one nasty ball of lint, you can see why I try to stay clear of motion picture soundtracks.
So when I got the soundtrack for "Transformers," I was a ready to be disappointed. It doesn't help I have the 80's songs stuck in my head from the animated original, either. I mean, not to offend fans of Stan Bush's "The Touch," but c'mon -- that shit was lame even by 80's standards lol. I don't care how much nostolgia you're drunk off of, you can't sit there today and tell me that song isn't as homo as Lance Bass. Give me "The Goonies" soundtrack any day (hooray for Cyndi Lauper!). When I was watching the movie (the 2007 version), a few of the songs edited into the action grabbed my attention, but I still wasn't sold on the CD. After listening to it straight through a few times, however, I've grown to enjoy it.. Although, it does have it's problems. Not many, but let's just say the "service engine" light is on..
The album kicks off with "What I've Done" by Linkin Park. It's featuered a lot in promotional items of the film and has prime spots in the actual picture. I'm sure Chester and Mike are grinning all the way to the bank, but if you've read my review on their latest release, "Minutes to Midnight," then you know there's nothing really to smile about. My first impression of the song was "what the in the blueberry hell happened to LP?!". It was definitely a more "neutered" sound compared to their past songs, but ever since I've associated it with Transformers instead of their lame ass political stand against Bush, oddly, I've grown to enjoy the song a great deal. It fits well with the movie and I can see why this was chosen as the lead track. I do have to say that while "What I've Done" is a top notch grab for the album, ANY OTHER SONG LP HAS DONE IN THE PAST would have BETTER for this movie. Goodness, "In The End," "Somewhere I Belong," or for the love of shit "Faint" would have been ideal given the tone of the film. But since those songs are old as Jesus I can see why they went with the newer one lol. It's a trade-off I guess.. if "Transformers" was made 3-5 years ago it would have looked like a hot ass, freshly raped mess by now, even if it did have a better soundtrack.
Speaking of Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda and his homies at Styles of Beyond contribute "Second to None," which again reminds me how much Linkin Park absolutely blows now. Hearing Mike spit rhymes, something he only did once or twice on the new album (pretty half-assedly at that), is a treat. He should definitely entertain the thought to go solo before the LP ship totally sinks. When I was listening to the seemingly kung-fu inspired beat, I was wondering why the hell is this on the album lol. It's a good song, but it stands out like a sore thumb at the beginning of the second half of the soundtrack since it's the only hip-hop track featured. It's like they threw it on there to justify Jazz being the "black" Autobot lol. Personally, I would have placed this near the end with the electronica portion versus sandwiched between two rock songs. It's really questionable placement that kind of messes up the pacing. And on a "who gives a crap" note, "Second to None" has the only cuss word on the entire thing...
Of course, what's a big summer blockbuster without the obligatory "end of the world" overtones with songs to accompany it? In what seems to be a funny coincidence, director Michael Bay's other doomsday film, 1998's "Armageddon," had the beautiful, yet ultimately annoying (blame American Idol for raping this song) "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith and Transformers gets the shaft with the Goo Goo Dolls' "Before It's Too Late," which is the lubby dubby theme for Sam and Mikaelea in the movie. It's no where near as irritating or artistic as Aerosmith's famous mushy song, but it pretty much serves the same purpose.
It sounds like a cross between that, some lame 80's love song, and their other hit (again, oddly from 1998) "Iris" from the "City of Angels" soundtrack. It's tolerable in the movie since it only plays for a few seconds, but this isn't anything I'll intentially go to on my iPod to hear. I'm too lazy to hit skip, so I can put up with it for the time being. Ask me next year how I feel about it lol...
I do have some advice for you though -- Take Berlin's 1986 hit "Take My Breath Away" from the "Top Gun" soundtrack and throw it in this playlist and you'll get the same effect, but better. Tom Cruise won't mind -- he's still got "Danger Zone" to jump up and down on couches with.
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