Album Review

Badly Drawn Boy – The Time Of Times

• 28th Feb 2008

Choosing music for a film is a tough gig. Some filmmakers (John Hughes, David Lynch) seem to choose carefully. Others appear to just grab the latest hot artist and slap on a single in the hopes it will boost audiences.

A good choice of music can often tell as much about the vision of the director as the film he or she produces. Take ‘Pretty in Pink’: On it John Hughes brings together artists as diverse as The Smiths and OMD, to Psychedelic Furs and Echo and the Bunnymen without diluting their musical credentials.

Few soundtracks are more carefully chosen or effective.

In the same vein, ‘The Time of Times’ by Badly Drawn Boy is an accomplished track, which you get the feeling, would suit any film.

Whether the song was written for the film ‘Definitely Maybe’ on which it appears, (which by the way I’m reliably informed is not the story of Oasis) or not, it has the hallmarks of a purpose-led track.

I’m not about to start off a jargon attack so relax.

‘The Time of Times’ is a pleasant combination of muted guitar, raw piano strikes and subtly placed strings. The vocals are simple, yet effective and the overall effect as it builds is impressive.

Indie music has graduated.

Expect to hear plenty of this track as the air warms and Spring ushers on (hopefully) a Summer of optimism and uplifting music.