CheekyChicago

From the director of Juno and Thank You For Smoking, Jason Reitman is making waves with his latest film, Up In the Air. And lucky for us, the movie (which stars George Clooney), has a quality soundtrack to boot. Reitman, who hand-picked each of the soundtrack’s songs, once said he sees music as a character in every film he makes. With a soundtrack that includes everyone from Sharon Jones to Elliott Smith, to virtual unknowns, I’d say this makes for a pretty eclectic mix. My Cheeky counterpart, Ali Weiss, reviewed the film earlier this week; now it’s time to tackle the music of Up In the Air.

The soundtrack kicks off with a soulful cover of “This Land Is Your Land,” by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, setting the tone for what would seem to be a rather grandiose sound; but the song is tempered by the understated remainder of the soundtrack, which features mostly indie-acoustic and folk-rock tunes. Though its not the first time Elliott Smith’s catalogue has been tapped for use in a soundtrack (Good Will Hunting, Thumbsucker, The Royal Tenenbaums), it’s always a pleasure to hear his songs alongside a quality film, and Up In the Air is no exception; Smith’s “Angel in the Snow” appears on the soundtrack. (Fans of Elliott Smith will remember the track from 2007′s New Moon, a collection of Smith’s rarities released four years after his death.) Another soundtrack standout is “Goin’ Home,” by The Black Keys’ frontman, Dan Auerbach.

But what’s truly interesting about this soundtrack is its back-stories. The CD includes two previously unreleased tracks that were hand-picked by Reitman, and in turn, he seems to be putting these acts on the map. St. Louis native, Kevin Renick, personally handed a cassette to Reitman, after hearing him speak at Webster University. The unemployed musician had recorded a song he thought might be suitable for Reitman’s forthcoming film. Not only did Reitman give Renick’s recording a listen, but he too was convinced it’d fit perfectly in his movie, and Renick’s song (“Up In the Air”) plays over the film’s end credits. The soundtrack also has a Chicago tie-in; local musician Sad Brad Smith’s “Help Yourself” appears on the compilation, after Reitman discovered him playing at a local coffee shop. Who knew Midwestern rockers were in such high-demand?

Up In the Air hits theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. Lucky for us, Chicago is one of the few cities to receive advance-screenings. So for those of you who haven’t yet seen it, AMC River East 21 (Downtown) is screening multiple showtimes daily. As if we need another reason to see this movie; usually George Clooney + an interesting storyline is enough for us to bolt to the theater—but coupled with an awesome soundtrack? Where do we sign up?!