Jennifer’s Body Of Sound
Diablo Cody’s follow up to “Juno” is its inversion. “Juno” was a bout something inside a girls body going out, “Jennifer’s Body” the sotry of a devil possed teenage girl who feasts on human flesh and blood is about something outside a girls body going in. And it makes Diablo Cody the single best writer of dialogue since Tarantino was discussing the quarter pounder.
So what’s that got to do with a music blog? Well, the story revolves around an indie band, Low Shoulder, sacrificing a virgin to the devil (“They’re like the agents of Satan with awesome haircuts” as the titular body puts it) for fame and fortune. Low Shoulder’s lead singer (Jennifer doesn’t waste her time with drummers) is played by Adam Brody of The O.C. and the songs, written by Ryan Levine, aren’t that great but they are perfect for a nothing great indie band. As the Brody character puts it: there’s a million indie bands out there and unless you’re on Letterman or a soundtrack you need an edge. “Don’t you want to be like Maroon 5” he asks.
More interesting is the rest of the album, another character getting ready for the formal to Panic’s “New Perspective,” cheerleaders practising to Black Kids “I’m Not going To Teach Him How To Dance With You”) as well as a who’s who on indie featuring two Hole songs (that’s one way to fill it, right?), the heavily hyped Silversun Pickup, Dashboard Confessional and, hysterically enough the non-existent Low Shoulder covering Blondie’s “In The Flesh”.
Just for the shits and giggles I checked out the “Heathers” soundtrack and it was a, ahem, background music from the movie. So I followed my dreams down to “The Craft” -a teen flick about HS girls putting curses on each other with a KILLER soundtrack, with stuff like Sponge doing “All This And Nothing” and Juliana Hatfield singing “Witches Song”…. also some Love Spit Love in there as well as Tripping Daisy’s, Elastica and Spacehog. And don’t get me started on “Reality Bites”. In other words: Cody missed a big opportunity as far as soundtracks go: neither cutting, nor edgy, nor particularly conceptual, it works in context but, much like “Jennifer’s Body” itself, leaves us wondering when will this gifted writer pull off the masterpiece you can seel bubbling just on the surface of her screenplays.
