V/A: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2LP, soundtrack, canary yellow vinyl) [HOLLYWOOD]

Why you'll love it

This canary yellow 2LP set spreads the 2004 soundtrack across four sides. Seu Jorge's Portuguese-language David Bowie covers sit beside Bowie's own "Life on Mars?" and "Queen Bitch," plus Devo, The Stooges and The Zombies.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Canary yellow vinyl
• Limited edition

About the album

Every good expedition needs a ship's band. Wes Anderson's was Seu Jorge, the Brazilian singer who plays a crew member in the film and spends his downtime strumming David Bowie songs on deck, translated into Portuguese and stripped to voice and acoustic guitar.

Around him, Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh supplies the score, co-producing with his bandmate Bob Casale, and the cues have names as good as the music: "Let Me Tell You About My Boat," "We Call Them Pirates Out Here." Australian composer Sven Libaek's themes from the 1970s undersea TV series Inner Space give the film its "Shark Attack Theme" and "Open Sea Theme," reportedly at actor Noah Taylor's suggestion. Devo's "Gut Feeling" and The Stooges' "Search and Destroy," both songs Bowie had a hand in producing, add some grit, while Ennio Morricone and Joan Baez's "Here's To You," Paco de Lucía, Scott Walker's "30 Century Man" and The Zombies' "The Way I Feel Inside" round out the voyage.

Like all of Anderson's soundtracks, it works as a mixtape you'd actually want to make yourself. Crew members are advised to bring their own red beanie.

Also at Kops: more The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou on vinyl · browse Soundtracks

Tracklist

Listen

On Hollywood Records, a reissue of the 2004 soundtrack.