I Saved Latin! A Tribute to Wes Anderson

I Saved Latin! A Tribute to Wes Anderson is a compilation album by American Laundromat Records, released on May 13, 2014. The album is a tribute compilation to film director Wes Anderson, collecting indie rock versions of songs from his various film soundtracks. The track listing includes covers of songs written by David Bowie, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones, recorded specifically for the album by bands such as Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. The album was received positively by critics, with NME calling it "cohesive and pleasingly idiosyncratic," and Delusions of Adequacy stating that "most of [the songs] embrace a shared autumnal aesthetic, which closely adheres to Anderson’s whimsical vision."

History

Production

On November 19, 2013, American Laundromat Records announced I Saved Latin!, a double-CD tribute compilation to film director Wes Anderson. Paste Magazine reported the album's release would likely come before the March 7, 2014 release of Anderson’s latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel, Nylon Magazine, in contrast, reported a likely May 13 release, which was later confirmed by the label. ALR opened up their website for pre-orders, selling a "deluxe" edition that included a vinyl single and various clothing and objects themed to Anderson's films and characters.

According to NME, "The title of the compilation, ‘I Saved Latin!’ is a reference to high school romantic Max Fischer’s crowning achievement in 1998's Rushmore.

Track selection

As of November 2013 the tracklisting was not finalized, though the listed 24 songs consisted of covers of songs in Anderson's first six films: Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. No tracks were included from 2012's Moonrise Kingdom, though that film is named in the cover art, and more songs were reported to be forthcoming closer to the release date. A track listing was later confirmed.

Artists

Among the covered artists are The Kinks, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and The Zombies. Juliana Hatfield covers Elliott Smith's "Needle in the Hay," which was used in The Royal Tennenbaums, while Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin covers "Margaret Yang's Theme" from Rushmore, which was originally made for the film by Mark Mothersbaugh. Other covers include Matt Pond's version of Nico's "These Days," and John Lennon's "Oh Yoko!" by The Ghost in You. Also included are Kristin Hersh's rendition of Nick Drake's "Fly," and other covers from Generationals, Elk City, Telekinesis, and Santah.

Release

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's’s track “Ziggy Stardust” was released before the album as a single on several music websites. The full album was released on by American Laundromat Records, on CD, digital, and 7" vinyl. The liner notes for the vinyl and CD describe which movies the songs were first used in.

Reception

USA Today reviewed the release positively, and NME called it "cohesive and pleasingly idiosyncratic," praising in particular the Juliana Hatfield cover of "Needle in the Hay," a track by the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Delusions of Adequacy gave it a mixed review, criticizing several individual tracks but complimenting the overall album, and stating "the fact that most of [the songs] embrace a shared autumnal aesthetic, which closely adheres to Anderson’s whimsical vision, is no bad thing in sustaining a collective mood."

Patrick Robbins of the review website Cover Me gave the album a perfect score, and wrote that "Some changes worked on the songs are marvels in their subtlety. I Saved Latin! works on many levels – as a tribute to Wes Anderson, to his movies, to particular scenes in his movies, to the artists whose songs scored those scenes, to the artists who covered those songs, and to the label that brought those artists together."

Track listing

Disc 1

Disc 2

Personnel

• Multiple - primary artists
• Multiple - original composers
• Joseph H. Spadaro - producer, liner notes
• Sean Glonek - mastering
• Lonny Unitus - design, art direction

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External links

• I Saved Latin! at ALR
• I Saved Latin! on Facebook
• I Saved Latin! on Allmusic