Mortal Kombat

Soundtrack

TVT Records, 1995

REVIEW BY: Alfredo Narvaez

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/07/1998

Way back in the ancient days of 1995, this little album came out of nowhere and established itself at the top of the charts. It was an amazing feat -- considering that the album had no well-known artists. However, fans were quick to recognize it and picked it up. This led to a lot of the music and entertainment media to mark it as the signal that electronica was ready to blow onto the scene. Of course, this led to last year's predictions that said that Prodigy, The Dust Brothers and others would become the next big thing -- forever hammering the coffin shut for alternative music. Yet, as we all know, that really didn't happen.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Well, this album does suffer from many problems. First of all is the apparent lack of "name" artists. Unless you were one of the underground fans, you probably never heard of these artists. (Well, maybe Traci Lords. But that wasn't because of her singing mind you.) Though I'm sure there's no lack of talent, these artists were starting to come up to the surface - so name recognition was not easy.

Second problem is that this isn't music for everyday life. (The basic problem with much of electronica music). The music sure fit the hyper fighting scenes - and I'm sure they're fine at a dance or at a rave - but how do you play them at other moments? Can't dance all the time. This album doesn't translate well to other aspects of life. (Which, while not a requirement for some, is for this reviewer).

Perhaps the worst is that, unless you're a fan of much of this music is too alike to itself. There's almost no easily recognizable songs. The best in here are Utah Saints' theme for the movie - which is heard and overheard in the movie - and KMFDM's "Juke-Joint Jezebel." The rest blends in and out into a cohesion of sounds that sounds interesting one moment and boring the next. Oh well.

The album tries to feel at home for both the groundbreakers and for the everyday fans. If it tried to please one set, it would be fine. But there's too much here and a lot of it is overrated. Now, it's probably easier--and a better choice--to just get the movie. At least the music makes more sense with the action on the screen.

Rating: D-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 1998 Alfredo Narvaez and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of TVT Records, and is used for informational purposes only.