Sofia Coppola's adaptation of Jeffery Eugenides's novel THE VIRGIN SUICIDES uses music to heighten its ghostly, evocative atmosphere. This disc should not be confused with the one featuring the original score by Air (though that music is key to the ambience of the film as well). Instead, this set--subtitled MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE--contains mostly pop and rock songs from the mid-1970s (the time period of THE VIRGIN SUICIDES), and each feels chosen carefully for its nostalgic value, mood, and appropriateness to the imagery of the film.

Heart's "Magic Man," for example, (in addition to introducing the character of Trip Fontaine), seems to encapsulate the sexual tension of the film, and the expansive Hollies track "The Air That I Breathe" recalls the possibility and tragedy explored in the story. Likewise, Al Green's "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" (written by the brothers Gibb) and 10CC's terribly sad "I'm Not In Love" reinforce the movie's wistful pathos. The only two cuts not from the '70s are by Air, though the band's breezy electronica fits in very well with the rest of the album.

Entertainment Weekly (10/12/01, p.44) - Ranked #93 in EW's "100 Best Movie Soundtracks"

Q (9/00, p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Soundtracked by the soft-rock giants of the ['70s] era....the satin bomber-jacketed likes of Heart, 10cc and Styx divide most of the spoils..."