Soundtrack Review: Crank High Voltage

Composed and Performed by: Mike Patton
Label: Lakeshore

Colour me stupid!  I had absolutely no idea that Mike Patton (of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle fame) was doing soundtracks.  I had to ask myself, “Summer, what have you been missing out on this entire time?”  Yes, calling yourself by name helps when you’re talking to yourself.  The answer came in the form of Crank: High Voltage, and it came like a swift kick to the face by a Doc Marten-clad foot.

Let’s just be honest up front here:  If you’re not interested in seeing the movie, you’re not interested in listening to this soundtrack.  Everything about the 32 tracks electrifies, hammers, and sizzles with the energy of the film’s subject matter.  It’s called Crank: High Voltage, people!  If you think you’re getting an hour’s worth of typical OST “mood” music, you’re in for having your brain officially broken.

Patton is a master of combining about 3 or 4 different genres into one track (an average track’s running time is under 2 minutes), and making it work.  I don’t know how, but it’s like distilled schizophrenia in audio format.  Each track seems to have its own theme, which you wouldn’t think would work as an album.  Somehow, it all fits together (with the exception of “Noticias,” which was the strangest 16 seconds of the entire album).  The first track, “Kickin’,” starts out with these tribal style drums with what sounds like a harpsichord and a staple gun, then quickly pile drives into a mosh pit frenzy, Patton’s vocals included.  “Sweet Cream (Redux)” has a chill, electronic grove about it, while “El Huron” feels like Ennio Morricone went to a cracked-out circus set up in a mall parking lot. Then it goes into some crunchy, beat heavy rock with “The Hammer Drops.”  This album is all over the place, much like Chev himself.

So, if you want to be reminded of Jason Statham’s hot body wreaking havoc all over the place, this album should be in your Amazon wishlist.