Search - Hal Hartley :: Flirt Soundtrack: A Film By Hal Hartley

Though the film didn't fare very well critically, this soundtrack may be director Hal Hartley's finest hour--though you might never realize it from the liner notes, in which Hartley's pseudonym, Ned Rifle, is credited with the music. Working with Jeffrey Taylor, Rifle--er, Hartley--creates a sonic landscape out of distinct melodies that often seem to exist independently of each other until they combine into a work of beauty greater than the sum of the parts. (It's a trick that Hartley has down pat--the dialogue in his films often works the same way.) "Get Your Truck," in particular, stands out as one of his best compositions. The contributions here from other artists work just as well, especially "House Sleeps Fire," from longtime Hartley collaborator Lydia Cavanaugh (and her band, She Never Blinks), and the Miss Alans' "Crushed Impalas," a college-radio hit that never happened. --Randy Silver