Search - Various Artists :: Permanent Midnight

The story of former television writer Jerry Stahl (Alf, thirtysomething, Moonlighting) who descends into heroin addiction as his career soars, Permanent Midnight, starring Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Hurley, and Janeane Garofalo, boasts a moody, psychedelicized soundtrack with favored alterna-rockers Girls Against Boys, Art Alexakis of Everclear, and British darlings Gomez, who deliver the quite effective "Get Miles" from their debut album. Prodigy's controversial "Smack My Bitch Up" makes an appearance, as does Moby, but the real highlights belong to Spiritualized, whose "Take Your Time" perfectly complements the tragic, dark mood, and Black Lab, who add the '80s Goth-sounding "Horses" to the proceedings. A mixture of previously released tracks (usually from Geffen acts) and originals written specifically for the movie (Spring Heel Jack's "A Permanent Theme"), the PM soundtrack captures a world in permanent hyperspace, where glitches in the electronic medium communicate alienation stronger than the singer/songwriters who attempt to hit it dead-on. --Rob O'Connor