The Life Aquatic

Sometime around my fourth or fifth viewing of Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou film I realized that what appealed to me so much about the film wasn’t the acting, script, or jokes, but, rather, the atmosphere of the film. Any Wes Anderson fan will tell you, it’s all about the details, and such is again the case with Life Aquatic, though to a different effect. Anderson uses color schemes, fluid dialogue and, more than ever before, music in creating the lethargic mood of his latest opus. While much of the films soundtrack is comprised of classic-era rock and the usual Mark Mothersbaugh scoring, there are also a handful of Portuguese interpretations of David Bowie songs by actor Seu Jorge. Jorge’s adaptations of the Thin Duke’s greatest early 70s work left me wanting more than what the Anderson-commissioned soundtrack had to offer. 

In the fall of 2005 Jorge released his second solo album, Cru, likely hoping to build off of the attention he received for his role in The Life Aquatic as well as his work as Knockout Ned in Fernando Meirelles’ City of God film (currently ranked as the No. 15 film of all time at imdb.com). While Cru was built around the Brazilian artist’s signature gentle strumming and elegant vocals, it was mostly plagued by poor production and occasional forced electronic backdrops. Just as soon as I began checking the Internet for bootleg versions of the songs included on the Criterion version of the film’s DVD I came across a release date for The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions of Seu Jorge. “Wonderful,” I thought.

Initially available only as an import, Studio Sessions includes 13 Bowie covers, most of which were used for the film, as well as one Jorge original, entitled “Team Zissou.” While most of the tracks are selected from Bowie’s pre-Berlin, post-pre-glam era, Jorge does include a couple of surprises, most notably “Quicksand,” and “When I Live My Dream.” The renditions are all very sparse and simple, with Jorge singing (mostly) in Portuguese, although any Bowie fan could easily sing along in English. The real incentive to Jorge’s work is his preternatural gift for creating a serene vibe through his music, leaving listeners feeling as though they either just left the beach or spent 40-some-odd minutes in a tranquil state of meditation. Either way, you might fall asleep-but not from boredom, but rather, pure bliss.

At times uninspired and spotty, Jorge’s third release isn’t perfect. But, regardless of its shortcomings, Studio Sessions will be a treasure to Seu Jorge, Wes Anderson and David Bowie fans alike. If nothing else, now you and your friends can stop talking about how much you want the Jorge Sessions and move onto more stimulating discussion topics. My recommendation: best Klaus moment. My personal favorite: “Not if I don’t see you first, Sonny.” Even Wes Anderson naysayers can pick up The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions, if for no other reason, to learn how to say “the queer threw up at the sight of that” in Portuguese.   7/10

Written by G. William Locke