So I'm still not sure what exactly Beer: The Movie is, but I think I have a grip on it's soundtrack. Of course, this isn't so much of a soundtrack as a mix tape for anyone from Long Island. When your CD compilation contains cuts from current northeasternscene backbones Taking Back Sunday and Brand New as well as stalwarts like the Movielife and Hot Rod Circuit [not to mention bands cut from the same cloth like Orange Island and Northstar], this disc plays out more like a summer road mix than anything else.
Unreleased tracks come from Brand New and Taking Back Sunday [which is sure to be a major selling point of this], as well as Andy from Hot Rod Circuit's side project Safety In Numbers. Triple Crown labelmates Northstar also contribute an unreleased track called "To My Better Angel" which is the best song I've heard from this band to date [and could easily become an MP3 of the Week of mine, if there wasn't a lame sample at the end of the track].
Hip Hop also makes a bit of an impression on the disc with a handful of cuts, most notably being Atmosphere's "God Loves Ugly." The other two raps on here, Mighty Casey's "Liquorland" and J-Zone's "Lightweight" pretty easily fit in with the title of the movie, as it's rather light material about drinking.
Kevin Devine plays the role of the fatherly figure on this disc, backing away from the noisy power chords ridden throughout and playing a slightly humorous, slightly vindictive acoustic number called "Probably." It's a gem that unfortunately gets sandwiched in between those unreleased BN and TBS songs, so don't expect many kids to hear it.
The comp really flows well geographically, if nothing else, until the very last song - Allister's "None Of My Friends Are Punks" kills the mood the past 50 minutes set. I don't know what they're doing on this comp, but the CD would be much better without them.
If you've been one of the many kids looking to Long Island [and their companion soundalike bands] for inspiration, there's no reason you shouldn't pick this up. If you haven't been swayed by the new sounds coming from the east coast, this soundtrack probably won't change your mind much, but it's fun while it lasts.