Gary Jules: Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets

One of my very first entries in this blog was about the film "Donnie Darko". Now, one of the most important scenes in that movie is accompanied by a cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World". Stripping it of the annoying 80's disco beat while retaining its striking lyrics ("The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had") and harmonic minimalism, pianist Michael Andrews and singer Gary Jules turn it into a stunningly beautiful ballad. When I heard it in the film, it enthused me so much I decided to buy Jules' second album "Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets", on which the cover song is included.

As it turned out, "Mad World" is actually quite untypical for the singer-songwriter. The rest of the album is guitar-based and, although still somewhat melancholic, decidedly more upbeat. That's not a bad thing, though. "Trading Snakeoil..." is a relaxed country / folk / pop album with good lyrics and catchy melodies delivered by Gary Jules' rough, charismatic voice. Occasional nods to Simon & Garfunkel, whom I love, make it all the more pleasant to me. No masterpiece, but worth a warm recommendation.