Wish I Was Here [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] [LP]

With his 2004 film Garden State and its enormously successful soundtrack, director/actor Zach Braff helped kick-start the careers of several different indie rock outfits that were lesser-known at the time. Acts like the Shins rose to much wider-reaching acclaim as a result of the emotional entwinement between the events of the film and the songs that underscored the drama. Ten years later, Braff's film Wish I Was Here was framed loosely as a follow-up of sorts to Garden State, offering a similarly toned soundtrack of introspective indie rock and coming-of-age classics. Along with older material from artists such as Paul Simon, Jump, Little Children, and Badly Drawn Boy, the soundtrack also features new songs recorded exclusively for the film by the Shins, Bon Iver, and a collaboration between Coldplay and Cat Power. ~ Fred Thomas