Over the course of seven films, Paul Thomas Anderson has written a fair share of memorable monologues, from Earl Partridge’s deathbed regrets in Magnolia to Dirk Diggler’s closing recitation in front of the mirror in Boogie Nights. And while the scenes—and Anderson’s great scripts—stand on their own, one band has made the obvious jump, asking what if we put these monologues to music?
The band is Colburn Sound Express and they have an eight-song collection based around Anderson’s films, titled Songs In The Key Of Paul Thomas Anderson. “Big Bright Shining Star” is the Diggler speech, while Partridge’s appears in the track “Goddamn Regret.” Maybe best is the lead cut, “Redeem The Mileage,” which borrows from Punch-Drunk Love and taps into the intrinsic sadness of the film and Adam Sandler’s lead character.
Musical genre is not consistent throughout, with “I Am Many Things” adopting an almost ’80s, They Might Be Giants style, while “Redeem The Mileage” is the paradigm for mid-’00s indie preciousness. And the record is even pretty current, apparently being altered of late to include a new song from Anderson’s latest, Inherent Vice.