OK Computer Week: Scala – Exit Music (For a Film).

The Scala Choir is composed of around 60 teenage Belgian girls and was formed in 1996 by brothers Steven and Stijn Kolacny. Their repertoire consists largely of reinterpretations of recent rock and pop songs. This sort of thing can often go horribly wrong. Witness the Vienna Boys Choir singing a reggae version of Nothing Compares to You. However, the Kolacny brothers know the right songs to choose and manage to avoid sounding stiff.

Unsurprisingly, this has lead to popularity among audioblogers. Most bloggers have focussed on the more incongruous songs covered such as I Touch Myself, Smells Like Teen Spirit and She Hates Me. However, I prefer the songs that sound like they were written to be sung by a choir (especially one consisting of teenage Belgians) such as Bittersweet Symphony, Rammstein's Engel(well, they make it sound like it was written for a choir) and, most impressively of all, this track.

Of all the covers posted this week this is the only one that beats the original. The “Now we are one” section gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Just one more example of great music from Belgium.

The song was originally written for Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet and sticks close to the narrative. Thom Yorke’s original intention was to stick even more closely. He tried to write the songs lyrics using quotes from Shakespeare. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Still, you have to wonder what it sounded like.

Scala – Exit Music (For A Film)

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