The Beach Boys’ Pet
Sounds stands as one of the greatest pop albums ever created, a lushly
orchestrated masterpiece that exudes pure melody over ephemeral harmonies.
Taking the pop sensibilities of his group’s past hits and looking deeper into
the sun-drenched potential of their vocal abilities, Brian Wilson wove an
intricate musical tapestry that was criminally underappreciated in its time,
but that is now hailed as being a visionary influence on music, from the
Beatles later albums through to today.
But while the music of Pet
Sounds may be beautiful to behold, the story of its creator, the Beach Boys
leader Brian Wilson, is fall less idyllic. Abused by his father, misunderstood
by Beach Boys lyricist and Brian’s cousin Mike Love, and under pressure by a
public that expected the Beach Boys to produce more songs about surfing, Brian
was in a fragile state that led to his mental unraveling while working on Pet Sounds’ more avant-garde follow-up SMiLE.
Love & Mercy
is the new bio-pic that depicts Wilson’s creative struggles as a twenty-something
attempting to create his masterworks, portrayed by Paul Dano, and then as a
shattered man attempting to gain his life back in middle age, portrayed by John
Cusack. If this seems like an unlikely pairing, it’s because it is, but both
actors manage to retain an emotional consistency throughout their performances
that grounds the film as a depiction of a single man: A fragile genius whose greatest
creative achievements led to the darkest chapter of his life.
With retro-styled footage, disturbed Beach Boys mash-ups
tracks by Atticus Ross, and recreation of the fabled Pet Sounds recording sessions, Love
& Mercy definitely offers a lot for anyone interested in the mythos of
Brian Wilson’s music. But its really his personal story that is the film’s
beating heart, and anyone interested in not only the music of Brian Wilson, but
also the his incredible personal tale of a pop music visionary, should see Love & Mercy.
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