Sprout Soundtrack CD

Skateboarder, artist, and filmmaker Thomas Campbell's 16mm feature is "an exploration into the riding of water mountains and molehills" that follows surfers from the beaches of Hawaii and California to distant outposts like Sri Lanka and Morocco. Though driven by music, there's not a "Wipe Out" to be found; rather, Sprout's eclectic soundtrack relies on indie pop godheads like the Shins, Calexico, Tortoise, and Superwolf (Will Oldham and Matt Sweeny) to paint the sunsets. For the most part, the jazzy rhythms and laid-back atmospherics are rife with Brady Bunch-goes-to-Hawaii imagery brought on by too many cocktails in coconut shells, but dig deeper and there are some fine nuggets to be had -- fellow artist and skater Tommy Guerrero, Money Mark, and Adam Topol, along with inevitable inheritor of Jimmy Buffet's Parrotheads, Jack Johnson, serve as the film's enviable pit band, and their unbelievably breezy score is the movie's backbone. Sprout the soundtrack is nothing if not comforting. Fans looking for a new take on "Surf City" or "Wipe Out" will inevitably be disappointed, but for those looking for the modern-day equivalent of "Warmth of the Sun," your wave has arrived. ~ James Christopher Monger

Photographers: T.C. Campbell; Andrew Paynter.