This not being his first time delving into the construction of a soundtrack, Mac McCaughan has assembled a small orchestra to stay true to both the film score style and his college rock roots. Some tunes stick like Portastatic standards (is there really such a thing? ”” this refers to the indie rock side of Portastatic, not the tropicalia or whatever else), while others are heavily orchestrated in a way we've come to expect from film music. Who Loves the Sun is a venture without vocals, comprised of 22 short pieces. The order of the songs seems rough without the visual transitions of the movie. Each song is its own image apart from the whole. As a result, the mood from track-to-track varies drastically. The pieces do work, though. Tracks like "Lively Chase" and "Snake Music" stand side-by-side in sequence, running the gamut from playful whimsy to sorrowful dirge. If anything, Mac McCaughan proves you don't have to be Gershwin or Elton John to make evocative and beautiful music for a film. McCaughan also proves, again, the flexibility of Portastatic as a side project.
1. Will's Return
2. The Sunset Rock
3. Maggie at the Dock
4. Fighting Music
5. Seems Like a Long Time Ago
6. The Search for Daniel
7. Nice One
8. Lively Chase
9. Snake Music
10. Nice Strums
11. Do You Want to Know?
12. Maggie and Mary
13. Stretch Waltz
14. Tremolo Chase
15. A Big Pastoral
16. Just Like a Real Book
17. Is That Mars?
18. Will's Return Complete
19. Fishing Music
20. Once Nice Piano
21. Last Kiss Music
22. Older Summers