A BROKEDOWN MELODY - VARIOUS ARTISTS
Like his hammock-rock godfather Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson’s palm-trees-and-six-strings vibe obscures what has quietly become a large and successful cottage industry. This soundtrack, released on Johnson’s Brushfire label, once again brings together Johnson’s specialties — surfing, surf films and surfing songs — into a typically breezy, slow-rolling listen. Johnson contributes two new tracks, and his years of work have also resulted in a well-stocked Rolodex. Eddie Vedder brings his ukulele for the heartbreaking “Goodbye,” indie big-shot M. Ward turns in the dusty “Transfiguration #1,” and Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch adds a good-natured hoedown.
