Songs From The Bigtop is the soundtrack to an independent indie rock musical written and directed by Devon Reed. Reed, an independent filmmaker, songwriter, and actor, also stars in the film as its lead character, Vincent O’Malley. The film follows Vincent as he escapes an oppressive home life on the prairie by running away with a traveling circus, where he becomes a clown. As he bonds with his new circus family and leads missions to drum up audiences for their struggling show, the arrival of a young woman sets off a spiral of jealousy that threatens to undo him. Reed has described the project as born from his love of songwriting over dialogue, which naturally steered The Bigtop toward becoming a musical.
The soundtrack’s unique concept is that Reed wrote all 13 songs himself, then recruited a roster of notable indie and power pop artists to perform them. He reportedly tailored each composition to the style of its assigned performer, and the results feature a who’s-who of indie talent: Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), Matthew Sweet, The Clientele, Damien Jurado, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Tullycraft, Eleventh Dream Day, Marbles (featuring Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo), and others. The songs lean toward wistful, romantically-tinged ballads evoking Reed’s affection for circus life, with some more uptempo power pop moments mixed in. Reed has noted that some songs, like “Falling in Love” and “The Girl Who’s Above Us,” were written specifically with the circus setting in mind, while others predated the screenplay.
Lisa Germano performs “Magic,” the album’s opening track. The song was written by Devon Reed.
The soundtrack was initially released on CD and through iTunes in 2007, predating the completed film by several years. The Bigtop eventually saw release a few years later, with a streaming release on July 15, 2019. The film is now available on DVD and Blu-ray through the official site at bigtopmovie.com.
Released: 2007
Label: None
Format: CD
Country: US
Availability: Rare
Tracklist
| No. | Artist | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisa Germano | Magic | 3:09 |
| 2 | The Clientele | Your Song | 1:37 |
| 3 | Michael Leviton | I Only Want the Sky | 3:40 |
| 4 | Damien Jurado | Ashes | 3:29 |
| 5 | Matthew Sweet | Wild | 3:46 |
| 6 | Tullycraft | The Girl Who’s Above Us | 1:39 |
| 7 | Howe Gelb | Falling in Love | 0:53 |
| 8 | The Owls | I Just Can’t Keep Up | 2:04 |
| 9 | Communique | Way to Walk | 3:04 |
| 10 | Marbles | Something, Nothing, Everything | 3:54 |
| 11 | Eleventh Dream Day | Planning to Escape | 2:56 |
| 12 | Doug Martsch | Cracked and Crazed | 3:29 |
| 13 | The Sprites | Patience | 2:36 |
Packaging & Design
Personnel
“Magic” written by Devon Reed
Piano and vocals by Lisa Germano
Bass by Sebastian Steinberg
Recorded and mixed by Jamie Candiloro and Lisa Germano
Critical Reception
The songs themselves are in a simple, sweetly romantic vein, though not free from clichés. I’m not convinced that they’d stand out in the hands of lesser performers, and comparing them to nearly any of these bands’ own songs would come up short, but most of them work well for what they are, in this context.
Dave Heaton
Erasing Clouds
Like a good box of chocolates, sweet suprises are to be found, for example the excellent “I Just Can’t Keep Up” by The Owls. A few tunes here didn’t thrill me, but that’s to be expected on a compiled soundtrack of artists with such unique styles. The link that ties it all together is Devon Reed’s songs, and the album evokes warmth and a hint of melancholy.
Power Popaholic