Paul Westerberg – “Open Season” Soundtrack

Throughout Paul Westerberg’s career as frontman for garage-pop band the Replacements and then as a solo artist, a sense of childlike fun has more than occasionally infused his songwriting. It should come as no surprise, then, that Westerberg, who has also been a dad for a few years now, jumped at the chance to score the soundtrack to the animated film Open Season, the tale of a domesticated grizzly bear and a deer who hook up with a team of wild animals in a forest to escape from a frenzied Elmer Fudd-like hunter.

In addition to working extraordinarily well as a soundtrack, Open Season marks a logical progression in Westerberg’s growth and maturity as a solo artist. Unforgettable hooks, infectious melodies, and cleverly crafted, witty lyrics abound, particularly on the thumping, power chord-driven tracks “Meet Me In The Meadow”, “Love You In The Fall” and “Right To Arm Bears”. “Good Day”, a stunningly beautiful ballad from Westerberg’s 1996 release Eventually, is reworked to great effect and takes on a whole new significance when placed in the context of an animated creature’s ruminations on the meaning of life.

Also noteworthy on this well-conceived collection is singer-songwriter Pete Yorn’s reprised rendition of Westerberg’s haunting “I Belong”.