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“Suburbia” Soundtrack (Geffen) (star) (star) (star)
Suburbia: Hootieville or mecca of cutting-edge music? The latter, answers this soundtrack to the film from director Richard Linklater (“Slacker,” “Dazed and Confused”), which features some of the most highly regarded names in alternative rock. The standouts include some relatively straightforward new songs from Sonic Youth, a solemn, acoustic ballad from Beck and a bristling Girls Against Boys cut. There also are a few clunkers, including a silly and ponderous ambient techno track, a dreary lament from Skinny Puppy, and Boss Hog’s mauling of the Kinks’ “I’m Not Like Everybody Else.” A typically loopy selection from the Flaming Lips injects a dose of levity, but the overall mood is as pensive and dark as a late-night drive around a shopping mall parking lot.