'Psycho' songs slice with '80s superficiality

Somewhere in America, Huey Lewis is pissed. Last week the '80s pop music icon forced a recall on the "American Psycho" soundtrack to remove his classic ditty "Hip to be Square," a song that main character Patrick Bateman refers to as "personal statement about the bandit self." Yes, it's safe to say, Huey is a little afraid of this primed "Psycho."

Opening in theaters today, American Psycho" has already received its fair share of controversy, from anti-violence groups boycotting its Toronto shoot to a Florida lawyer threatening a lawsuit against the film. So why shouldn't the soundtrack join in on the hair-raisin' fun?

Sadly Koch Records had to remove the Huey Lewis and the News track and its hilarious accompanying Patrick Bateman monologue. What you're left with is a group of rather intense, sometimes bland industrial songs mixed with a little electronica and vintage '80s pop to keep the blood flowing.

And so it does, as Bateman adds in "Monologue 3": "My nightly bloodlust has overflowed into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip." Christian Bale's icy, chilling and at times hilarious voice of Bateman are a special bonus. Three monologues appear in the liner notes, but there may be more ... hint, hint.

Equally exciting is the inclusion of such classic '80s tunes like New Order's "True Faith," Information Society's "What's On Your Mind" and M/A/R/R/S' "Pump Up the Volume." These are inherent sounds to the urban materialism of the late '80s; they're mod, they're hip, they stretch the line of gothic and industrial with a little electronic groove.

Dead on arrival, however, is the latest abrasive industrial-goes-pop entry: Dope's annoying cover of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round." Crafting the song in a fashion very much similar to the original, Dope's loud, grinding guitar riffs and edgy vocals only make the original seem that much more alternative and yes, that much cooler. Other music discussed in begrudgingly funny detail throughout the film by Bateman, such as tunes by Phil Collins and Whitney Houston, failed to make the soundtrack album cut as well. (Is that really a bad thing though?)

The "American Psycho" soundtrack does offer at least two decent new tracks, one being the latest blend of twisty electronic erieeness from the legendary David Bowie. Bowie's spooky, minimal vocals bolster a chilling tone in the remix of "Something in the Air." The other, John Cale's beautiful, flighty score, adds a sense of reflective melancholy to an otherwise dark, disgusted world of one screwed up Wall Street urbanite.

Whether the film scares you or not, the soundtrack probably won't as it's rather tame. But maybe that's the point. The darkness isn't always overt - it may lie under the surface of us all.