A review of Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Gustavo Santaolalla, and Mogwai's "Before The Flood (Music from the Motion Picture)"

Taken out of context of the documentary for which it was created*, the Before The Flood soundtrack contains compelling, original music from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Gustavo Santaolalla, and Mogwai, with occasional collaborations between the first three. Reznor and Ross provide their usual electroacoustic depth and breadth of expression while Santaolalla's strings add a decayed pastoral feel, as well as a touch of grandeur and worldliness, and Mogwai...well, Mogwai win the album. 

Just about half the score is outstanding: the hopeful fragility of "And When the Sky Was Opened", "8 Billion", which is as heavy and ominous as its title, perfectly capturing the sense of encroaching population, unchecked growth, and then, the silence as the dust settles, but, in sticking with director Fisher Stevens' mission statement of not making things too grim, still manages to infuse the gloom with a delicate light. The two versions of "Thin Ice" allow the listener to see both the clean, crisp surface as well as the murky, freezing water beneath, both "A Minute to Breathe" and its coda "A Minute Later", and pretty much everything Mogwai has here. These all manage to offset the less-than-stellar moments such as "At Dusk" (a toy piano is like a didgeridoo in that it can't sound like anything but itself), "Trembling", "One More Step", and "One Perfect Moment", which has a bit of a "spa at the end of the world" feel to it. An A-Spa-Calypse, if you will.  


Anyone who's heard any of Reznor and Ross' previous score work (or Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I-IV; "Disappearing Act" could be "21 Ghosts III"'s monstrous, electro-mutant cousin) and enjoyed it will be satisfied but not stunned. Santaolalla sounds like Santaolalla, Reznor and Ross sound like Reznor and Ross, but Mogwai is the clear winner here**, showing how adaptable they can be by adhering to Reznor and Ross' composition style and choice of instrumentation while, at the same time, evolving that style more so than Reznor and Ross did themselves. It was a bit of a disappointment to not have any joint efforts between the whole team, but too many cooks and all that. Whether or not you watch the film***, if you’re a fan of any of the artists involved with the score, you should give it a listen; it might not be rife with innovation, but there’s a lot of good material here.


* Make sure to do your part as a human being and watch said documentary, by the way. We can't save the earth unless you watch this documentary. You are contributing to the end our of world if you don't watch this documentary.


** I know it's not a contest, but I've just made it one.


*** If you don't, you are a monster and a killer and Hoggish Greedly from Captain Planet and worse than global warming.

End of the Month Music Bitchfest - October 2016

Nine Inch Nails
Review of the new Reznor/Ross/Santaolalla/Mogwai musical furpile is forthcoming, but overall, it's a lot of really solid stuff. Although I was surprised to find that the four tracks composed and performed by Mogwai really took the taco for me. It doesn't sound like them, it sounds like them doing their best Mac Quayle impersonation. But, since they were actually working with Reznor and Ross as opposed to being hired to sound exactly like Reznor and Ross*....it's iight. Pretty convinced that this score is going to earn the team an Emmy, making Reznor only one letter away from his EGOT, and, with Fight Club 2 coming soon to Broadway...well, clock's ticking.
And Reznor has recently been quoted as saying he's working on new Nine Inch Nails now and "when he and Atticus have something excellent, they'll unleash it on the world".
You scummy, promise-breaking villain.


Also, I reviewed the Lazarus Original Cast Recording here, but, if you're too fucking busy, here's the nut's shell: it has the three final tracks from Bowie's final album so shut the absolute fuck up and buy it for that reason. A CD is, what, let's say twenty dollars in this pre-post-apocalyptic society, so that's just under seven dollars per new Bowie song.
You can afford it, Joey Gotrocks.

And, if you've been following Gorillaz on instagram, you will have recently learned two exciting things:

1. This is what Murdoc's tadger looks like...

2. Gorillaz are back.

I am. So. Fucking. Lit......for August of 2017, when that album is going to drop. Albarn. You twat.

Hush now.

* Seriously, I don't blame Mac Quayle**; I blame the show creators who tried to get Reznor and Ross and got turned down and then had to turn to a musical soundalike. I think Quayle's original original stuff is really great, and his ability to ape Reznor's composing style is spooky. Check out the first season of Mr. Robot, if thou doubtest me.

** If I ever make an album, I can assure you it's going to sound like shitty Mac Quayle doing a rushed Reznor mock up. Also, bad Coil. Pre-order here.