"...[a]
dark and beautiful album..."
[IF
Magazine]
SOUNDTRACK
OF THE MONTH
[Filmink Magazine]
"An admirable and daring success
story"
"Like
most exciting projects, Silent Soundtracks is a risky gamble
that pays off. This is an album all about creating moods and feels,
with the key word being 'cinematic'. Half the disc is made up
of music culled from various Australian films, while the other
selections are chosen for their equally filmic stylings, pieces
that could perhaps be played to movies yet to exist. It's a bold
move, but Silent Soundtracks plays seamlessly, with the
tracks gliding into each other to crate one long mood piece that
fits together perfectly. The music taken from films (including
Paul Kelly's Lantana, The Necks' eerie soundscapes from
The Boys, Single Gun Theory's gently electronic work from
Monkey's Mask, renowned composer Paul Grabowsky's track
In The Car from the British film Shiner, and the
now very rare jazz free form that Galapagos Duck laid down for
the 1974 film The Removalists) lays the foundation for
equally cinematic pieces by the likes of FourPlay, David Thrussell
(who scored Angst and The Hard Word), Prop, Coda
and Amphibian. An admirable and daring success story." [Erin
Free, Filmink]
Buy
Silent Soundtracks: Music For Film on-line from here
or through Vitamin
Distribution in Australian record bars
4
STARS ****
[Empire Magazine]
"A
showcase rather than a straightforward compilation,
Silent Soundtracks includes excerpts from lauded works such
as Paul Kelly's Lantana suite together with tracks from
acts who have yet to score movies. This mixing of newcomers such
as Soma, Prop and FourPlay with established names could have backfired,
but the newcomers' offerings actually seem very at home in such
exalted company. Since it also marks the CD debut of Galapagos
Duck's The Removalists score, you won't be disappointed
if you buy this for the big names. Buy it for the debutantes,
though, and you'll have the privilege of being the first to encounter
Australia's next generation of film composers." [RL, Empire
Magazine]
"...
As the title suggests,
what's on offer is music that has been created either for film,
or with film mind, or even an imaginary film. Therefore, what
you get is just over 75 minutes of soundscapes, some more ambient
than others, but all capable of creating the most extraordinary
images in your mind if you're willing to take the trip. The tracking
has been superbly handled, with the opening piece, the perfectly
apt Prelude by Barry Hales, encapsulating half a dozen
moods in less than a minute, segueing perfectly into the more
exotic La Chasse, from Coda, which similarly runs seamlessly
into Wanderlust's contribution, Dakar, and so on. Those
three examples alone sum up the diversity on offer, with Hales
a soon to cross over to pop song compositions from his current
soundtrack career, Coda the gloriously eclectic classical/groove/electronica
fusion collective, and Wanderlust the contemporary jazz combo
with strong World Music elements. So eclectic a mix says as much
for the incredible broadening of what was once considered appropriate
for film as it does the versatility of the musicians concerned.
So it should come as no surprise to see Paul Kelly's name on the
same CD as one of the original Sydney jazz institutions, Galapagos
Duck, with Lantana and The Removalists their respective
contributions, the former from the film of the same name released
in 2001, the latter the film adaptation of David Williamson's
play from 1974. While the use of wah pedal on the bass and inclusion
of a drum solo might seem out of place today, the Duck's cut,
a "three-piece suite" of sorts, still works a treat.
[Michael Smith, Drum Media]
"What's
a movie without music?
A silent one, that's for sure. These 16 homegrown themes have
either been used in movies or have that atmospheric movie theme
feel about them. Best known of the bunch is Paul Kelly's eerie
Lantana score (in a special 10-minute version), leading
a whole host of local names who've beavered away in our film industry
for eons without any great kudos or the credit they deserve. Stan-out
selection include the Bond-goes-minimalist electronica of Soma's
Arcane, Bjork-like Majella O'Shea's haunting Permanent
Trip, Sydney quartet FourPlay's string-laden August
and All India Radio's wonderfully moody Permanent Revolutions.
It's also commendable to find that for once the CD sleeve notes
include a little bio detail on the composers and their works,
alerting savvy listeners to the fine artistry lurking virtually
unacknowledged in our very own backyard. Hopefully this is but
the first of more Aussie-centric soundtrack samplers." [Marc
Andrews, DNA Magazine]
"Looking
for a composer to score your film?
Then you've come to the right place." [DVD Now Magazine]
4
STARS ****
[3D World]
"......Released
alongside Sydney's 49th Film Festival,
Silent Soundtracks pays tribute to those 'silent' and oft
forgotten musical backdrops that have accompanied some of this
country's greatest film achievements. As well as this, it also
recognises the impact that soundtrack music has had, with cinematic
mood pieces from local independent acts like Coda, FourPlay, Prop
and Wanderlust. The result is 16 gorgeously cinematic tracks that
are often bleak and minimal, yet deeply emotive. From the eerie
composition by The Necks for the movie The Boys to the
upbeat, frantic jazz suite by Galapagos Duck for the 1974 film
adaptation of The Removalists as well as Paul Kelly's stunning
piece for the recent hit Lantana. This release forces you
to shut the eyes and imagine the celluloid images, without the
discomfort of a theatre chair. Forget the theme to Spider-Man,
or the great Titanic ballads, this is music by musicians
for films loved by the buffs. Margaret and David would be proud.
[Lemon Head, 3D World Mag]
"......
A compilation of 'atmospheric' music,
including the previously mentioned themes from The Boys
and Lantana. But as well as exciting scores, it also contains
some really incredible music from a wide range of Australian artists
that should be scoring films - and undoubtedly would be if the
Australian government would give more money to film makers and
less to the freaking opera for god's sake. Af first I was thinking
this is the kind of album I'd listen to a couple of times and
that's it. But on first listen I knew otherwise. There's lots
to listen to, and it really grown on you. There's a couple of
jazz-based numbers, a couple of pieces based around strings, there's
exotica, there's Soma's eerily tripped-out dance thing, Single
Gun Theory's spooky Monkey's Mask theme and Paul Grabowsky's
In The Car which, on first hearing you automatically think
'Car Chase!' without knowing anything more. (It was of course
written for a car chase.) But it's a totally cool song in its
own right. I also am surprised to say I love Majella O'Shea's
Permanent Trip. It won some dance music award but that
hasn't put me off at all. She has an amazing voice, but what's
even more amazing is the sparseness of the sound, it sounds like
she's singing while floating in outer space. And I really like
it. I reckon anyone lookin' to impress either themselves or their
hipster buddies with their cool taste can finally chuck out those
tired jazz compilations that came with the cook books and your
battered copy of The Rebirth Of Cool Phive. Because this
is the real deal. Or of course you could just buy it because you
like good music - or good film. Either way, you can't lose! [Holly
Shorland, Beat Magazine]
Buy
Silent Soundtracks: Music For Film on-line from here
or through Vitamin
Distribution in Australian record bars
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