The Rock Blogger

Robert Rich & B. Lustmord. Stalker 1995. 4.5 stars.

A few months ago I wrote a post about Andrei Tarkovsky’s surreal sci-fi film Stalker and its meditative soundtrack, which I had tracked down thanks to a few intrepid readers of this blog. Now I’ve discovered an alternative score to that mind-bending film courtesy of ambient artists Robert Rich and B Lustmord who painstakingly create a haunted soundscape with the same spiritual energy as Tarkovsky’s masterpiece.

Like any great dark-ambient record, Stalker is rich with detail. Natural sound samples like dripping water, gusts of wind and disemboidend vocies fill the estranged spaces of the record. The compsoitons are not just rough collections of found sounds however, as they are driven by subtle rythms, synthesied loops, drones and unsual percussiive elements. While these densely layered compositions are as slow moving and hypnotic as the film’s images, they are still highly engaging, capturing one’s attentions in a ghostly ebb and flow.

Whether its taken in as a companion peice to Tarkovsky’s work or on its own merit, Stalker is a powerful work of art that is full of mystery. While its fullest spirtual thrust comes towards the latter end of the record, as beautiful choral voices make their way through the labryith of sounds, Stalker remains consistently powerful and immersive across its entire duration. If you have any interest in ambient music, or are simply looking for something to think or meditate to, you owe it to yourself to find this album.

(The following review is by Tyson Stewart - warning: may contain spoilers!)

It used to be that first shot of a film that had the camera slowly creep toward a skyscraper window in the middle of town meant we were about to delve into the secret and shady dealings of well-off folks. This time, however, the window explodes and a group of thugs in clown masks fling a wire to the building next over, exit, and proceed to rob a bank in downtown Gotham. Seems to me, the new Batman movie is all about that very 80s type of conflict between the well-groomed and the social rejects (those who act and look a bit different): that is, it’s a conservative movie at heart that reinstates the Other as Foe.  Heath Ledger’s Joker is an embodiment of the later. Director Christopher Nolan, speaking with Elvis Mitchell, insists The Joker must stink, as he is part of punk youth culture and, thus, mustn’t be too concerned with personal hygiene. The Dark Knight makes it clear from the outset that its main dilemma will be between the individual and the social. The social, here, comes out looking much gentler, much more naive than all the strong-willed individual characters. Why else the Machiavellian turn of giving the dumb public their hero at the end?

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Various Artists. Inland Empire OST . 2007.

This is a guest review by Tyson Stewart

Sound has always been important in the work of David Lynch. More than any other contemporary filmmaker, he has used it to express the ineffable, the mysterious, emptiness, and chaos of life. The roars in Blue Velvet during rough sex. The explosions as Cage lights up in Wild at Heart. The stinging wall of gas, formless and unpredictable, as Henry visits the X family in Eraserhead. By fully exposing the arbitrary links between forms and concepts, Lynch’s brand of estrangement operates as a kind of Barthesian mythologist.

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I made a surprising discovery online yesterday, miraculously finding the original soundtrack for one of my favorite (and relatively unknown) science-fiction films ever. After listening to this beautiful, and incredibly rare, soundtrack, I decided I would ask everybody out there what their most obscure records were, in any genre. I’m curious to see just how eclectic people’s musical tastes are. And when I mean obscure I mean hard to come by, far removed from the mainstream, or so off the wall that people wonder what you’re smoking when you play it on your stereo. I’ll start the ball rolling with this:

Ryuichi Sakamoto. Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise (OST). 1987. 4 stars.

The original score to a superb anime film that probably most of the Western world has never heard of. The film takes place in some sort of parallel universe, in an almost Victorian-style future where everything is powered by steam (see: steampunk) and mankind has yet to go into space. As two powerful kingdoms push closer to war, one unlikely, hapless pilot is well on his way of becoming the first man in orbit. But his military superiors have ulterior motives to the launch.

Just like the film’s fantastic animation, memorable characters and striking atmosphere, the soundtrack to Wings of Honneamise is mysterious, triumphant and epic in scope. Oscar winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto weaves traditional classical elements and orchestration with soothing ambient synth passages, electronic effects and jangly guitar to create a score that is both modernist and nostalgic for cultural traditions and new frontiers. The music carries a a sense of romanticism, capturing the spirit of exploration and discovery that is conveyed so well in the film.

Easily one of the greatest soundtracks I’ve come across, Sakamoto’s compositions are lush, dramatic and inviting, showcasing the artist’s ear for variety, texture and experimentation. Recommended to anyone interested in hearing something adventurous and out of the ordinary.

• So I hope thats a good start, maybe we can get some other obscure examples from you guys. What strange gems are you holding on to?