Mogwai, “Black Bird”
Known for the radiant and soaring score to Darren Aronofsky’s “The Fountain,” it’s been a long minute since Scottish post-rockers Mogwai have done a big score. But for Dennis Lahane’s “Black Bird” Apple TV+ crime drama miniseries about a man (Taron Egerton) looking for redemption in prison by exposing a serial killer, the band return, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the band returns with epic, sweeping pieces of blazing post-rock that is emotional, sky-high and trying to find some hope in the darkest moments of despair. Mogwai, however, is versatile and not one-trick ponies. In fact, some of the most beautiful elements on the soundtrack are the sparse, plaintive moments of piano and threadbare acoustic guitar. They know how to create great moody, cinematic tension too. – RP
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, “Blonde”
Say what you will about Andrew Dominik’s polarizing “Blonde,” but the contrast of the cruel ugliness and beauty is arguably the point of a film about the world’s most wanted but unloved child. Its heavenly score by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis is more god-tier ecstasy, bathed in the angels, the heavens, and all the celestial wonder these two musical magicians are able to conjure. From the divine synth-pad heights (“Pearly”), the achingly wistful more-spare piano material (“Shard”), to the angrier and scorching (“Fire In The Hills”), absolutely no one is creating a bewitching sonic brew like these two. Cheers for using what’s already there, like the rapturous instrumental version of “Bright Horses,” a recent Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds track written somewhere in the otherworldly bliss of the cosmos brought down to Earth by Cave and his mates. Don’t fix it ain’t broke. Just radiant – RP
Ludwig Göransson, and Various “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Following the original “Black Panther” and “The Mandalorian,” Ludwig Göransson has quickly established himself as one of the world’s most inventive and innovative composers. And he’s not at all resting on the laurels of his first Marvel film. Bringing in a ton of collaborators for this sequel that centers on an undersea, very consciously Mesoamerican culture (Namor’s world), the ‘Wakanda Forever’ score is deeply emotional and visceral. From the spooky tribal chants acting as a warning (“We Know What You Whisper”), the awe-inspiring underwater majesty of Talokan (“Con La Brisa”), the Indigenous Mayan-esque sounds (“Yucutan”), to the angrier elements of vengeance (the sweltering electronic “Wakanda Forever”), this one is just so damn epic. That is to say, nothing of the most-excellent soundtrack (which we could write an entire damn capsule about) featuring the heartbreaking and aching song of grief and healing from Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” one of the most affecting movie songs of the year, which yes, deserves the goddamn, Oscar, give it to her now. – RP
Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Women Talking”
Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir feels like she’s been on the music composing scene for only a brief hot minute (it actually goes back to 2011), but regardless, it’s kicked into high gear recently. Following her Oscar award for “Joker” this year, Todd Field tapped her for the unusual soundscapes of “Tár,” which are excellent. Still, it’s her empathetic, wondrous score to Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” that is arguably her best work of the year (and perhaps the best element of the entire film). Centering on a group of women who have been through a horrible, traumatic experience, debating what to do, with landmines of consequences no matter what they choose, the “Women Talking” score is so bruised, so aching, so full of hurt (“Speak Up”). But there’s resolve and determination in the spirit of these sisters, too, broken and battered but ultimately unbowed. I’m not sure how you get all that emotional complexity into all these songs, but it’s exactly what every moment of Guðnadóttir’s expressive score does. It talks to us, articulates the anguish it’s coming from, and speaks complicated, hard-fought truths everyone must reckon with. – RP
Bryce Dessner and Alejandro G. Iñárritu, “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
For a filmmaker accused of such self-indulgence and navel-gazing in his latest, feverishly oneiric personal odyssey, you have gotta admire Alejandro G. Iñárritu for saying, ‘f*ck it,’ and pushing it one step forward and co-writing all the music for “Bardo” along with accomplished musician/producer Bryce Dessner from the National. Iñárritu, not a musician or composer, would apparently dictate melodies in his head onto a recorder during production film. Then Dessner would help bring it all to life. Comical in nature, some of it is fat marching tuba sounds (“Absurd Metals”), some of it dreamier and full of wistful longing (“Mateo’s Freedom”), and some of it more from a liminal space (“Father Ghost”). However, it was shaped, it’s exquisitely beautiful, imbuing the film with such emotion to the ultimately introspective and melancholy story of a man who maybe doesn’t belong in all the worlds he’s had the privilege of stepping into. Plus, there’s that super-inspired dancehall scene where they use David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” but it’s a vocals-only version. Breathtaking. – RP
Daniel Pemberton, “Amsterdam”
Following now-iconic work on scores like “Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse,” “Steve Jobs,” and more, composer Daniel Pemberton has definitely landed into the elite group of the modern greats. He’s also composed a sh*t on of music this year, including the “Slow Horses” score, the cool heist music for the animated “The Bad Guys,” “Brian And Charles,” “See How They Run,” and more. But his wonderfully vivacious orchestral score to David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” is easily his best and most delightful. But what he really brings to life, central to the movie’s quixotic nature, is the feeling of oh-so-charming enchantment. Full of woodwinds, harps, strings, and more, Pemberton goes for full-on romantic, innocent wonder and splendor. As a sort of mystery-whodunnit, sure, there are moments of intrigue and tension, but at its full-bodied beating heart, “Amsterdam,” for better or worse, is super idealistic and a plea for kindness. And so it’s the magical moments, the Boccherini-esque minuettos, and captivating classical tinges that will tickle you the most and perhaps widen that cynical heart a little. – RP
