FILM MUSIK
Rating: 
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton: Hearing for the first time the work of a composer whose music had been hitherto undiscovered is one of film music’s great pleasures. A world away from the likes of Williams and Horner and Zimmer, literally dozens of talented composers are writing excellent music for independent films outside the Hollywood studio system, many of which are never seen or heard in mainstream cinemas, and the vast majority of which are never released on CD. One of these composers is Nathan Larson, a 35-year old American who has written music for upwards of 20 films since leaving his rock roots behind and turning his hand to movies.
Larson, who is married to Swedish songstress Nina Persson (from The Cardigans) began his career as a member of the alternative band Shudder To Think in the 1990s, and scored the film High Art in 1998 along with band members Craig Wedren and Stuart Hill before making his solo film music debut the following year on the Oscar-winning drama Boys Don’t Cry. Larsson has since gone on to write music for a number of acclaimed independent features, including Joel Schumacher’s Tigerland, the Oscar-nominated Dirty Pretty Things, and the recent The Woodsman. This album, from Commotion Records and producer Tracy McKnight, features music from ten of Larson’s feature film scores, including a couple of original songs written specifically for movies.
The CD is a mixed bag of delights, the highlights of which include the three tracks from Boys Don't Cry, from 1999, was Larson’s first film, was directed by Kimberly Pierce, and saw lead actress Hilary Swank win an Academy Award for her powerful portrayal of a cross-dressing young woman in rural Nebraska. Larson’s evocative country/rock score is the musical embodiment of the small-town bars where the real-life Teena Brandon spent her final days. Similarly, the ambient combo of guitar, synths and violin heard written for Erik Skjoldbćrg’s 2001 film “Prozac Nation” is effective in its minimalism, and provides perfect musical accompaniment to lead character Christina Ricci’s struggled with depression during her first year at Harvard University.
For director Schumacher’s 2000 film Tigerland, which starred a then-undiscovered Colin Farrell as a new recruit at a brutal Army training camp in Vietnam-era America, Larson wrote a strangely beautiful piece for erhu, percussion and electric guitars which is both brutal and compelling at the same time. The most recent film, the 2004 drama The Woodsman, was an unflinching portrait of a convicted paedophile (played by Kevin Bacon) trying to re-integrate himself into society. To capture the tortured soul of Walter, the lead character, Larson’s music treads a hypnotically lonely path through the use of guitars and solo fiddles – a perfect depiction of a troubled man friendless in an unfriendly city.
In addition to these there is also music from the 2001 French comedy The Château, the Oscar-nominated 2002 drama Dirty Pretty Things, the 2002 Swedish drama Lilja 4-Ever (Larson’s first film for director Lukas Moodysson), Todd Solondz’s 2001 comedy/drama Storytelling, and the 1998 lesbian drama High Art, which featured an acclaimed performance by Ally Sheedy, and was written before Larson went solo.
The two original songs, the indie-rock ballad “You Can Take What’s Left Of Me” and the jazz/blues inspired “I Want Someone Badly”, are actually rather good in their own right, with interestingly downbeat lyrics and sincere vocal performances by Larson himself. It’s the kind of modern vocal-rock music I would actually choose to listen to.
One thing you notice when listening to this album is that Larson is not a writer of huge themes. Larson’s music is still very much rooted in his pop and rock pedigree, in that his instrument-du-jour is a guitar rather than a piano, and his scores are more about mood and texture than theme-led emotion or orchestral power. In fact, much of Larson’s music is created in one-man-band fashion, with the composer himself playing the majority of his own instruments, and only employing a few additional soloists when he needs a timbre beyond his own range. It’s gratifying to see that Larson is committed to writing acoustic music when it is all too easy to use samplers to mock up an orchestra. It’s also gratifying to know that there is enough room in a crowded market for a non-orchestral composer; not every movie needs to be accompanied by a bed of huge strings and a massive brass section. If you’re looking for film music with a modern, contemporary, rock-and-country edge, Nathan Larson is your man.
Track Listing:
- Prozac from “Prozac Nation” (3:05)
- Boys from “Boys Don't Cry” (1:11)
- Operator from “Phone Booth” (1:40)
- Tigerland from “Tigerland” (4:30)
- You Can Take What's Left of Me from “Prozac Nation” (2:59)
- Night Basketball from “Lilja 4-Ever” (0:42)
- Fiction from “Storytelling” (2:05)
- A Softer Night from “Boys Don't Cry” (1:09)
- I Want Someone Badly (Bonus Track) (3:02)
- The Fawn from “Prozac Nation” (1:23)
- Small Town Jail from “Boys Don't Cry” (0:57)
- Mommy, Are Angels Dead? from “Lilja 4-Ever” (1:04)
- She Might Be Waking Up from “High Art” (2:46)
- Le Pont de la Tristesse from “The Chateau” (1:03)
- Mom's Mercedes from “High Art” (3:15)
- Balcony from “Prozac Nation” (0:37)
- Dirty Pretty Thing from “Dirty Pretty Things” (1:42)
- Departure Lounge from “Dirty Pretty Things” (2:28)
- Last Lines from “High Art” (2:26)
- Walter from “The Woodsman” (2:23)
- Something Like Love from “Prozac Nation” (3:32)
- Rape and A Burning Polaroid from “Boys Don't Cry” (1:21)
Running Time: 45 minutes 30 seconds
Commotion CR006 (2005)
Music composed, arranged and performed by Nathan Larson. Featured musical soloists Asa Hakkensson, Guan Ru Li and Kevin March. Special vocal performances by Nina Persson. Recorded and mixed by Nathan Larson, Carl Glanville, Andy Richards and Bill Emmins. Mastered by Mike Fossenkemper. Album produced by Nathan Larson.
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