Nathan Johnson got his big break on this sound track, He has stuck with independent films up to this point including his first movie (also starring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
Brick. The NPR article says more about him and his style, especially his love for "imperfect music" which fits the world of Looper perfectly. I found some issues with the album as a whole, which I'll mention in the TL;DR section. I need some "traditional" soundtrack next because between The Dark Knight Rises and Looper I am definitely "industrial-synth"ed out.
Beginning on this review I will give a recommendation on which tracks are the best for purchase if you are only looking for some songs. I will bold the track title so that it can be found easily.
Track 1: A Body That Technically Does Not Exist (1:22)
A very industrial sound, the bass is being used to keep the pulse a good introduction of whats to come. But short and even with the short run time there is about 3-5 seconds of dead space at the end of the song.
Track 2: A Day in the Life (1:11)
This is the track that they used in the NPR story. Begins with a very remorseful piano. At 0:27 the pulse returns with violins carrying the melody and builds to its conclusion.
Track 3: Closing Your Loop (2:57)
Hollow metallic drums (car doors?) keep the tempo, while the strings carry the melody. Beginning at 1:01 we get nothing but a steady pulse. This feels like three separate songs not one. 1:38 starts the last segment.
Track 4: Seth's Tale (2:55)
The title refers to a grizzly part of the movie if I remember correctly, but there is nothing here to symbolize that. The sustained strings at the beginning give a slightly unsettled feel, but this song feels more like underscoring than a track to be featured.
Track 5: Run (2:50)
Starting with a sting tremolo gives this song the movement that proves its name. The melodic percussion carry the melody nicely. The track then changes to a free feel at 1:15 and is generally directionless until 1:51, at which point the "chase" really begins. A nice dramatic cue at 2:34 wraps this song up.
Track 6: A Life in a Day (2:22)
Begins with piano and snare drum, the melody and chords from the string section are similar to track two. Noticing that I wonder if the times for the track are intentionally matching track two. Doubled up because it's the second time? or because there are two of the same character now? The titles definitely have a connection I'm curious if the composer put that much thought into that or just a coincidence? The song ends with a nice ballad by the piano, a sign of things to come (eventually).
Track 7: Time Machine (2:41)
A very ominous song. The issue that I had with this was that event though there are a lot of notes and they come at you very fast, there is no sense of motion (like in a chase scene), in this music.
Track 8: Hunting the Past (2:56)
The percussion intro gives the feeling of an empty urban environment. The strings begin setting a good pulse at 1:15. This is the first time that I notice a brass sound on the soundtrack, even if it is synth.
Track 9: Following the Loop (1:42)
Intensity goes through the entire track here, with the running/chase feel beginning at 0:25. Drums are very heavy here when giving the pulse, a nice unexpected ending.
Track 10: Mining for Memories (1:55)
Very busy song, I enjoyed the new timbre for melody and tempo. The hand bells add a new element to the score, they are not an instrument that would come to mind in a sci-fi movie (
horror? Yes.). A nice moment happens at 1:06 where there is a very brief moment of traditional film scoring.
Track 11: A New Scar (2:35)
Nothing special here, very much an underscore track.
Track 12: Her Face (2:38)
Yay! A complete departure stylistically from what we heard earlier. There are some unifying elements (e.g. hand bells) that bring the other tracks into this one. This is the closest we've come to a traditional score so far.We even get to hear an unsynthesized piano (gasp!). Johnson shows how well he can pull off the lyrical. Don't worry though, at 2:13 we are back to the industrial sound that we have grown used to.
Track 13: City Sweep (0:47)
Very intense short piece, a lot of instruments and most feel like they have been untouched by the computers. This gives the song a very clean sound even through the busyness.
Track 14: Revelations (5:13)
A nice, slow piano solo until 1:53 where it get supported by handbells and strings. 2:26 marks a change in tone to a very forboding feel, this holds until 3:31 when a chase breaks out. This song is very representative of the entire soundtrack. There is a truly anxious feel for the first time, though the effort was made before. This song also marks the first time that two songs segue into one another.
Track 15: The Rainmaker (4:26)
Begins with the resolution of Revelations, then moves to a ballad at 1:41 until 2:49. The industrial soud returns with a synth brass instrument (trombone?) playing a new theme at 3:02.
Track 16: La Belle Aurore (1:02)
The first half of this track is more of the same synth with some synth brass. A sudden mood change but the same transition to it.
Track 17: Showdown (1:37)
The first minute just sits there, we get some music at 0:58.
Track 18: The Path Was a Circle (4:52)
This track was looking to be very dissapointing with more of the same sound that we've had for most of the soundtrack, but at 2:58 the resolution is to major FOR THE FIRST TIME! That resolution then transitions into the music from Resolutions. But the newness is short lived because we are back to business as usual at 3:22.
Track 19: Everything Comes Around (2:39)
The final track on the album is a restatement of Her Face with the difference being that the supporting chords are major not minor. This completely changes the mood, it gives the music a sense of hope that was completely lacking earlier. There is a big Hollywood moment (the marching band director in me says "Company Front") at 1:05 where the cello picks up the melody. Another track with no synth, while the celesta restates themes giving them a new hopeful feel.
TL;DR
I have mixed feelings about this soundtrack. The synth sound started very fresh but quickly dulled in my ears. Almost every track had dead air at the end, and not just one or two seconds but five to seven. I would almost take another track of heavy synth with the amount of time that was empty (almost). Johnson has a great feeling for his ballads. I would not download all of this soundtrack again, in any body of work there will be highs and lows but here there is alot of middle.
