The Predatory Wasp
This is taken from the Thom Yorke-composed original score for Daniele Luchetti’s film Confidenza, an adaptation of the Italian drama based on Domenico Starnone’s novel of the same name. The soundtrack LP sees Yorke working again with Sam Petts-Davies as well as the London Contemporary Orchestra alongside a jazz ensemble which included Robert Stillman and fellow The Smile bandmate Tom Skinner.
Landing last week, Statues II is the culmination of a double album that began with his Statues I, released in August of this year, both of which follow his incredible collaboration with Dawn Richard on Pigments; one of the best album of 2022. Leaning hard into both ambient and jazz, OST is a fuzzy, celestial, faintly ominous delight.
It’s been a crunchy old start to the week after a genuinely blissful weekend, but this is deeply relaxing stuff from Spencer Doran that’s making me feel – if not brilliant – then a bit more chill about everything. Taken from his album SEASON: A letter to the future (OST) – a soundtrack to a video game about preserving the natural world – you don’t need the accompanying visuals to be fully immersed in its gentle, meditative atmosphere.
https://visiblecloaks.bandcamp.com/album/season-a-letter-to-the-future-original-soundtrack
The first minute or so of Agency Loop is nothing more than a gently undulating synth line set against the backdrop of some especially tuneful birdsong, and it’s entirely blissful. To be honest, I’m less into the final movement when the drums roll in and it all becomes a bit sub Boards Of Canada, but the tranquility of the that early section is really special. It’s taken from the official soundtrack of Defective Holiday, a trippy indie video game that’s available now on Steam.
Like a lot of teenagers who discovered video games in the late 80s/early 90s, I played A LOT of Streets of Rage. The occasional out of control tantrum and smashed controller aside, I have very fond memories of that time, and especially of the soundtrack, so the newly released Streets of Rage 4 had a lot to live up to in that department. Happily they’ve delivered not only a fantastic game, but a brilliant OST which ropes in some of the original producers alongside newcomers like Olivier Deriviere who manage to preserve the frantic 8-bit rush of the 90s series while bringing the production bang up to date.
The Predatory Wasp 