James Wakefield sets the tone for Little Jar.
Listening to a film soundtrack is a tricky exercise to perfect.
It’s all down to timing: ordinarily, the music will be released before the movie itself and so the risk of spoilers is large, especially if the track names are titled with something ambiguous like ‘Lead Character Dies’.
No, the best soundtracks should give an indication of the beats of the movie by virtue of mood and tempo, which this collection of songs achieves with aplomb.
For those who haven’t taken the time to read about Dominic Lopez’s forthcoming indie flick Little Jar, it stars Kelsey Gunn as a misanthrope who hates people but finds herself in isolation with no-one to talk to apart from (logically) a dead mouse in a jar.
In just one sentence, the concept and mood of the film is clear, and the accompanying soundtrack by composer James Wakefield will surely complement it beautifully.
From the breezy, jaunty title theme (a duet between country singer Liz Beebe and James Ewers, formerly of My Luminaries and Lonesound) which bookends the collection and deftly sets the scene, through the likes of the swinging Lifting The Lid, the score pulls at the heart strings despite its short run time.
The Special Girl has a glistening mournfulness, while Penelope The Sewer Rat (no prizes for who is introduced in that scene) glides and scurries along gracefully.
Aside from the title track the album contains only one full song, a cover of Grace Moore & John Steel’s What’ll I Do, made most famous by Frank Sinatra but also reinterpreted by Cher, Bob Dylan and countless others.
Beebe’s sultry vocals add to the louche, Speakeasy vibe of this version which is garnished with subtle brass for added effect. Yet while there are only a handful of vocals, the score bristles with varied instrumentation, including harps, strings and even scissors.
Largely influenced by the likes of Danny Elfman and Alexandre Desplat, this soundtrack is full of twists and turns and, if the accompanying visuals are as immersive, bodes well for the parent movie.
