Regardless of what you might think of the film The Social Network (I thought it was great at the time, though less so now, though the performances of Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield hold up), I think we can all agree that the soundtrack, the score written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross was mind-blowing – not just because it was fucking amazing (it is) but because it came from the mind of the guy who just over a decade earlier wrote “Closer”, with it’s ‘I wanna fuck you like an animal’ refrain.
I don’t usually go in for soundtracks, but I often return to this one and just have it playing in the background. It’s so dark, its heavy in a really abstract and minimal way, and its so gorgeously melancholic – the sparse minor chords of the piano and background fuzz of opener “Hand Covers Bruise” giving way to synth and bass driven “In Motion”.
My favourite here is “Intriguing Possibilities”, its electronic opening giving way to a bass delay and a piano part that, while repeating, sounds like it meanders, like the composer is lost in thought, distracted, like the portrayal of the film’s central character in so many scenes, the noise building to a all-consuming crescendo before the main melody breaks through to the fore again.
I also have to give shouts to Reznor and Ross’ version of “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”, used in the background of a rowing scene, and which should be used in the background of every rowing race forever more.
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CLTM (Chris Listens To Music) is my attempt to listen to a new album every day; you can follow my efforts on Instagram here (and send recommendations), and if you like what I’m doing, support my efforts by shouting me a cuppa at Buy Me A Coffee.