MP3: LUV (2012)
Score: Very Good
Label: Lakeshore Records
Released: May 26, 2015
Tracks / Album Length: 18 tracks / 49 mins.
Composer: Nuno Malo
Special Notes: n/a
Review:
Nuno Malo’s LUV is a rather peculiar score, occasionally using the shrill metallic feedback of electric guitar in tracks like the somewhat somber, almost meditative “Woody’s Coming of Age” over an otherwise lush orchestral background. While the guitar may provide contrast with his elegant orchestrations, it does transgress into a level of distortion that may be excessive for some listeners.
Happily, most of the score’s tracks are more pleasing, and follow a similar pattern of gently flowing harmonics and perfect fusion of electronic and organic elements. “A Family That Prays Together” blends echoey piano with reversed processed effects, whereas piano is part of the rhythmic motor in “Suited and Booted,” with overlapping beats and an increasingly warm surge of tones from orchestra. “Money by Monday” features a revolving abstract tone pattern over bass pulses, whereas all rhythms are virtually suppressed in “Down by the Water” for a dominant, meditative series of rising chords and a distant electrical guitar.
Most of the score’s cues range from just over a minute to a handful of meaty works, but there’s a genuine unity to Malo’s narrative, as cues tend to drift and fade between minimal statements of mood rather than a specific theme. With the exception of the shrill guitar feedback, Luv is neatly mastered and closes with a rare, epic-long thematic statement.
© 2015 Mark R. Hasan
Additional Links:
Editor’s Blog — Composer on IMDB — Composer Filmography — Soundtrack Album
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