Album Review--Music for Moviebikers

I picked up an album six months ago called Romances, a collaboration Mike Patton did with Norwegian composer John Kaada, on a Patton binge, having no experience with Kaada, and it became one of my favorite albums in some time. The album certainly demonstrated Patton's modern style of vocal improvisation, but most of the album was decidedly not Patton-like...and this, Kaada's sound, was what I appreciated most. When Kaada released Music for Moviebikers, I was eager to hear him on his own.

Originally slated to be called Music for an Imaginary Film, the sound of the album represents a lot of what is great about film scores. While Music for Moviebikers would make a fatastic accompaniment to any number of silent films (rather than the stale piano scores present on nearly every release) through Kaada's evocation of time, place, and image in sound, it does not have the theme and variation aspects that are necessary for effective film composition. This is a complete piece in its own right, using the music to create a kind of movie. Styles and textures change track to track, giving the mood of a biker traveling through Europe, with all the discovery, loss, and isolation that comes with it; almost like a musical version of a Wim Wenders film. Classical influence, pop sensibilities, and folk tradition allow the music to skirt many lines very effectively, but the clear vision of the album allows all of this to move as one.

This is not an eclectic mish-mash of styles, this is, however, the kind of music that could both stand alone in a chamber setting (Music for Moviebikers [13 Pieces] for Small Orchestra is what I'd list is as if Schwann Opus was still alive) or back up Tom Waits on his post-Rain Dogs albums. It is mood music, but not background music; it is evocative, but not quite manipulative. It is an interesting sound experience and one well worth checking out.