Having turned down a plethora of previous soundtrack offers, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood finally gives into his cinematic impulses and provides the score for a very different sort of film.
Devoid of any dialogue and composed exclusively of archived moving images from the last 100 years, Bodysong creates a compelling narrative on the journey of the human body (sex, birth, death, food, war, dance, growing). Needless to say, having to articulate such a gargantuan breadth of emotions and experiences is no enviable task, yet Greenwood, having mercifully been given carte blanche on the score, rises to the challenge majestically.
It’ll be interesting to see how ardent Radiohead fans’ll react to such an uncompromising, indigestible and obtuse record. In saying that, ‘Moon Trills’ (which corresponds, rather fittingly, to the ‘birth’ chapter of the film) has more than a passing resemblance to ‘Pyramid Song’, and ‘Iron Swallow’ demonstrates Greenwood unleashing his inner Phillip Glass.
As with any soundtrack, the album will make more sense when accompanied by the film, yet as a stand alone project, it’s highly satisfying and engaging stuff.