Jonny Greenwood - Bodysong
(XL)

In 2018, Jonny Greenwood's name is easily associated with daring yet elegant film scores with over a dozen in varying styles and approaches. However in 2003, he was just the guitar player in a band. This was the year he made his first foray into scoring motion pictures, and his first effort, Bodysong, has just been reissued on vinyl, the first since its 2003 release. Of all the works of his that I am familiar with, Bodysong effectively stands on its own as it rarely feels like a companion piece. The album opens with a piano and string composition with a layer of glitched out electronics on top, transitioning into a track that sounds like a spaghetti western guitar overly processed through a late 90's Apple computer. Elegant string arrangements weave in and out of dizzying percussion pieces. One track on here should sound familiar to you if you've seen and heard There Will Be Blood. “Convergence” was lifted from Bodysong and used in the film. Somehow the most jarring and intriguing tracks come in the form of his frantic jazz compositions. Beginning with the track “Splitter,” we are introduced to Greenwood's paranoid and jagged version of jazz, including upright bass from his brother Colin Greenwood, also known for playing bass in that one band they're in. When we got this reissue in stock, I vaguely remembered it from years ago, most likely after I heard There Will Be Blood and realized that Jonny Greenwood was actually the most talented member of said band. But I was honestly blown away once I revisited it. It’s clearly a concise and compelling work of genius. We can only hope that he decides to quit his day job, and answer only to himself. Perhaps he’ll be much better off. (Adam)
Check out a track here.