Waves Of Anzac / The Journey

For a man who first earned his reputation working with the Birthday Party, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and Crime & the City Solution, Mick Harvey has matured into a remarkably nuanced and evocative composer of music that falls within the boundaries of contemporary classical. 2020s Waves of Anzac/The Journey collects two suites whose themes are rooted in his native Australia. Waves of Anzac is the score for an Australian documentary series hosted by actor Sam Neill that explores the history of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and their role in the disastrous military campaign at Gallipoli, as well as the Neill familys association with ANZAC. Being a film score, Waves of Anzac feels more like background music than a work that is intended to command your undivided attention, but its brilliantly atmospheric, as Harvey combines a small string section with periodic infusions of piano and electric guitar to create an effective tonal spectrum. The deliberate momentum of the 21 pieces finds a shared space between beauty and dread, and if this is intended to conjure memories of a vivid but troubling bit of history, it certainly succeeds. Following Waves of Anzac is The Journey, a work in four movements that was inspired by the plight of refugees caught up in Australias offshore detention system. Running under 15 minutes, The Journey is similarly subtle, but certainly more aggressive than the film score that preceded it. Part Two: All at Sea is full of chaos and fear, and Part 3: Capture (Not Real Refugees) gives voice to the tension and hopelessness of being stuck in political limbo. The performances by the Letter String Quartet on The Journey are thoughtful and emotionally resonant, and the occasional interjections of Harveys keyboards and a wordless vocal chorus enhance the texture of the piece. It has been close to a decade since Harvey released an album of his movie music, and Waves of Anzac/The Journey reminds listeners how he excels in the medium; few musicians with a background in rock write for strings with this level of skill. ~ Mark Deming