Color Out of Space＜Colored Vinyl＞

Colin Stetson received a unique opportunity in scoring Richard Stanleys cinematic adaptation of H.P. Lovecrafts story The Color Out of Space. The saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, sound designer, and composer was to create a … sonic representation of a cosmic alien color that does not exist in this terrestrial reality. He delivered a wonderful soundtrack for Ari Asters acclaimed 2018 horror film Hereditary, showcasing his unique approach to atmospheric tension in a studio to match the tension onscreen. In the Lovecraft story, a meteorite strikes the rural Gardner farm. The projectile poisons well water and destroys crops and animals. The true weirdness, however, is how it attacks the minds, emotions, and eventually, the bodies of the Gardner family, Listeners can gauge what that color is, but given the films poster and trailers, its fair to say, as Stetson himself did, that it exists on the spectrum between magenta and pink. In addition to his standard bass and alto saxophones, he plays a variety of reed, brass, and wind instruments, as well as synth, Tibetan bowls, and Fender Rhodes piano. Opener West of Arkham commences with a low-tuned drone, creaking sounds, chamber string washes, and a crushingly humid ambience. Third track Contact is where the scores identity comes to the fore; varying musical languages rise to frame notions of dread and paranoia. Its at once claustrophobic and almost frightfully open, and synths, sequencing, and treated horns and keyboards hover uneasily alongside one another. Dinners Ready begins somewhat conventionally but radiates the malevolent force of the otherworldly alien presence. The writers work inspires the readers imagination for iconic horror. His protagonists are often undone after initially seeing indescribable and frightening presences. Stetsons music follows along the same principle, but because of its textures, sounds, and dynamics, the listener is able create an inner picture of the looming, blooming evil in the Gardners midst. Taken opens with what seems like a choral chant, but there are no human voices. As it unfolds, a strange intermittent keyboard sound emulates what could be the voice of the meteor, recalling the early analog work of Tangerine Dream (Zeit). Eventually, pulses and industrial sounds clatter in, creating an eerie sense of displacement and unease. It Burns is radical in how it contrasts with the rest of the score; its initially chaotic but gives way to the quietest yet most uncomfortable sounds on the record. The layers of rhythm on The Color mix industrial sounds, aural collage, and fat, percussive beats, making it both creepy and accessible. Closer Reservoir is almost a suite. Over seven-and-a-half-minutes long, it alternates sections where dark ambience, transcendent choruses of noise, harmony, deep bass sax squalls, Tobin Summerfields electric guitar squall, and clattering, often-broken beats give way to atmospheric dis-ease. In Stetsons growing body of film and television work, hes in complete balance with the works he encounters. In The Color Out of Space, Stetsons score is, in its empathy, an actual character, one that accompanies the protagonists as a witness, portraying every encounter with an alien force without ever being intrusive. ~ Thom Jurek