The trio of pioneering horror film director John Carpenter, his son Cody Carpenter, and godson Daniel Davies cultivated a somewhat self-referential musical chemistry, creating not just film scores that returned to the chilling atmospheres of Carpenters self-taught synth work on the soundtracks for his movies in the 1970s and 80s, but also a series of albums of original music in the same vein but not directly associated with any existing films. This series of soundtracks for imagined movies was dubbed Lost Themes, and the fourth volume, Noir, takes a subtle turn away from the shock and dread of earlier entries in favor of crackling cinematic tension. The main thing separating Noir from earlier Lost Themes chapters (and the trios work on multiple 2010s and 2020s remakes of horror classics) is the arrangement. Carpenters style from the very beginning was one of brooding minimalism, with most of his pieces consisting of a few aggravated synth parts rubbing uncomfortably together or an uneasy swirl of toxic ambience. Noir is maxed out by comparison. Opening track "My Name Is Death" begins with a dirty bass guitar, and slowly waves of synth pads, angsty guitars, drum machine kicks and claps, and more all swarm together into a buzzing drone. Its explosive and dynamic, complete with a ripping guitar solo that feels more suitable for an early-90s cop movie than a grainy slasher flick. "Last Rites" is frantic and uptempo, with chugging industrial guitars and sludgy breakdowns, while the brittle synth leads, spaced-out melodies, and unexpected organ interlude of "He Walks by Night" imagine what The Exorcist soundtrack would have sounded like if it had been a sci-fi film. Noir still has some of the gruelingly slow and terrifyingly spare sounds that Carpenter does so well. "The Burning Door" is made up of acoustic piano and dramatic synth swells, and the high-register arpeggios and insistent percussion thuds of "The Demons Shadow" feel like direct evolutions from Carpenters original Halloween theme from 1978. Noir evokes more than just fear and anxiety, exploring a plethora of uncertain emotions with its ten pieces of heavy moods and dissonant thrills. ~ Fred Thomas

Rovi