Music for the Film Invisible Hand - Heavy Color (Album Review)
Art tends to be perceived as a burst of inspiration from a creative mind, something that is impossible to codify with words and easier to demonstrate than to dictate. For those who create art, there are clear prompts and channels that help focus an idea into a finished product. The inventions of broadcast radio, television, movies, and now streamed video content on various platforms have opened up a new avenue for those who can craft functional artistic experiences, blending their sonic toolset within an organized timeline. Heavy Color has done great work in this aspect with Music for the Film Invisible Hand.
The title does a succinct job of explaining the function of this album, a soundtrack to the award winning independent film Invisible Hand, a film produced by actor Mark Ruffalo and directed by Melissa A. Troutman and Joshua B. Pribanic. The film centers around a legal case in Grant Township, Pennsylvania where a community gave rights to the surrounding nature to help defend it from a company wanting to pollute the wildlife with their developments. Heavy Color does a phenomenal job providing music that rewards passive and detailed listeners alike, as it serves to underscore the film’s narrative while serving up delectable bite-sized pieces of ear candy.
“Fog” kicks things off with a hypnotic, rhythmic texture pulsing with warm swells, easing you into the full album experience. “A Theme for Grant Township” almost feels like a sunset in the Saharan Desert as African inspired interlocking percussive ideas cut through layers of synth sounds as a guitar plays simple, delay-filled melodies overtop. “Persistent Efforts of Nature” lays a beautiful, sparkling bed of synthesizers to accompany some improvisatory saxophone. “The Water Protectors” centers on a low drone colored by atmospheric string and flute textures. In “Two Serpents,” there is a wonderful minimalistic pattern that drives the tune while drum hits accent critical moments and acoustic instruments are enhanced to add to the atmosphere. A cello expressively plays overtop a swirling texture that is dense enough to feel like one sound but mixed in such a way that you can pick out individual layers before they are blended, almost like dropping pebbles in a pond.
“A Corporate State” changes the mood in such subtle ways through the use of distortion, creating a timbre change that feels cold and industrial. “Song for the Water” flows effortlessly with the vocal textures and deep synth pads. “Theme for Capitalism” sounds like the engine of the industrial workforce, using mallet percussion and clicking, airy sounds with persistent energy. “A Theme for Standing Rock” stands in sonic solidarity with those who came together to try and protect clean waters from the impending sludge of corporate progress. “Permissible Harm” opts for a darker, grittier tone using grating harmonics and brassier instrument sounds to detail the underlying messaging with this cold legalese. “A Mockery” compliments the previous tune’s mood with a more simplistic, pleasant arrangement of harmonies and layers. “A Change in Color” shifts you into outer space before melting into “Theme from Invisible Hand,” a cinematic piece that opens up to a rich palette of colors and textures. To close the album, “Cross Currents” ends the emotional arc established by the previous two pieces, stripping away layers to focus on flute interplay and splashing in tasteful accents.
The work that went into this soundtrack cannot be understated. Heavy Color crafted a compelling listening experience that captures the sonic exploration and quality production that they are known for through the functional lens of complimenting a documentary film. Also, with the recent addition of a vinyl print to the presentation of this album, listeners can absorb every nook and cranny of this film score in whatever preferred method they desire. There is also a hope that when they return to the stage, these songs will accompany their meditative electro-acoustic experiences. Check this album out, watch the film, and appreciate the time and detail it took to craft this release!
If you want to support this group on their current venture, consider purchasing a ticket to the virtual festival, “An Afternoon of Curious Music,” which streams on Outermost.stream on March 21st! This festival features new music from Heavy Color as well as Curious Music artists Amanda Berlind, Bjarni Biering, Kate St John and Neill MacColl, Wobbly, Tim Story and Hans-Joachim Roedelius.
Liner Notes:
Drawing inspiration from nature, Heavy Color composed much of the score for winds, strings and voice, something of a departure from the dense electronic approach of their previous releases. Joining Cohen and Woldenberg on Music for the film Invisible Hand are Patrick Booth (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet and Soprano Saxophone), Mike Savina (Electric Guitar), Wesley Hornpetrie (Cello), Jeffrey Niemeier (Violin and Electric Violin) and Estar Cohen (Vocals)
