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Die young game review11/7/2023 The guttural string theme discussed above features prominently. “Kill Me Fast and Clean” has a malicious and rather dissonant brush of strings that give way to splashy cymbal bursts, all as a monosynth takes lead like a rider unable to control her horse. It’s at once a heavily populated piece and a roomy, minimal one. Stirring ambient sounds and analog synths fill in the blanks. That gives way to staccato strings and a cascading synth expression that is classic Martinez. As I wrote last month when it was released : “The track begins with a shifting drone that’s accompanied by disturbed symphonics and a haunting splash of synths. The track that features the main theme, “Naked Guy Murder,” sports a recurring string phrase: a chunky, processed staccato string section that chugs along with increasing foreboding. ![]() A rich wash of beautiful synth tones are joined by a gorgeous, wordless woman’s vocal melody and string accompaniment, all building from a few grains of sand to a majestic mountain of sound. That’s evident on the cue “Viggo and Diana,” which is built on a profoundly invigorating crescendo. “I’m embracing the wild and crazy concept of mics and human beings playing real instruments, and combining that with the electronic stuff,” he said in that Vehlinggo interview. ![]() ![]() While not the first time he’s paired electronic and acoustic fare, it’s quite pronounced on TOTDY. Martinez has also opened his palette to more acoustic/organic instrumentation, an option available to him because of a move to a larger home in Topanga Canyon, California, he has said. The theremin shows up on several more cues, including “I’m Hunting,” a standout track stacked to the gills with a dynamic array of Martinez-esque synth expressions: the atmospherics and careful nuance, the crystalline ambiance, a pulsating maximalism used with great economy in a sea of deft minimalism. On “Jesus and the Snake,” a serpentine theremin - seemingly run through a guitar amp - shifts its way across the top line as moody synths tremble beneath, a minor-key synth run rolls along to provide a sense of motility. It all unfurls with careful but grandiose intent. Under that there are classic Martinez-style ambient synths and fuzzy electro pulsations akin to his work on The Neon Demon. Halfway through, a wicked theremin solo is unleashed, coloring the cue with Mid-Century Modern sci-fi. “I Hereby Give You Yaritza” opens with a hypnotic classic piano and celestial chime intro accompanied by gloriously tempered horns and a Vangelis-esque, CS80-sounding synth part, all bathed in a mysterious beauty. That philosophy did end up translating to musical passages on TOTDY, even as Martinez has retained the indelible hallmarks of his sound, such as atmospheric and crystalline synth pads, ambient electronic tones, and the celestial Cristal Baschet. They took weird new instruments and made even weirder music with it.” ![]() “They didn’t try to take these weird new instruments and make conventional music with it. “In the early days, there were a lot of guys that were really kind of cerebral composers,” he said in an interview with Vehlinggo. Naturally, Martinez, a long-time Refn collaborator, has delivered on the TOTDY soundtrack, which Milan Records released today in the digital sphere and will issue on vinyl in July. And a project of this scope and audacity requires that score to be something new and fresh to propel the story. After a life-changing night, a cascade of events follows as Teller takes us through the rich tapestry of LA’s criminal underground on an exceedingly bizarre and violent journey.Ī story like that, at the helm of eminently enjoyable provocateur Refn, requires a score from a composer who can fully appreciate and articulate both its softest, most beautiful moments and its most gorgeously brutal. TOTDY, which spans 10 episodes over 13 hours and is available to stream right now, is about a detective named Martin Jones (Miles Teller), who leads a double life as a hitman. Cliff Martinez’s score for Nicolas Winding Refn’s new Amazon series Too Old to Die Young is by far among his best - showcasing a richly nuanced and evocative body of work that highlights Martinez’s predilection toward always challenging himself and reinvigorating his compositions with a limitless curiosity and energy.
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