Although Cave is listed first, the influence of Warren Ellis dominatesthe songs. Many are instrumentals constructed from gentle violindrones, with occasional piano, plucked guitar, and drums. Thearrangements bring to mind imagery common to Westerns: dust, anoverbearing sun, sweat. This is the soundtrack to a film Cave also scripted. Set inthe Australian Outback of the late 1800s, the movie is about twobrothers who are captured after raping a pregnant woman and murderingher entire family. The proposition in question is for one of thebrothers to find and kill their eldest brother, who masterminded themassacre and remains at large, within nine days. In return, theauthorities will grant him a pardon and spare the life of his youngestbrother, who otherwise will be hung on Christmas Day.
Like any soundtrack, themes are frequently revisited, with threevariations each of "The Proposition" and "The Rider." Cave's vocals appear sporadically, invokingthemes of blood, death, and religion that will be familiar to long-timefans of his work. His delivery is for the most part low-key, suitablylacking the bombast that has infused much of his other material. As a whole, thealbum is not static by any means, and has some interesting areas ofdivergence. One of the more unusual tracks is "Martha's Dream," whichhas a vaguely sinister krautrock vibe. And almost two minutes into "TheRider #2," the song erupts with feedback and machinery not dissimilarto ex-Bad Seeds guitarist Blixa Bargeld's other group, EinsturzendeNeubauten.It is problematic to judge a soundtrack's merits without having seenthe film it accompanies. In the US, the film screened at the PortlandInternational Film Festival in mid-February, yet it won't hit theatersin New York until May, from where it will presumably spread in limitedrelease. Even so, the soundtrack hints at the feel of the film with itsunified mood, one that is more likely to appeal to fans of the slow,sweeping violins of the Dirty Three than to those of Cave's other work,though fans of Cave may still appreciate the chance of pace.
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