Best known as the crazy lead guitarist and all round instrumental genius from Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood has carved himself quite a niche in the world of alternative music. As one of the masterminds behind the band, he was invited to become the BBC’s composer-in-residence in 2004 which gave him the opportunity to work with its symphony orchestra on several pieces.
It was one of these, the award winning ‘Popcorn Superhet Receiver’, that convinced director Paul Thomas Anderson that Greenwood was the right man to compose the soundtrack for his epic There Will Be Blood.
Jonny Greenwood’s Second Solo Album
This marks not only Greenwood’s second venture into the world of film soundtracks – the first being for Simon Dummell’s human life documentary Bodysong – but his second solo outing to date. Despite this the There Will Be Blood OST sounds like it could have been written by a seasoned film pro.
This soundtrack has more cohesive structure than Bodysong and ventures towards a more traditional classical sound, in the same territory of Polish composer Penderecki (whom Greenwood name checked as an influence). As a result this feels like a real collection of songs, some of which are unexpectedly beautiful – such as ‘Oil’.
Experimental yet Mesmerising Score
Unsurprisingly the OST does have an experimental edge, as demonstrated on the percussive ‘Proven Lands’. The whole album is also interweaved with some of the more bizarre sections from his lengthy BBC piece, including ‘Henry Plainview’ which sounds more like someone trying to tune in and out of Classic FM.
The piano-led ‘Prospectors Arrive’ is easily one of the best tracks Greenwood has ever written, its sweeping, mesmerising string arrangement has a strange but warm glow; it’s like a Radiohead song with the rest of the band turned right down. Slight problems lie with the tiresome ‘Eat Him by His Own Light’ and the high pitched squeal of ‘Stranded in the Line’, both of which are a little off-putting. Plus at just over 30 minutes length the experience is brief and winds down too quickly.
Captures the Essence of There Will Be Blood
Like all great soundtracks it does capture the essence of the film it accompanies so it can be considered nothing less than a triumph. The first 15 minutes of the film contains no dialogue, just main star Daniel Day-Lewis scrambling around in a hole. It’s a very intense quarter of an hour but not because of Day-Lewis’s acting, although his performance is astonishing, it’s down to the score creating a wonderful sense of claustrophobia and dread.
Although not quite perfect and perhaps a bit short Jonny Greenwood’s There Will Be Blood OST is a fantastic piece of work that should have won the Oscar the year it was released regardless of the ridiculous technicality the Academy threw at it. Shame on them.
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