Mandy (soundtrack)

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Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film score by
Jóhann Jóhannsson
ReleasedSeptember 14, 2018
Recorded2017–2018
GenreFilm score
Length43:15
Label
ProducerRandall Dunn
Jóhann Jóhannsson chronology
Mary Magdalene
(2018) 		Mandy
(2018) 		The Shadow Play
(2019)

Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2018 film Mandy directed by Panos Cosmatos. The album featured the film's original score composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson in one of his final films he scored and released before his death. The album was released day-and-date with the film on September 14, 2018, through Lakeshore Records.

Development

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While Cosmatos liked Jóhannsson's work, he did not consider him to score the film, as he was becoming an established composer during that time and was out of his reach.[1][2] But after a telephonic conversation with the former, Jóhannsson agreed to be onboard as he liked Cosmatos' debut feature Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010).[3] Jóhannsson described the film as "a surreal sort of supernatural thriller, an extremely visionary film, unlike anything I've seen before".[4] He received the mood boards to the film, while he finished the score for Arrival (2016). According to Jóhannsson's manager Tim Husom, "They were unbelievably cool and scary".[1]

Some of the inspirations that Cosmatos provided for Jóhannsson were, Queen's soundtrack for Flash Gordon (1980) and the Van Halen's album Fair Warning (1981). However, Jóhannsson's score did not reference any of them; the score comprises electronic and live instrumentation that was being heavily edited and processed for a "dark, massive, industrial-metal sound" that matched the violent tone of the film.[1] The score featured Stephen O'Malley from Jóhannsson's Sunn O))) metal band playing guitars. Randall Dunn served as the music producer and discussed with Jóhannsson on the use of specific analogue synthesizers. The team found a studio in Italy where most of the synth recording were done.[1]

90% of the film's score had been completed in time for the 2018 Sundance Film Festival premiere. Following Jóhannsson's death on February 9, 2018, the remainder of his cues were curated and produced by Pepijn Caudron and Yair Elazar Glotman.[2] Caudron was initially hired as a music editor, but due to the slow post-production process, he also wrote a couple of cues mostly based on Jóhannsson's samples. According to Dunn, the music in the film and the soundtrack release were different. Dunn first heard the soundtrack and the film's music later and found that more material has been featured in the film while mixing. He felt the soundtrack to be a bonus material.[2] The film was dedicated to Jóhannsson.[5]

Release

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The soundtrack was announced on July 12, 2018, featuring 15 tracks and the song "Children of the New Dawn" released as a single, the following day.[6][7] "Forging the Beast" was released as the second single on August 3, 2018.[6] The album was released digitally through Lakeshore Records on September 14, and in CD and vinyl LP through Invada Records on October 19.[8][9]

Reception

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Critical reception

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Aggregator Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) a score of 85 out of 100 based on 5 critics, which the website categorized as "universal acclaim".[10]

Andy Beta of Pitchfork assigned the album, a score of 7.7 (out of 10) and summarized "In his final completed film score, the late composer and experimental musician revels in extreme sounds, delving into black metal, menacing ambient, doom drone, and piercing orchestrations."[11] Aaron Vehling of Vehlinggo summarized "the Mandy score has a scuzzy, gritty tinge to it that recalls the films fuzzy, almost-VHS look. The score stands alone as an exceptional album, but it’s truly impressive just how inseparable every element is from the film."[12] Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote "Another triumph, Mandy reaffirms his mastery and hints at how much more he had to contribute."[13] Critic based at The Wire summarized "The music for the horror/revenge fantasy developed from Cosmatos and Jóhannsson’s mutual appreciation of heavy metal and psychotronic cinema, and it shows."[14]

The Film Scorer wrote "Like many metal albums, Jóhannsson alternates between tender and heavy moments, particularly with the continued use of the “Mandy Love Theme” amidst crushing doom metal riffs. This combination adds empathy and emotional stakes to the film’s over the top, grindhouse-styled action. Doing so elevates and gives meaning to what could otherwise be an empty experience."[15] Valentin Maniglia of Score It Magazine wrote "rather than calling Mandy a testament album, I would rather call it promising, not only for what it delivers to the film itself but also because of how it is a turning point in its own style, firing up our imagination about what could have come next."[16] Katie Rife of The A.V. Club wrote that "It marks a turning point in his musical style, an embrace of the lush and layered as well as the heavy and metallic."[17] Calling it as "one of the best film scores of the year", Eric Kohn of IndieWire summarized it as "a fierce emotional arrangement of mournful synth and somber guitars, interspersed with jarring eruptions of percussion — all of which demonstrate the complex vision of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson".[3]

Year end lists

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Track listing

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Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Seeker of the Serpent's Eye"2:11
2."Starling"2:15
3."Mandy Love Theme"4:38
4."Horns of Abraxas"1:31
5."Black Skulls"2:45
6."Death and Ashes"4:38
7."Sand"2:02
8."Red"1:32
9."Forging the Beast"1:46
10."Dive-Bomb Blues"2:15
11."Waste"2:55
12."Temple"2:59
13."Burning Church"1:37
14."Memories"2:34
15."Children of the New Dawn"5:31
16."Chainsaw Fight" (bonus track)2:06
Total length:43:15

Accolades

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Accolades for Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
Austin Film Critics Association Awards January 7, 2019 Best Score Jóhann Jóhannsson Won [22]
[23]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards December 8, 2018 Best Original Score Jóhann Jóhannsson Nominated [24]
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards December 3, 2018 Best Use of Music Jóhann Jóhannsson Nominated [24]
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards February 25, 2019 Best Score Jóhann Jóhannsson Won [25]
[26]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 14, 2018 Best Original Score — Independent Film Jóhann Jóhannsson Nominated [27]
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards December 17, 2018 Best Original Score Jóhann Jóhannsson Won [28]
World Soundtrack Awards October 17, 2018 Soundtrack Composer of the Year Jóhann Jóhannsson Won [29]
[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Burlingame, Jon (September 13, 2018). "The Music of 'Mandy': How Johann Johannsson Melded Horror With Heavy Metal". Variety. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Wray, Daniel Dylan (September 14, 2018). "How Jóhann Jóhannsson's Final Film Score Was Made". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Kohn, Eric (November 7, 2018). "Jóhann Jóhannsson's Final Film Score Was Mandy, and It's One of the Best Soundtracks of the Year". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  4. ^ O'Falt, Chris (February 12, 2018). "Jóhann Jóhannsson's Fight to Be Visionary, From His Film Scores to His Directorial Debut — Interview". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Debruge, Peter (February 10, 2018). "How Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson Helped Change the Genre Cinema Soundscape". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz; Hyun Kim, Michelle (July 12, 2018). "Jóhann Jóhannsson's Mandy Soundtrack, His Final Work, to Be Released". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  7. ^ Arcand, Rob (July 12, 2018). "Jóhann Jóhannsson's Posthumous Horror Soundtrack to Be Released". Spin. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  8. ^ Team, FACT (July 16, 2018). "Jóhann Jóhannsson's final score released on vinyl". The Vinyl Factory. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  9. ^ "Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "Reviews: Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  11. ^ Beta, Andy (September 18, 2018). "Jóhann Jóhannsson: Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Vehling, Aaron (September 14, 2018). "Johann Johannsson's Incredible 'Mandy' Soundtrack". Vehlinggo. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Phares, Heather. "Review: Mandy [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  14. ^ "Mandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". The Wire. No. 47. November 2018. p. 56. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Scorer, The Film (April 22, 2019). "Mandy – Jóhann Jóhannsson". The Film Scorer. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  16. ^ Maniglia, Valentin (October 31, 2018). "Score Of The Week: Mandy (Jóhann Jóhannsson)". Score It Magazine. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  17. ^ Rife, Katie (September 18, 2018). "Jóhann Jóhansson embraces the void on the doom-metal influenced Mandy soundtrack". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  18. ^ Ehrlich, David (December 7, 2018). "The 10 Best Movie Scores of 2018, Ranked". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Brigden, Charlie (December 10, 2018). "The Best Movie Scores of 2018". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  20. ^ Ebiri, Bilge (December 28, 2018). "The 10 Best Movie Scores of 2018". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  21. ^ Chitwood, Adam (December 21, 2018). "The Best Movie Scores of 2018: From Black Panther to Suspiria". Collider. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  22. ^ Stoddard, Elizabeth (January 7, 2019). "2018 Awards - Austin Film Critics Association". Austin Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  23. ^ Whittaker, Richard (December 28, 2018). "Austin Film Critics Release 2018 Awards Nominee Lists". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  24. ^ a b Suzanne-Mayer, Dominick; Roffman, Michael (December 7, 2018). "Chicago Film Critics Association announces 2018 nominees". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  25. ^ Pearson, Ben (February 25, 2019). "Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Honor 'Hereditary', 'Mandy', and 'The Haunting of Hill House'". /Film. Archived from the original on September 10, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  26. ^ Rife, Katie (January 22, 2019). "Screw the Oscars, let's see who got nominated for a Fangoria Chainsaw Award". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  27. ^ "'Black Panther,' 'A Star Is Born' Lead 2018 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominees". Variety. October 16, 2018. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  28. ^ Macdonald, Moira (December 17, 2018). "Seattle film critics name 'Roma' best movie of 2018". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  29. ^ Carras, Christi (August 13, 2018). "'Shape of Water,' 'Star Wars,' Kendrick Lamar Nab World Soundtrack Awards Noms". Variety. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  30. ^ Dalton, Ben (October 17, 2018). "Kendrick Lamar, late Jóhann Jóhannsson win at 2018 World Soundtrack Awards". Screen International. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
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