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The Power of the Dog (soundtrack)

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The Power of the Dog (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) is the score for the 2021 film The Power of the Dog, composed by Jonny Greenwood. It was released by Lakeshore Records and Invada Records on November 17, 2021.

The Power of the Dog (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
Film score by
Jonny Greenwood
ReleasedNovember 17, 2021 (2021-11-17)
GenreFilm score
Length41:33
Label
ProducerJonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood chronology
Spencer
(2021) 		The Power of the Dog
(2021) 		Licorice Pizza
(2021)

The score album features 17 tracks and a range of modern instruments. It ranges from contemporary music to dark ambient and orchestral sounds, achieved by blending instruments in the sounds. Greenwood's score received positive critical response and received nominations and awards including Academy, Golden Globe, Grammy and BAFTA award nominations.

Background

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Campion recruited Jonny Greenwood to compose the score for The Power of the Dog.[1] Speaking to the Variety, she said "He thought a lot about instruments and creating a palette for the instruments in the way that designers often do".[2] While writing the score, Greenwood rendered the 1920s music of Montana as uncanny, foreboding rhythms which feel essential to the film's mix of oddity and dread in the concluding moments, that culminates "a disquieting cascade of disparate notes".[3] Greenwood said "I’m a big fan of these musical scales that are called modes of limited transposition. As well as major and minor scales, you have modes. And some modes are more interesting than others. The one used there has four different tonal centers, so it’s like having four keys at once—which means that you never really resolve harmonically to the home chord."[3]

Greenwood wanted to avoid the "sweeping strings" typical of Westerns, opting instead to use atonal brass sounds in order to emphasize the "alien and forbidding" nature of the film's landscapes.[1] He was inspired from the music of Star Trek: The Original Series (1966), which had a contemporary brass sounds. To achieve this, he hired a couple of French horn players from the orchestra and recorded it in a church in Oxford, intending that "that reverb in the church would be the third instrument".[2] He was not satisfied with the sound of Phil's banjo on screen, as he "wanted to tap into the darker side of the instrument, which would almost mirror Phil’s personality". As an alternative, he used to play the cello like a banjo on his own, using the same fingerpicking technique.[1] The resulting sound, according to Greenwood, was "a nice confusion" and "a sound you recognize, but it's not a style that you’re familiar with."[2] As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the gathering restrictions in place, Greenwood was unable to work with an orchestra and had to record much of the cello parts on his own, layering them to achieve an orchestral texture.[4]

"It was recorded at the height of the pandemic, and all the harshest restrictions on gatherings were in place. I did manage to get a viola quartet on one day, and six cellos on another. But because orchestras were unusable, I had to fake a lot of it using my own cello. I can’t really play it very well with the bow, so it was a process of tuning the strings to each pitch and recording myself playing all the notes one at a time. Eventually, I built up an orchestral texture."

— Jonny Greenwood, in an interview to Variety about recording the home-made orchestral parts by layering cellos.[1]

Greenwood used a computer-controlled mechanical piano, and for scoring it he bought a piano tuning wrench, as he could detune the strings while playing.[5] He made use of the programming software: Max/MSP to modify the sound and pitch. The instrument suited for the character, Rose, as "not only is her story wrapped up in the instrument, but it was also a good texture for her gradual mental unraveling".[1] He worked on recording the piano score for hours, so that the tunes could be adjusted.[6] For creating themes for Phil, Greenwood used horns and dark strings seemed a good direction to go in. He did not use violins for scoring, and instead stuck to the lower sounds of cellos and violas.[5]

"I was sending her [Campion] the things that I could play – the piano stuff, and the solo cello things – but the rest she didn’t hear until they were recorded (computer demos are so off-putting for everyone). She responded often with hand-written notes, scanned and emailed. Her energy was a huge part of how this music was written."

— Greenwood, on Campion's involvement in the score composition.[1]

Despite being a period film, Greenwood opted to use modern sounds.[7][8] Calling about this approach, Greenwood said that "This film has such an unusual tone: Me playing pastiche American folk music would never suit all the repressed conflict or Phil’s dark, angry intelligence".[9]

Release

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On October 27, 2021, Jonny Greenwood announced the release of two songs: "25 Years" and "West" through digital platforms.[10][11] Variety magazine, debuted the tracks exclusively online, featuring a review for the first track saying "it is an infectious melody, which orchestrating a dark, brooding selection blended with a light honky-tonk undertone that matches perfectly with the period" and listeners "may find more of his signature stylistic eclecticism, which showcases an emotional pastiche from his work on The Master (2012)".[10]

Lakeshore Records and Invada Records released the soundtrack on November 17, 2021, through digital (audio streaming) and physical (CD and vinyl) formats.[12][13] In addition to the soundtracks, a For Your Consideration album, featuring 16 tracks from the original score was released in December 2021, to showcase the score in various award ceremonies for 2021.[14]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."25 Years"02:17
2."Requiem for Phil"02:25
3."So Soft"03:03
4."Detuned Mechanical Piano"01:33
5."Prelude"01:42
6."The Ravine"01:34
7."Mimicry"01:49
8."West Alone"01:37
9."Miss Nancy Arrives"01:40
10."Figured It Out"01:54
11."Viola Quartet"02:50
12."Best Friends"01:48
13."Paper Flowers"01:59
14."A Lovely Evening"02:43
15."They Were Mine"03:19
16."West"02:32
17."Psalm 22"06:42

Reception

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Pitchfork's Brian Howe wrote "Greenwood must be the only artist who has both headlined Coachella and collaborated with Krzysztof Penderecki, the Polish composer whose turbulent tone clusters he often evokes in The Power of the Dog. When those shivers course through the strings, it might be the cry of night-veiled coyotes or a wail at the edge where one world ends and another begins. That double image perfectly exemplifies Greenwood’s own synthesis of pulp-Western brawn and refined symphonic emotion."[15] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "A word about the album, by the way – with cues presented radically out of sequence in terms of their appearance in the film, and with some missing – it’s been produced the old-fashioned way, with the optimal listening experience in mind – and is all the stronger for it."[16] Jonathan Broxton wrote "As actual music, though, it’s a tougher sell. Some of it is very discordant and challenging, there is almost no conventional emotional content to latch onto, and anyone who needs identifiable thematic content in order to truly connect with a score will find it lacking."[17] The New Yorker,[4] IndieWire,[18] and Insider Inc.[19] called it one of the best film scores of 2021.

Awards and nominations

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards March 27, 2022 Best Original Score Jonny Greenwood Nominated [20]
Austin Film Critics Association January 11, 2022 Best Original Score Won [21]
British Academy Film Awards March 13, 2022 Best Original Music Nominated [22]
Chicago Film Critics Association December 15, 2021 Best Original Score Won [23]
Critics' Choice Awards March 13, 2022 Best Score Nominated [24]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association December 20, 2021 Best Musical Score 2nd Place [25]
Dorian Awards March 17, 2022 Best Film Music Nominated [26]
Florida Film Critics Circle December 22, 2021 Best Score Runner-up [27]
Georgia Film Critics Association January 14, 2022 Best Original Score Nominated [28]
Gold Derby Film Awards March 16, 2022 Best Original Score Nominated [29]
Golden Globe Awards January 9, 2022 Best Original Score Nominated [30]
Grammy Awards February 5, 2023 Best Score/Soundtrack for Visual Media Nominated [31]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 17, 2021 Best Original Score in a Feature Film Nominated [32]
Houston Film Critics Society January 19, 2022 Best Original Score Nominated [33]
London Film Critics Circle February 6, 2022 Technical Achievement Award (music) Nominated [34]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 18, 2021 Best Music Runner-up [35]
Online Film Critics Society January 24, 2022 Best Original Score Won [36]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle January 10, 2022 Best Original Score Won [37]
Satellite Awards April 2, 2022 Best Original Score Nominated [38]
Seattle Film Critics Society January 17, 2022 Best Original Score Nominated [39]
St. Louis Film Critics Association December 19, 2021 Best Score Nominated [40]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 6, 2021 Best Score Nominated [41]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Burlingame, Jon (November 17, 2021). "Jonny Greenwood on the Dark Power of His Music for 'The Power of the Dog'". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Tangcay, Jazz (November 29, 2021). "Jane Campion and Jonny Greenwood Discuss the Dark, Complicated Score in 'The Power of the Dog'". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "How Jonny Greenwood Harnessed The Power of the Dog". Vanity Fair. March 15, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Ross, Alex (December 19, 2021). "How Jonny Greenwood Wrote the Year's Best Film Score". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Desowitz, Bill (March 16, 2022). "'The Power of the Dog': How Jonny Greenwood's Oscar-Nominated Score Redefined the Western Sound". IndieWire. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "For Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, there are no rules to composing for film". NPR.org. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  7. ^ January 19, Joshua Rothkopf; EST, 2022 at 01:30 PM. "Jonny Greenwood hears the future". EW.com. Retrieved June 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Jonny Greenwood Talks Film Score Work With Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air". Pitchfork. February 7, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 10, 2022). "How Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood Found Emotional Repression Through Music in 'The Power of the Dog' Score". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Davis, Clayton (October 25, 2021). "Hear Two Tracks From Netflix's 'The Power of the Dog' Score by Jonny Greenwood (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  11. ^ Zemler, Emily (October 26, 2021). "Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood Shares Songs From 'The Power of the Dog' Soundtrack". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "Jonny Greenwood shares The Power of the Dog soundtrack: Stream". Consequence. November 17, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  13. ^ "The Power Of The Dog (Soundtrack From The Netflix Film), by Jonny Greenwood". Invada. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  14. ^ Jonny Greenwood - The Power of the Dog (For Your Consideration - Best Original Score), November 2021, retrieved June 5, 2022
  15. ^ "Jonny Greenwood: The Power of the Dog (Music From the Netflix Film)". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  16. ^ "The Power of the Dog | Jonny Greenwood | movie-wave.net". December 12, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  17. ^ "THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jonny Greenwood". MOVIE MUSIC UK. December 3, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  18. ^ Ehrlich, Steve Greene, David; Greene, Steve; Ehrlich, David (December 15, 2021). "The Best Film and TV Scores of 2021". IndieWire. Retrieved June 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Guerrasio, Jason. "The 9 best movie soundtracks of 2021". Insider. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  20. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly; Lewis, Hilary (February 8, 2022). "Oscars: Full List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  21. ^ Neglia, Matt (January 4, 2022). "The 2021 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations". Next Big Picture. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  22. ^ BAFTA (March 13, 2022). "2022 EE British Academy Film Awards: The Winners". BAFTA. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Tallerico, Brian (December 13, 2021). "West Side Story Leads the 2021 Chicago Critics Nominees". RogerEbert. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  24. ^ Hammond, Pete (December 13, 2021). "Critics Choice Awards Film Nominations Led By 'Belfast' And 'West Side Story'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  25. ^ Neglia, Matt (December 20, 2021). "The 2021 Dallas Fort-Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) Winners". Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  26. ^ "Dorian Film Awards: 'The Power of the Dog' Leads Nominations from LGBTQ Entertainment Critics". The Hollywood Reporter. February 23, 2022.
  27. ^ Neglia, Matt (December 15, 2021). "The 2021 Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) Nominations". NextBigPicture. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  28. ^ "2021 Awards". Georgia Film Critics Association. January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  29. ^ Daniel, Montgomery (January 27, 2022). "2022 Gold Derby Film Awards nominations: 'Dune' leads with 11; 'The Power of the Dog,' 'West Side Story' at 10 each". Gold Derby. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  30. ^ Jordan, Moreau (December 13, 2021). "Golden Globes 2022: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  31. ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  32. ^ Grein, Paul (November 4, 2021). "Ariana Grande, Beyonce & More Vie for Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Complete Film Nominations List". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  33. ^ Darling, Cary (January 3, 2022). "'The Power of the Dog' takes a bite out of Houston Film Critics Society's nominations". Preview. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  34. ^ Yossman, K.J. (December 16, 2021). "Female Filmmakers Shine at London Critics' Circle Film Awards With Nominations for Jane Campion, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Joanna Hogg". Variety. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  35. ^ Shanfield, Ethan; Murphy, J. Kim (December 18, 2021). "'Drive My Car' and 'The Power of the Dog' Win Top Prizes at L.A. Film Critics Association Awards 2021 (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  36. ^ Gray, Richard (January 25, 2022). "OFCS: Online Film Critics Society announces 25th Annual Film Awards". The Reel Bits. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  37. ^ Neglia, Matt (January 7, 2022). "The 2021 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) Nominations". NextBigPicture. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  38. ^ Anderson, Erik (December 1, 2021). "'Belfast,' 'The Power of the Dog' lead 26th Satellite Awards nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  39. ^ ""The Power of the Dog" Leads the 2021 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations". Seattle Film Critics. January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  40. ^ Neglia, Matt (December 12, 2021). "The 2021 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". NextBestPicture. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  41. ^ Eric, Anderson (December 4, 2021). "Washington DC Critics: 'Belfast,' 'The Power of the Dog' lead nominations". AwardsWatch. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
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