When Do You Listen to Carter Burwell?
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I woke up this morning and had a thirst for some Carter Burwell , or rather a tune that was stuck in my head that happened to be composed by Carter Burwell. It had nothing to do with his latest score to Where the Wild Things Are (Only heard one cue from there called Lost Fur). It was ‘Bella’s Lullaby’ from his Twilight score if you must know.
After I listened to that I started to wonder about Carter, because I couldn’t remember a single tone of his work. I quickly went to my archive and listened randomly to his music. Not much of it agreed with me, most were passable, indifferent tracks. Still, it’s obvious the man has talents and is best heard (or not heard) in Coen brothers movies. His scores are really excellent in those movies, yet when you take it out of context, it’s nothing special.
He fascinates me though, Carter Burwell. His ability to sneak those notes past you, goes beyond excellence on screen. His similar ability to be quickly forgotten off screen is what makes him an enigma, at least in my eyes (or ears). What I am trying to say is: I really don’t get Carter Burwell!
In my frenetic listening I managed to come across a few gems hidden away in his vast library of scores. What those gems are, I’ll let you know tomorrow.
What do you think of Carter Burwell? Genius or overrated? Lastly, please recommend some Burwell scores in the comment section below this post. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Here’s a clip from Fargo:
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Comments
I really hope they’ll put out Where the Wild Things Are on the UK iTunes. Only in US at the moment. 
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Ooh I really hate country restrictions. Hope they release it worldwide.
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead was the standout theme for me last year. His score for HAMLET (2000) is a classic to my mind!
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
October 24th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Hamlet was ok, nothing special. The theme from The Devil Knows You’re Dead is quite good.
Blair Witch 2 is pure liquid! Try the first track
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
October 24th, 2009 at 4:38 am
It’s very liquid alright, but it’s too experimental for my taste. I much prefer the simple themes he creates, like the opening cue from In Bruges ‘Prologue’.
[...] Fans, a new social network for soundtrack fans. Thanks for visiting!Thanks for the comments on my previous Carter Burwell post. I have managed to find 7 tracks I absolutely love from Carter Burwell. When you hear them, you [...]
Soundtrack Seek
i’m a big carter burwell fan, though now that you mention it, it’s hard to come up with many examples of his stuff of the top of my head. his music has a certain liquid quality to it, like water trickling down a hill, slowing down and speeding up, but never rushing anywhere. i love that lackadaisical feel. the rich, languid chords and melancholy three-note phrases in his scores for ‘being john malkovich’ and ‘gods and monsters’ get me every time.
happy listening!
-f
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Jorn Tillnes Reply:
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
“Water trickling down a hill, slowing down and speeding up”. Brilliant! You got it! I have found a few brilliant cues from him which I will share in a poster later tonight.
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