Most fanboys and cinephiles are well aware of Rodriguez' almost zealous command of his films. He writes, directs, edits, produces, and often scores all of his films. If he doesn't deliver a full-blown score, well then at the very least he has a few self-penned songs strewn throughout. The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Sin City is no exception. Rodriguez presides over the score like a musical monarch. And while his name dominates the credits, he also had the foresight to enlist the services of two composers who know a thing or two about not only genre composition, but how to craft dark, mystical, eerie soundscapes that completely envelope the listener and aid in transporting them to another time, another place (they have also both worked with Rodriguez previously on his Spy Kids and From Dusk till Dawn films). The two composers I am referring to are John Debney (Passion Of The Christ, a) and Graeme Revell (Pitch Black, amongst others).
As is appropriate, the album commences with the film's theme music. And the first thing you notice about Rodriquez's title theme is that it owes a heavy debt to Henry Mancini's classic theme music from the Peter Gunn television series of the late '50s. The distinct, rolling bassline permeates the undercurrent of the song, which is highlighted by squonking horns, and a dizzying array of noize filtration. Rodriguez opts for a much more traditional sounding slice of score for the next number, "One Hour To Go," utilizing a shuffling militaristic cadence to punctuate the feeling of urgency and impending dread that should permeate any good noir.
By the time Graeme Revell enters the mix on the third track, "Goldie's Dead," you hardly notice that a new composer has jumped into the game. His first inclusion keeps the squonking horns floating in the ether and adds some fluttering flute and detached female haunt vocals for just the right touch of eerie foreboding. He teams up with Rodriguez for "Marv," which again brings the Peter Gunn-esque bassline back into the equation, thrusts more scratchy sax in your face, and generally creates a disembodied jazz vibe.
Revell and Rodriguez then dip into a volley in which they pass solo efforts back and forth and team up over the next five tracks. "Bury The Hatchett" keeps the menace chugging betwixt late night jazz swoon. "Old Town Girls" brings the burlesque elements into play, the saxes crooning with enticement. "The Hard Goodbye" lives up to its name, churning out a slow burn steam of ominous mood. A steadily growing thrust of strings rides underneath a growling bass and intermittent horns to create the dread. "Cardinal Sin" incorporates minimalistic church organ elements which drone and curdle around haunting voices. "Her Name Is Goldie" brings back the detached female "wailing" over muted horns to create dark tinged jazz. The addition of restrained piano only adds to the sense of despair.
Debney replaces Revell for the next seven tracks during which he picks up the baton and volleys back and forth with the omnipresent Rodriguez. His first submission, "Dwight," fits into the overall theme quite nicely (again you hardly notice that Revell's left and Debney's replaced him). The tone does get a little more somber and there's more unidentifiable elements here, such as low, garbled rumblings that create a sense of unbalance and ill ease. "Old Town" continues the dark jazz motif intermixed with forlorn horns and light electronic ambiance. "Deadly Little Miho" revolves around an almost silent shift of percussion that slowly and quietly bleeds into muted horns and wavering strings. It's a perfect fit for the deadly little ninja hooker to whom this theme was written for. "Warrior Woman" picks up the pace, ever so lightly, with cymbal brush work and surging strings. "Tar Pit" mixes the signature saxophones with swelling symphonia. "Jackie Boy's Head" ups the ante with horns and bongos and a snappy rhythm. It may very well be the most be-boppin' number on the entire score. "The Big Fat Kill" brings back some of the weird, perhaps electronic/perhaps not ambiance to gurgle underneath the strings and mournful horns.
After Debney's stretch Mr. Rodriguez returns to deliver two tracks, "Nancy" and "Prison Cell." The former is all menace and nail biting-into-crocodile tears emotion. The latter begins with the lilting tones of a harp and incorporates swelling strings to create a mood that is at once cheerful, but ultimately masks a sense of impending doom and futility. Then, as if out of nowhere, the electro blast of U.K. big beat combo Fluke. Ripping their propulsive track "Absurd" from their 1997 album Risotto seems like a mindf@#k extraordinaire and is definitely a jarring shift from the steamy jazz fluctuations that dominate the soundtrack.
Rodriguez returns for the next three tracks, the piano driven "Kiss Of Death," the incredibly unnerving, nail biting "That Yellow Bastard," which conjures up images of Bernard Herrmann's vintage Hitchco*ck scores, and "Hartigan," which is mostly strings set to a subtle, subdued meter. Rodriguez also delivers the "Sin City End Titles." Naturally these recap the Peter Gunn-styled bass elements, but then they also add plenty of chugging guitar, pervasive strings, and meaty horns, not to mention a slight splash of electrified mariachi madness. It's a gusto filled menagerie of all the elements that have made up the score, thrown into the pot to create a roiling expanse of sound that is damn near schizophrenic in nature.
Sandwiched between the final Rodriguez bits is "Sensemaya," a sprawling 5-minute and 59-second epic composed by famed Mexican musician (and onetime Austinite) Silvestre Revueltas and conducted by Eduardo Mata with the New Philharmonic Orchestra. The piece, which was originally written in 1938, it sounds surprising fresh and integrates well into Rodriguez, Debney, and Revell's compositions.
If there's one singular complaint in regards to Rodriguez, Debney, and Revell's score, it would be that it's almost too seamless. They obviously worked incredibly closely to get their three distinct scoring styles to merge into one singular, cohesive piece and they should be commended for accomplishing that feat. On the downside, however, the variation between any one given movement is so slight that the entire piece begins to bleed together and lose any sense of distinction. This is mostly a complaint in terms of listening to the album separate from the film. For in the context of the movie, the score is damn near impeccable.
Definitely Download:
1."Sin City"
2."Goldie's Dead"
3."Old Town"
4."Sensemaya"
5."Sin City End Titles"
