Sam Shepherd writes: Trent Reznor and collaborator Atticus Ross have come up with a rather confusing way of introducing their soundtrack for the forthcoming film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
The 39 track long soundtrack is available as a download, released on 9th December, with the actual physical product arriving sometime later. For those willing to wait until February and who happen to have nearly £200 knocking about, there's a signed vinyl set available too. There's also the opportunity to sample six songs of the soundtrack as a free download on the nullco website. Which is not a bad deal.
Those who've caught the teaser for the movie (a remake of the rather-splendid-already-Swedish adaptations of Stieg Larsson book) will already be familiar with the thumping cover of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song. Featuring Karen O's fine vocals and typical Nine Inch Nails pomp, it's a ripping blast through one of Zeppelin's finest moments. It also finds time via the lyrics to assure any prospective audience that this is a story set in a land of ice and snow, just in case they weren't entirely convinced by the visuals alone.
The tracklisting also includes a version of Bryan Ferry's Is Your Love Strong Enough? which is probably best remembered for appearing on the soundtrack of the Ridley Scott film Legend. Quite what Reznor and Ross have done with that, we'll have to wait and see, but it should be an interesting take if the reworking of Immigrant Song is anything to go by.
Away from the cover versions, there are some quite ethereal ambient moments to be found. The mournful piano workout of What If We Could sounds suitably heartbreaking and somewhat disturbing thanks to a layer of unsettling noise. Please Take Your Hand Away just sticks to building tension and keeping things decidedly dark and unpleasant. Fans of drone will warm instantly to the light and shade that populates all seven minutes of Under The Midnight Sun which at times sounds not unlike an electro SunnO))).
Those hoping for something for a little more in keeping with Reznor's NIN output will find solace in the rattling electro ambience of Oraculum, a piece of music whose beats are apparently provided by 8-bit computers and an array of kitchen utensils. It's better than it sounds.
Whether Reznor and Ross can repeat the Oscar success of their soundtrack for The Social Network remains to be seen, but on this evidence, it seems entirely possible that they're on to another winner.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's album The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST is out now through Mute. The film, starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Stellan Skarsgard, is released theatrically in the UK through Sony on 26th December. More can be found on the soundtrack here.
