This week’s soundtrack spotlight goes to Midsommar. The score to the film is expertly delivered by Stranger Things composer Bobby Krlic also known by his stage name Haxan Cloak.
The film starts with a very minimal score, starting with a few plucked strings, then begins the discordant droning strings for the scene in which Dani’s family are found dead, building to an intense crescendo that mirrors Dani’s crying. This successfully creates an atmosphere of overwhelming despair. This bleak opening sets the tone for the rest of the soundtrack and narrative.
Most of the film is then bereft of musical accompaniment until a brief use of music at the end of the mushroom tripping scene when Dani’s trip starts to go bad.
Mellow repetitive music is used when the group first enters Midsommar, set as ambient relaxation music but even this puts the viewer on edge, due to the quick repetitive nature of the melody creating a sense of unease.
Contrasting from the general tension filled drones is a gentle whimsical melody that plays when the group is being shown round the sleeping barn.
The minimalist restraint of the soundtrack with long periods of silence is used to great effect to make the pieces of music much more effective, a good example of this is the silence during the meal and then when everyone gathers at the rock face for the ceremony the drone begins to crescendo again before cutting out entirely at the climax of the scene, leaving the characters screaming against the now very pronounced silence.
The music takes a more melodic turn during the final scenes, with the discordant drone underneath until the sacred building is in full flame at which point the drone takes over.
This soundtrack is a perfect example of the minimalist technique being used with discordant drones to really embody a sense of dread, I urge everyone to give this film a good listen.
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