The Nickel Children (2010)
The Work
"I was really interested in the post-rock aesthetic at the time," Rich says as he sits in his home studio. "There was something beautiful and haunting about it - the gritty texture fit with Nickel's themes.
As a musical genre characterized by its use of rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes that was was pioneered by bands like The Velvet Underground or krautrock of the 1960's, post-rock developed into a rather large movement in the late 90's. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt. Zion, Mogwai, and Explosions in the Sky are just a few bands that really used the methodology of musique concrete to create a fusion between classical music and instrumental rock. As a result, bands like Sigur Ros became the most well known post-rock bands of the 00's and made their way into the film industry by being featured in Film/TV soundtracks and trailers. It was the beginning of a unique synergy between the post-rock melodic cues and cinema.
Well before Explosions in the Sky did a full soundtrack score to Friday Night Lights in 2006, Rich was already experimenting with the post-rock aesthetic within the context of Nickel Children. Because the story itself unfolds the dark realities of child prostitution as experienced by two young runaways, the instrumentation and texture of post-rock seemed fitting. It also did something that a standard orchestral score couldn't do - it brought out honest moments between characters.
"There is innocence on one hand, and their reality on the other", Rich says. "It just feels right. As their innocence collides with what they have to face, the music almost becomes their internal voice."
Combining electric guitar and classical strings, one hears a darker and gritty texture while also experiencing a melody that defines childhood innocence. At times, the score is at odds with the visuals and allows the audience to almost feel the internal conflict of the characters. As the soundtrack sometimes counter-scores the action, the literal elements of post-rock fuse between classical and contemporary minimalism - two distinct musical styles that Rich experimented with. Ultimately, the result is a dynamic and gripping score that blends the best elements of post-rock with simple and defining melodic cues.
- Andrew P. Alderete, 2010