The album is finally done, finally available, finally for sale! Check it out here. Listen all you want before deciding whether it's worth your money.
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Nosferatu is one of the scariest silent films ever made. Check that - it's one of the scariest movies ever, period. Not scary in the old cliches, like a hand reaching out of a grave to grab your ankles, nor scary in a typical blood-n-guts gross-out fashion. No, Nosferatu has a slow, creeping terror: inexorable, inescapable, an all-consuming evil which demands sacrifice.

The music, however...well, it's just not that scary. I first saw this film at a local Guild of Organists event, in which a member provided the accompanying soundtrack live. It was a neat experience, and the organist did a commendable job, but the music itself just wasn't all that engaging. I've since encountered versions of the film online, all with similar Wurlitzer accompaniments. So, unsatisfied with the music that currently is associated with Nosferatu, I've taken it upon myself to compose something more appropriate.

As is more or less the norm with modern film soundtracks, I am opting for a polystylistic approach. The bulk of it shall be in a late-Romantic style, but I also intend to incorporate serialism here and there, minimalism when appropriate, Bartok-esque folk tunes, and even electronics. The orchestration shall also be hybrid: a small chamber orchestra augmented by accordion, guitar(s), and whatever else I deem necessary as the project rolls along.


Indeed, the first section I've composed for incorporates numerous electric guitar loops to illustrate the creeping terror that is Count Orlock, whom we meet here for the first time.

So much of this movie is about atmosphere. The camera dwells on its subjects, giving us time to more fully appreciate the motives, the desires, the fears and hopes of the principal characters. It is imperative, I feel, that the music then serve the overall atmosphere. As a result, I likely will eschew nostalgic melodies in favour of minimalist layering.
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Album Update 05/19/2011
 
Recording for my new album, Making Things Up, has been completed. The album will feature a total of eight songs, split equally between country-rock songs and more adventurous instrumental works. The tracks were recorded for the most part at my home in Wells, MN, though additional recording was done in Bellingham, WA and Ames, IA.

Almost all of the music heard on the album was performed solely by yours truly. The exceptions are all drums and brass (MIDI sounds, which I wrote and arranged), and guest vocals on "The Apricot Tree" provided by Catherine Wirkkula.

Now that recording is done, the next step is mixing the tracks in order to create the optimal listening experience. After that, I should be ready to make the songs available for mass consumption. Here's a list of tracks, in no particular order. One track, "Subduction," is already available on YouTube.

Tracks:
Subduction
It's Okay to Admit That You Don't Love Freedom
Lonesome Fashion
Variations on the Merrimac
Circumlocution
Something to Believe In
The Apricot Tree
Elevator Music
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