Photo courtesy of Spotify
As of late, I have been exploring different film soundtracks, scores, and composers. Despite the fact that I rarely watch movies, I love to listen to soundtracks! The Tenet: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by composer and producer, Ludwig Göransson, has been on repeat for me, and here are the most notable tracks.
Tenet Soundtrack by Ludwig Göransson
An intense and thrilling cinematic album that keeps you on edge with each song. The album begins with an 8-minute long track, “RAINY NIGHT IN TALLINN” which introduces the album’s heavy and industrial sound. This album provides intensity to director Christopher Nolan’s 2020 film, Tenet, in ways that no other instrumental score could do so. Tenet was a movie I did in fact see and was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed. The movies I tend to find myself indulging in are filled with psychological suspense and existential questions. I enjoy a movie that makes me truly think. With that, the soundtrack and movie of such films are typically fighting for a number one spot in my head. Tenet and its soundtrack create a dystopian apocalyptic sound that I can’t get enough of. I have listened to the entirety of Ludwig Göransson’s Tenet soundtrack five times as of late. The most notable tracks include “MEETING NEIL,” “FREEPORT, FOILS,” and “RETRIEVING THE CASE.”
“MEETING NEIL”
Near the beginning of the album, “MEETING NEIL” introduces a gradually eerie synth-like sound that I love. The cords are relatively simple but they set the introductory tone and theme for the album. Not as loud as other tracks, “MEETING NEIL” offers a soft yet enticing sound to the start of the album.
“FREEPORT”
Arguably one of the album’s most intense-sounding songs, “FREEPORT” keeps listeners on edge with its distinctly dystopian and intense synths. This song has a higher tempo and more intrusive sound than many of the album’s other tracks. I love a track that builds, and “FREEPORT” does just that. The build is sounded in a nontraditional way; when the beginning and majority of the song is spent exponentially alluding to the end, where the build is conclusive at the end of the song. Ludwig Göransson takes a different approach with “FREEPORT.” The first half of the song is spent creating a suspenseful rise in sound, just before the halfway point in the track where the intensity of the track takes a turn and feels conclusive. Yet not the end, the track then begins to fall back to the suspenseful rise. The track concludes with a stagnant yet eerie sound that leaves listeners wanting more. I like that the rise and fall in the song aren’t as a listener may traditionally expect, near the end. The rise is instead during the middle of the song and falls back down at the conclusion, making the song come full circle.
“FOILS”
“FOILS” is an eerie yet emotional addition to the suspenseful album. Continuing the dystopian and atmospheric sound, “FOILS” includes piano chords that add a new melodramatic sound, unlike any other song on the album. Like many other tracks on Tenet, the songs sound as if something is to be expected, and as if the track is alluding to something else. This album provides an excellent linear sound and storyline. This song sounds to be a precursor to the climax of the film and album.
“SATOR”
A mellow intro that soon transforms into a very industrial and dramatic track. On first listen, the song sounds to be calm with minimal eeriness; however, just about halfway through the song is when the sound begins to intensify. The easygoing track is met with loud and heavy synths that linger until the end of the song. The rich synths are combined with apocalyptic gasping breaths that provide listeners with a truly eerie and uneasy listening experience.
“RETRIEVING THE CASE”
Near the conclusion of the album, “RETRIEVING THE CASE” illuminates the album and the movie’s intensity. The first three-fourths of the song sound to be a different track than the song’s final minute. While the entire song has an uncomfortable sound, the end of the score exemplifies the dystopian sounds to an extreme level.
Amanda Taylor | To Watch or To Listen to Tenet? | KXSU Music & Arts Reporter