Episode 258:
Ben Wheatley & Andy Starke On The Music Of In The Earth

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We’re 5 years old this week – hurrah!!! – and to celebrate our birthday, we thought we thought we’d go back to where it all began by speaking to Ben Wheatley, who appeared in the very first episode of Soundtracking and returns (appropriately enough) for a fifth time.

Ben joined us with his longtime producer Andy Starke to discuss their film In The Earth, which was made in lockdown with all the considerable difficulties that brought.

Set during a deadly global pandemic, In The Earth tells the story of a scientist and a park scout who embark on a mission to find a renegade botanist, conducting research into plant life deep in the woods. Much hallucinogenic mayhem ensues, referencing everything from Hammer horror to Hansel and Gretel and Dr Who, not to mention Ben’s previous work.

In The Earth is scored by our old friend Clint Mansell – who even rigged up his house plants to create sounds that feature in the music. Wonderful stuff …

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Episode 257:
Edgar Wright & The Sparks Brothers

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It’s a triple header on this week’s Soundtracking, as Edith is joined first by Edgar Wright to discuss his first foray into documentary filmmaking – The Sparks Brothers – and then by Russell and Ron themselves – the groundbreaking duo who’ve been smashing the mould for half a century.

As well as getting the lowdown on his doc from Edgar, Russell and Ron, we also find out about Annette, the screen musical written by the brothers, which stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard and was directed by Leos Carax.

Then, of course, there’s the odd anthem to feast your ears on!

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Episode 256:
Kate Herron & Natalie Holt On The Music Of Loki (BIG SPOILERS ALERT!!!)

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Our latest guests on Soundtracking are a couple of young ladies who wowed Kevin Feige and his team at Marvel to collaborate on the studio’s latest offering on Disney+. No mean feat, given the history of the franchise, and we couldn’t be happier for them that they smashed it out of the park.

Director Kate Herron and composer Natalie Holt combined to magnificent effect on Loki, the mind-bending take on the Norse god of mischief, as played by recent guest on this podcast, Tom Hiddleston.

We talk Easter eggs, the theremin, Tom’s pissed singing and much, much more in this thoroughly enjoyable conversation.

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Episode 255:
Dominik Scherrer On His Music For The Serpent

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Our latest guest on Soundtracking is a composer who provided the music for one of the water-cooler TV series of 2021.

We are, in case you’re wondering, talking about The Serpent, for which Dominik Scherrer has delivered a properly brilliant soundscape. Based true events, The Serpent tells the story of serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who murdered young tourists in Thailand between 1975 and 2000.

As well as Dominik’s score, the show also features loads and loads of needle-drops from the era, so you might get to hear a little bit of Serge Gainsbourg if you’re lucky …

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Episode 254:
Nick Broomfield On The Music Of Last Man Standing

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Our guest on this week’s Soundtracking is a documentary maker returning to the podcast for a third time.

Nick Broomfield is always splendid company, and joins us once more to discuss his new film, Last Man Standing – a companion piece to Tupac & Biggie, which he made back in 2002 about the murders of the eponymous rappers. Here, he delves deeper into the role Death Row Records impresario Suge Knight played in their deaths – and speaks to more of the characters who were central to this extraordinary narrative.

Last Man Standing is scored by Nick’s regular collaborator, Nick Laird-Clowes, who was kind enough to furnish us with a few cues.

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Episode 253:
Tom Hiddleston Talks Music

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Our latest guest on Soundtracking is not only someone Edith’s known for a very long time, but also someone who’s been a great supporter of this podcast since day one.

Tom Hiddleston is currently tearing up the screen as Loki on Disney +. It’s a brilliant vehicle for one of Marvel’s most enduring characters and a welcome return after – ahem, spoiler alert – what happened in Avengers: Infinity War.

As well as discussing Natalie Holt’s sonically adventurous score for the series, we also dive deep into Tom’s passion for music and soundtracks, and discover the song he sang at his drama school audition.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

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Episode 252:
Harry Macqueen & Keaton Henson On The Music Of Supernova

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Our latest guests on Soundtracking are actor, writer and director Harry Macqueen and musician Keaton Henson, who makes his first foray into film scoring for Harry’s deeply moving road movie, Supernova.

Starring Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth, Supernova tells the story of a gay couple who travel to the Lake District – after Stanley’s character Tusker has been diagnosed with early onset dementia.

Given he’s a film score newbie, Keaton has done a magnificent job with the music. And there are plenty of classy needle-drops too, including tracks by Dalton, Bowie and Waits.

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Episode 251:
John Krasinski & Marco Beltrami On The Music Of A Quiet Place

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It’s becoming a bit of a thing, here on Soundtracking, having two guests for the price of one. But Edith is really pleased to welcome John Krasinski and Marco Beltrami to the podcast, given that A Quiet Place Part II was the first film she went to see in the cinema after the most recent lockdown.

Written and directed by John, and scored by Marco, the film tells the story of a family forced to navigate a world inhabited by blind aliens with heightened hearing. Best not make much noise, it’s safe to say!

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Episode 250:
Florian Zeller Discusses The Father

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Edith spoke to our latest guest on Soundtracking in the midst of our very first lockdown – not only when we were considerably more uncertain about things than we are today, but also before we knew what an extraordinary impact his film was going to have on lovers of cinema.

Since chatting to Florian Zeller, his directorial debut The Father has had all manner of critical acclaim and recognition, including the award for best adapted screenplay (from Florian’s own play) and best actor for Anthony Hopkins at this year’s Oscars.

Now we’re not going to lie, there’s not a huge amount of music in The Father, so we don’t talk about it at great length, instead focussing on the very skillful way he tells a very challenging story. And we’re also going to suggest that if you haven’t seen it yet, DON’T LISTEN, because it really is one of those films best watched with as little foreknowledge as possible, and he gives a fair few trade secrets away.

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Episode 249:
Craig Gillespie & Emma Stone On The Music Of Cruella

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It’s another double header for you on this week’s Soundtracking, with a director and one of his leading ladies joining me to discuss their spin on one of Disney’s most iconic villains.

Craig Gillespie and Emma Stone have, quite simply, created a fabulous Cruella De Vil. Effectively a prequel to the original animated classic, Cruella also stars Emma Thompson and Mark Strong among many other fine actors, and tells the story of Estella Miller, a fashion designer making her way in 1970s punk London who eventually becomes the titular baddie.

As well as featuring over 50 songs, the film is scored by our dear friend Nicholas Britell, who complimented the deluge of needle drops with what he told us was his first rock-driven score.

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Episode 248:
Junkie XL On The Music Of Justice League & Godzilla Vs Kong

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Our latest guest on Soundtracking is a composer returning for a second visit, having scored pretty much every blockbuster to hit our screens in recent weeks.

The work of Tom Holkenborg – or Junkie XL, if you prefer – can currently be heard in the epic Snyder Cut of Justice League, Godzilla vs Kong, and the riotous Netflix Zombie heist flick Army Of The Dead, which hadn’t been released at time of recording.

He was on BRILLIANT form – so we hope you enjoy the chat and, of course, his music as much as we do.

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Episode 247:
Nicholas Britell On The Music Of The Underground Railroad

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Our latest guest on Soundtracking is one our our faves – a supremely talented composer and all-round top fella, returning to the podcast for a third time.

As ever, Nicholas Britell’s services are in high demand – and he’s been keeping pretty busy during the pandemic and beyond Not only has he scored Barry Jenkins’s new Amazon Prime series, The Underground Railroad, but he’s also penned the music for Cruella and the forthcoming season 3 of Succession among other things.

As always, you’ll hear plenty of Nicholas’s music sprinkled throughout, illustrating the discussion.

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Episode 246:
Julie Taymor & Elliot Goldenthal On The Music Of The Glorias

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Our latest guests on Soundtracking are writer / director Julie Taymor and her partner both romantically and creatively, the composer Elliot Goldenthal.

Julia and Elliot joined Edith to discuss The Glorias, a remarkable film about the life of journalist and political activist, Gloria Steinem, with different actors playing her in the various phases of her life. It’s a device that allows Julie all manner of scope for narrative fun and games, and elicits fine performances from leading ladies Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Lulu Wilson and Ryan Kiera Armstrong.

They also reflect upon Elliot’s Oscar-winning score for Frida, which Julie directed.

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Episode 245:
6 Amelia Warner On The Music Of Wild Mountain Thyme

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Our latest guest on Soundtracking is a rare thing in this business: a female composer.

Huzzah!

Amelia Warner is relatively new to the game, but is definitely making waves, having provided the scores for Mary Shelley and the brilliant BBC short, Leading Lady Parts.

Her latest offering is Wild Mountain Thyme. Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, Wild Mountain Thyme is a comedic family drama set in Ireland starring Amelia’s husband Jamie Dornan, Emily Blunt and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm.

Her score beautifully combines sweeping orchestration and traditional Irish music tropes, and you’ll hear plenty of it throughout the course of the interview.

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Episode 244:
Dustin O’Halloran & Volker Bertelmann On The Music Of Ammonite

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Our guests on this latest episode of Soundtracking are successful musicians in their own right who – not for the first time – have teamed up to deliver a stunning movie score.

Dustin O’Halloran and Volker Bertelmann first worked together on Garth Edwards’s Lion. They’ve since brought us the music to The Old Guard, The Art Of Racing In The Rain, A Christmas Carol and, most recently, Francis Lee’s Ammonite – which is available digitally but will also have a selected cinema release in the UK from 17th May.

They are properly lovely fellas, and exceedingly talented to boot. Enjoy!

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