3:19 Bande Originale Du Film

We Say...

Review by Peter Parrish

Robin Guthrie's second film score unashamedly recalls the Cocteau Twins at their delay-slathered heights. While some musicians might have scurried away from the sound of their former band, especially one so distinct, Guthrie seems happy to expand on the blissful tones of the past for his solo endeavours. This is no bad thing for lovers of those trademark guitar lines, nor for anybody whose enjoyment of the Cocteaus stumbled on the hurdle of Elizabeth Fraser's somewhat eccentric vocal play.

Without Fraser's lyrics or the reverb-infused drum loops of Treasure for support, Guthrie has eased off the treble and thickened up his guitar layers, placing them over gusty, vaporous backdrops. Though still tied to familiar time signatures, several pieces have no beat whatsoever, giving 3:19 a loose, free-flowing air, similar in spirit to the percussion-less Victorialand. The cyclical, swirling riff which forms the heart of "Explaining the Game" could have been lifted straight from an instrumental Cocteaus project. Indeed, any departures from this feeling tend to be minor, such as the funereal opening of "A La Eternidad"; though even this is played on the world's dreamiest church organ.

But hunting for signs of a move away from his now-familiar sound would be to overlook Guthrie's skill with tone and texture. The clearest demonstration can be found in a direct comparison between 3:19's opening and closing tracks. Though similar techniques and effects processes have been used to create both, the impression of expansive, lustrous space created by "3:19 Intro" is in direct contrast to the mournful introspection of "3:19 Outro." It is this ability to draw polar opposite moods from the same tonal base which keeps his work enthralling.