Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Charlie A - Aswang: The Chase

Hear The Track Here

As a reviewer of pretty much everything, I do get things I am not particularly into. Nowhere is this more so than in Film Soundtracks, usually because they just plain aren't. Soundtracks that is. What they are are peices of music that could be used in that manner. Consequently I have reviewed a phenomenal amount of film soundtracks but only in the case of Charlie A is the genre classification absolutely true in every sense of the word. Charlie Armour wrote the entire score for Aswang, a suspense drama/documentary about Chinese people slavery in Canada in the early 1900's. You will find the film website here

As a matter of fact, I reviewed Aswang - Bad Times (May 2007) and liked it's string drenched atmosphere and if you know me at all, you will understand what an achievement that is. Me and strings (violin, sweet and sickly type) don't get on too well. The Chase, however, doesn't commit such Gilmore torture, what strings occur in the track not only sound right they add enormously to the sense of impending doom the track conveys more than anything else.

Obviously with a plot that goes 'Daila (Rosalynd Roome) is seemingly attacked by someone or something. Maria (Janice Santos Valdez) searches for her in the darkness' you would expect there to be a bit of tension and drama in there somewhere. Charlie lays it on thickly right from the get-go, and considering that the entire track doesn't even add up to a couple of minutes, still manages to convey much. Again though, for this reviewer, the main pleasure in listening to tracks from this musician is in the sounds and textures he uses so well.

Excellent brooding soundtrack (albeit a bit short!) Highly Recommended.

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