Higher Plain Music

Working with Joe Hisaishi’s classic pieces

Subdued with a current bubbling under the surface…

Whilst I was not the most enamoured person in the world with Indie Game: The Movie, I enjoyed it for what it was but did enjoy the soundtrack more. Jim Guthrie the composer works many themes in its stay. Opening with “Maybe You’ll Get Some Maybe You Wont”, it’s almost like a playful Sigur Ros […]

HPM has the opportunity to chat to Penka Kouneva, the genius behind A Warriors Odyssey which is a wonderful CD taking all the trimmings from a game or film soundtrack and making it a standalone story. Let’s see what tasty titbits we got! Congratulations on your latest work. It’s beautiful. How do you feel now its out […]

With Samsara hitting the UK on 30/08/12, I am in fever pitch about it. Now armed with my tickets and a Q&A session after the film, here’s a lovely piece about the musical side of the film with Michael Sterns, Lisa Gerrard and Marcello Di Francisci

Laura Shigihara has worked on some beautiful music in her time and this wonderful live/recorded hybrid cover of the sumptuous Inochi no Namae from the anime Spirited Away showcases her delicate voice to perfection. There’s some wonderful piano playing from Zorsy too.

Another audio visual film I’ve recently purchased is “Dogora (Open Your Eyes)” which is a French film from Patrice Leconte dealing with 21st Century Cambodia featuring music from the region interwoven with video of its inhabitants. Here’s a trailer below:

Lisa Gerrard has teamed up with Marcello De Francisci to release two new soundtracks. The first is Insight (with a great cover art) which judging from the samples is very much about slightly awkard ambience and haunting string rumbles creating a thick atmosphere. The occasional piano and brass moment breeze in but one of the […]

  Congratulations on recently completing the soundtrack to the game Kung Fu Panda. Thanks! Now the projects finished, how do you feel about it as a body of work? Is there anything that stands out as a particular piece you’re proud of? I am really pleased with the score – I love a lot of […]

Fever Ray returns with her first new track since her debut. Entitled “The Wolf” its available Friday when the film its scored for “Red Riding Hood” is released. Deliciously dark and full of all kinds of technical wizardary, its a fine specimin indeed. Listen to it here.

One of the few Lisa Gerrard songs I’d yet to come across, this heartwrenching duet with Denez Prigent is taken from the film Black Hawk Down and the music video for it is beautiful. The song is called Gortoz A Ran.

Winifred Phillips is no stranger to big theatrical scores with pizzazz and kitchen sink attached but Legend of the Guardians is full on cinematic treats for the ears from start to finish. Opening “Into the Blackness” opens with a brooding shroud of mystery before the big strings and huge percussion kick in raising the ante […]

It’s very hard to find live performances of any other songs from Yumi Kimura other than “Always With Me” but this orchestral version is beautiful and deserves special mention.

Ever since going completely independant, Lisa’s been extra busy releasing new material. Two new singles entitled “Entry” and “Come This Way” came out today and both were new songs added to the rerelease of The Silver Tree. They join “Coming Home” which is taken from the upcoming film “Legend of the Guardians” and all songs […]

Powaqqatsi is the second of the qatsi trilogy and revolves pretty much around its tagline “Life in Transformation”. It once again follows the visions of Godffrey Reggio and the music of Philip Glass as the 96 minute audiovisual treat attempts to take you on a journey of experience, thought and emotion. The biggest change for […]

Koyaanisqatsi is the first of a trilogy of -qatsi movies (qatsi meaning life in another language) and is an audio/visual treat. With all these films, the emphasis is on taking you on a journey through music and the images on your screen. This film deals with “life out of balance” as is starts off showing […]

“Chronos” was Ron Frickie’s directorial debut before he made Baraka. The film is an audio/visual movie that is almost entirely done in time lapse photography. Made back in 1984/5 the 42 minute film is all about layers of time. You’re treated to jaw dropping time lapses of sun rises and shadow lights crossing over landmarks […]

I absolutely adore the soundtrack (and film) to Memoirs of a Geisha. This video I found on old faithful tube, is taken from the DVD extras. I have the soundtrack and it’s beautiful and you’ll hear the main theme several times here, as well as the making of the soundtrack and interviews with John.

Lisa Gerrard’s recent soundtracks have seen a real return back to her roots and that starts with the astounding “Balibo Soundtrack”. There is a CD version, but the one available for download from Lisa’s own site is the one I purchased as it appears to contain extended versions and bonus tracks. Opening with “Childhood Reflections”, […]