Marie Antoinette

I saw Marie Antoinette this weekend not so much for the story (which is like 75% of the wikipedia entry) but to see the costumes and Versailles (heartstoppingly beautiful) and to hear how modern music would fit into a movie set in 18th century France.

I didn’t really know what music was on the soundtrack, so I was surprised when song’s from Aphex Twin’s Drukqs came up. The first time I heard that album I mainly though, “WTF.” It was like the auditory equivalent of a modern art installation involving random shit on the floor, ripped up fabric, broken glass, blah blah blah. I don’t mean that in a bad way; it just wasn’t something I could digest aside from a few songs, including the ones that happen to appear on the MA soundtrack. What’s different about these songs? WIKI KNOWS ALL:

At least 13 of the 30 tracks are piano compositions, both prepared piano (a style pioneered by John Cage), and normal piano. These tracks have an acoustic beauty not commonly associated with an electronic music artist such as James. The instrument used was a MIDI-controlled Yamaha Disklavier, which James programmed to play via sequencers, rather than from the piano’s keyboard. The Disklavier is a modern descendent of the player pianos of the late 19th and early 20th century, which were controlled by rolls of punched paper tape.

Uh huh. [nods] Avril 14th is one of my favorite tracks and sounds least like the rest of the album.

Aphex Twin – Avril 14th [removed]

I don’t know what I like so much about it, but it’s just…nice. It’s nice. Yes. That’s it. It makes me feel calm, not happy or sad. Just. Content. Until the next track on the album comes on and my head is shredded by random chopped up beats going at 100000 bpm.

Or maybe it’s a “sad little lonely song”. From Aphex Twin on Wikipedia:

In October 2006, Entertainment Weekly’s website ew.com reported of Kirsten Dunst; “Before a lot of scenes, she’d play Aphex Twin’s wistful solo-piano ditty Avril 14th to put herself in the right reflective mood: That was my sad little lonely song that I’d listen to a lot.”

Piano Solos, Vol. 2

One of my other favorite songs from the movie was also a piano solo by Dusin O’Halloran [myspace] (1/2 of Devics, who put out one of my favorite albums of the year) . When I heard it in the movie, I immediately went into quiet panic mode: “I KNOW THAT SONG WHY DO I KNOW THAT SONG WHERE IS IT FROM?!?!?!” After sifting through my iTunes I realized I had recently downloaded it without knowing who the song was by. Take a listen:

[audio:http://www.redbirdmm.com/upload/Opus%2023.mp3]
Dusin O’Halloran – Opus 23

The song is off Dustin’s latest album, Piano Solos, Vol. 2. Of course, you can also find it on the Marie Antoinette soundtrack. This is another one of those “Mm, I feel content” songs. Not especially happy or sad. Lullabye-ish.

..Which reminds me, I’m really tired.