| Uncut Gems | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | December 13, 2019 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Electronica | |||
| Length | 51:56 | |||
| Label | Warp | |||
| Producer | Daniel Lopatin | |||
| Daniel Lopatin chronology | ||||
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Uncut Gems is a soundtrack album by electronic musician Daniel Lopatin, containing the original score for the Safdie brothers' 2019 film Uncut Gems . [1] It was released via Warp on December 13, 2019. [2] It received positive reviews from critics. [3] It peaked at number 44 on the UK Soundtrack Albums Chart. [4]
Film co-director Josh Safdie worked closely with Lopatin on the score, which began with a "Frankenstein" score using library and new-age music before Lopatin began sketching out compositions. [5] Safdie described the soundtrack as "a medicinal new-age soul of a film," in contrast to the "pulse" of their previous collaboration Good Time . [5] Lopatin described it as "more beautiful, ethereal, it's more orchestral, it's goofier." [5]
The "cosmically synthesized" score uses a Moog One synthesizer, and draws inspiration from artists such as Isao Tomita, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis, [6] as well as the 1970s-80s new-age duo Emerald Web. [5] Lopatin and Safdie used Moog's synthesizer library and Omnisphere to search for "earthy melancholic sounds that had a cosmic twist," as well as saxophone and a choir. [5] The track "Fuck You, Howard" is a reinterpretation of Haydn's Symphony No. 88, [5] while "Windows" is a homage to "Kaneda's theme" from the anime film Akira . [7]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100 [3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | 7/10 [8] |
| The Guardian |   [9] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10 [10] |
| Mojo | [3] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [11] |
| Uncut | [3] |
At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 74 out of 100, based on 6 mainstream critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [3]
Thomas Johnson of The Line of Best Fit called the album "further proof Lopatin will be held in the same esteem as Ennio Morricone, John Carpenter, Vangelis and so on." [10] He stated that the album is "filled with heartfelt synth lines, gorgeous revolving, spacey sequences and emotive samples" in contrast to his narrower score for Good Time. [10] Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian wrote that "lesser composers try to merely mirror the action on screen and intensify it, boringly magnifying your emotions." [9] He added, "Lopatin is showing how contradictory, confusing and vital our dumb human impulses are." [9] Mina Tavakoli of Pitchfork stated that the score "has a large blast radius in the movie, itself a funny character in an ensemble of unintentionally funny characters." [11] Matthew Clark of Exclaim! wrote: "Not only does this collection of music have a cinematic quality that lends it its soundtrack purpose, it also stands alone as an engaging set of songs and motifs on their own." [8]
All tracks are written by Daniel Lopatin
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Ballad of Howie Bling" | 8:26 |
| 2. | "Pure Elation" | 1:01 |
| 3. | "Followed" | 1:32 |
| 4. | "The Bet Hits" | 2:51 |
| 5. | "High Life" | 1:00 |
| 6. | "No Vacation" | 0:54 |
| 7. | "School Play" | 6:16 |
| 8. | "Fuck You Howard" | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Smoothie" | 1:10 |
| 10. | "Back to Roslyn" | 2:02 |
| 11. | "The Fountain" | 2:21 |
| 12. | "Powerade" | 0:52 |
| 13. | "Windows" | 5:06 |
| 14. | "Buzz Me Out" | 2:49 |
| 15. | "The Blade" | 1:32 |
| 16. | "Mohegan Suite" | 4:42 |
| 17. | "Uncut Gems" | 6:40 |
Credits adapted from liner notes. Some tracks are intercut with dialogue from the film. [12]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC) [4] | 44 |
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