As a soundtrack critic I see a lot of soundtracks passing by. I see them on my social media feeds with reviews of my fellow critics or in emails that I get from people who work in the film music industry. Apparently, I am mildly influenced by the cover of a soundtrack album when deciding whether I want to explore a score or not. I have seen the album cover for the movie Wendy several times, but it never grabbed my attention. When I found out, however, that the score was written by Dan Romer, co-composed with the director of the movie, Benh Zeitlin, I was suddenly very intrigued. Wendy is Zeitlin’s second film as a director and tells a different version of the famous Peter Pan story. I have listened to their music from Beasts of the Southern Wild, which I think is a gorgeous score, and could not wait to dive into the music from their latest collaboration.
The music for this movie was exactly what I was hoping for. On this album you can find a lot of wonderful melodies and patterns in various styles. There are some pieces which bring back memories of the superb track “Once There Was a Hushpuppy” from Beasts of the Southern Wild, as can be heard in “Never Grow Up,” for example, where instruments just play with and around each other, creating a gorgeous and melodic piece. Other tracks, like “The Old Hand,” have a mysterious vibe to them with more electronic sounds. “I Love My Mother” is a song which is sung by a group of singers. I know that such a group is usually called a choir, but in a choir all the voices sound like one, yet in this track you can really hear the individual voices giving the music a much more personal touch. The last track I would like to mention is the uplifting, fast-paced “Straight On ‘till Morning.” When I am listening to it, I just need to keep moving.
I missed the opportunity to watch this movie when it came out, since the movie theaters were closed. I am extremely curious about how this wonderful music fits with the visuals and especially with the director co-composing the music, I feel that the music must blend with the images extremely well. If I get the chance I will definitely watch it, although it is not really needed. This soundtrack is just an absolute pleasure to listen to on its own.
Listen or buy
- Buy this soundtrack digitally from Amazon.com or Apple Music
- Listen to this soundtrack on Spotify
Tracklist
The highlights are in bold.
- Sneak Away (1:24)
- Straight On ’till Morning (2:21)
- The Haunted Train (2:06)
- Into the Night (1:40)
- Neverbirds (1:44)
- The Mother (2:42)
- Never Grow Up (3:45)
- The Old Hand (3:29)
- Where Lost Boys Go (2:06)
- Want To Fly? (6:07)
- To Grow Up is a Great Adventure (1:36)
- Battle for Mañana (4:23)
- I Love My Mother (3:15)
- Counting the Days (2:31)
- The Story of Wendy (5:13)
- Once There Was a Mother (1:38)
Total length: 46 minutes
Milan Records (2020)
