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Genre:
Soundtrack
Release Date: 08/15/2006
It may seem odd that a notable Norwegian director (
Ben Hamer) would be the one to make a movie about a tortured, against-the-grain cult writer and poet (
Charles Bukowski, played by
Matt Dillon) who spent all but two years of his life in Los Angeles. But the good news for music fans is the important larger discovery of the incredibly diverse and captivating Scandinavian
jazz composer and vocalist
Kristin Asbjørnsen. Even without images, the
soundtrack to
Factotum functions quite well by itself as a haunting, complex, atmospheric work with varied moods and instrumentation. The opener
"On the Bus" is just over a minute but brings back magnificent creepy memories of
Twin Peaks. After
"Reunion," a subtle and graceful solo piano piece, is the
chamber music-flavored
"I Wish to Weep," featuring the composer's smoky, emotional vocals toiling sweetly over a simple
Bukowski poem/lyric that gives the words a scorching urgency. There are other similarly flavored lead vocals (most notably, the
classical/
folk-tinged
"Slow Day,") but
Asbjørnsen proves herself equally adept at creating moods with wordless vocals (
"Farewell I," "Beside You"). Amidst the largely melancholy vibe of most of these tracks is the rumbling and percussive acoustic
jazz magic of the quirkily titled
"Pickles." Asbjørnsen, making her composing debut, performs these pieces with her band
Dadafon, drawing inspiration not only from her formal
jazz education nbut also her love for West African griot singers. A fascinating work.
~Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
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