From the queasy, dread-inducing title track to the bouncy ‘80s pop of “Messenger Walks Among Us” to the oscillating madness of “Runway”, the score routinely posits itself as a standalone entity rather than a cinematic accompaniment.
Some moments are strikingly pretty, others deeply unpleasant none of it, though, is lacking in personality.Ī few tracks (“Gold Paint Shoot”, “Who Wants Sour Milk”) drift quietly between the ears, but the score’s bulk feels intended to foreground rather than underscore. Driving backbeats ground many of the tracks, as do infectious synth burbles and chugging trails of distortion.
Where those soundtracks trafficked mainly in synth-heavy ambiance and shattering moments of dissonance, The Neon Demon’s 23 tracks are much more concerned with melody. This is Martinez’s third collaboration with Refn-he captured the zeitgeist with his score for 2011’s Drive and also worked on Refn’s divisive follow-up Only God Forgives-and also his most assertive. Never the best storyteller, Refn’s made a film that speaks almost primarily to the senses, not just through his vibrant, Kubrickian visuals but also through the spooky, sparkling score of Cliff Martinez. Like them, the film is infinitely more concerned with how it looks than it is exuding any pretense of depth. The disquieting story of a 16-year old’s entry into the self-obsessed milieu of LA’s modeling scene, it’s as nasty, blunt, and self-consciously shallow as its cast of scarily-thin characters.
Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon is wonderful so long as you don’t overthink it.
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