Wikipedia

Attack the Block (soundtrack)

Attack the Block (Original Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to the 2011 film Attack the Block that featured the original score composed by Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe from the British electronic music group Basement Jaxx and film composer Steven Price, in his scoring debut. Decca Records released the soundtrack to the film on 16 May 2011 to critical acclaim.[1]

Attack the Block (Original Music from the Motion Picture)
Soundtrack album by
Steven Price and Basement Jaxx
Released16 May 2011 (2011-05-16)
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London
Genre
Length50:57
LabelDecca Records
Steven Price chronology
Attack the Block
(2011) 		The World's End
(2013)
Basement Jaxx chronology
Focus on Atlantic Jaxx
(2010) 		Attack the Block
(2011) 		Basement Jaxx vs. Metropole Orkest
(2011)

Background

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In January 2011, The Guardian-writer Sean Michaels posted that Basement Jaxx would score for the film, which would mark their full-fledged scoring venture,[2] despite contributing to the soundtracks of Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Just Married (2003).[3] Steven Price also accompanied the band scoring the film; having previously worked in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Batman Begins (2005) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), the film marked Price's feature scoring debut.[4]

Joe Cornish did not want the film to accompany Dizzee Rascal singles, or other grime artists that accompany the film. He wanted a properly composed score that accompany adventure films. He further wanted to evoke John Carpenter's electronic music and John Williams' orchestral score which would fit with the "fantasy stuff, the scenes with the aliens, and the style to match with the energy of the gang". Cornish called it as "a really detailed, quirky, rhythmic score, but the action always drives the score, never the other way around".[4]

During Evan Sawdey's interview with the duo for PopMatters, he mentioned the album as an "obscure soundtrack placement that only hardcore aficionados found out about."[5]

Release

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On 4 May 2011, a cue from Basement Jaxx's score, "The Ends" which played in the film's climatic sequences had been released for preview.[6] A soundtrack featuring Jaxx and Price's score was released by Decca Records on 16 May 2011, five days after the film's UK release.[1] In January 2018, I Am Shark reissued the soundtrack on a double LP vinyl pressing featuring exclusive written commentaries from Joe Cornish and Steven Price. The album packaging represents the monsters with glow-in-the-dark teeth on the labels and glow colored vinyl.[7]

Reception

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Tom Breihan of Pitchfork commenting on "The Ends" wrote that "the theme sounds like a someone injected steroids into the Tangerine Dream score for a random early-80s action movie".[6] Writing for AllMusic, Jon O'Brien said "Attack the Block is perhaps a little too samey to be held in the same regard as Daft Punk's Tron: [Legacy] or Chemical Brothers' Hanna (Price's four solo classical pieces are a much-needed and welcome respite), but it's a promising first cinematic effort which should prick up the ears of any sci-fi comedy director looking for an exciting and pulsating musical accompaniment."[8] R. L. Shaffer of IGN praised the score, calling it as "incredibly diverse and original".[9] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "the propulsive dynamic of Steven Price’s techno score, incorporates driving beats from house music duo Felix Burton and Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx".[10]

Oliver Lyletton of IndieWire, in his "best of scores and soundtracks in 2011" had mentioned Attack the Block in the list and wrote "With big, chunky beats and ominous electronics, it immediately brings to mind the atmospheric synthetics of the great John Carpenter scores, particularly Assault on Precinct 13. But instead of being just some dusty pastiche, Basement Jaxx have crafted something vitally new and very much alive. The way they weave subtle orchestration, along with sing-songy rapping, into the main theme, is absolutely brilliant and unforgettable, especially when paired with the comic book-y images (the theme crescendos right as we’re going underneath the Nostromo-style apartment building). Or imagine the final showdown between Moses and the monsters without that goosebump-y electronic twinkle – you can't. Few movies this year paired musician and material quite as well as the Basement Jaxx and Attack the Block."[11] In Empire's Music Playlist of 2011, Phil de Semlyen listed "Get That Snitch" and wrote "this Attack The Block gem was more O.G. than E.T. [the Extra-Terrestrial]. Rapper-turned-comedian Doc Brown provided the lyrics and Jumayn Hunter, Hi-Hatz in the film, popped up to prove that his talents reached beyond the screen."[12]

Accolades

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Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
Austin Film Critics Association Best Original Score
Won [13][14]
Black Reel Awards Best Original Score Nominated [15]
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Score Nominated [16]
Sitges Film Festival Best Original Soundtrack Won [17]

Track listing

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All songs written by Steven Price, Felix Buxton & Simon Ratcliffe, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Block" 3:07
2."Sam Is Mugged" 4:15
3."Round Two Bruv" 2:49
4."It's Raining Gollums" 1:07
5."Tooling Up" 2:26
6."Moses Is Arrested" 5:24
7."Tell Me I'm Dreaming" 4:36
8."Throat Ripper" 0:49
9."Rooftops" 4:02
10."Moses - Ninja" 4:03
11."Just Another Day" 1:25
12."They Want Moses" 2:05
13."Actions Have Consequences" 1:52
14."Eat My Hat"Steven Price1:41
15."They Fell Out of the Sky"Steven Price1:28
16."I Need to Finish What I Started"Steven Price0:42
17."Turn the Gas Up" 3:26
18."Moses vs The Monsters" 2:00
19."Moses the Hero"Steven Price2:01
20."The Ends"Basement Jaxx2:08

Personnel

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Credits adapted from CD liner notes.[18]

  • Artwork – Rumney Design
  • Conductor – Geoffrey Alexander
  • Assistant contractor – Lucy Whalley
  • Contractor – Isobel Griffiths
  • Orchestra leader – Everton Nelson
  • Liner notes – Joe Cornish
  • Mastering – Jacko
  • Mixing – Gareth Cousins
  • Orchestration – Andrew Fisher, David Butterworth
  • Project manager – Kevin Long
  • Recording – Andrew Dudman
  • Music supervisor – Nick Angel
  • Music composer and producer – Basement Jaxx, Steven Price

References

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  1. ^ a b "Attack the Block (Original Music from the Motion Picture)". iTunes. Apple Music. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Basement Jaxx are ready for new album". Elle Canada. 5 November 2011. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  3. ^ Michaels, Sean (13 January 2011). "Basement Jaxx to score sci-fi movie". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Interview: "Attack The Block" Writer-Director Joe Cornish Talks Shadow Aliens, English Thugs, And Project Slang". Complex. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  5. ^ Sawdey, Evan (29 October 2014). "Power to the People: An Interview with Basement Jaxx". PopMatters. PopMatters Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  6. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (4 May 2011). "Hear a Clip From Basement Jaxx's Film Score". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  7. ^ Latinen, Chris (25 December 2017). "Attack The Block Soundtrack gets first vinyl pressing". Modern Vinyl. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  8. ^ O'Brien, Jon. "Review: Attack the Block [Original Music from the Motion Picture]". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  9. ^ Shaffer, R. L. (24 October 2011). "Attack the Block Blu-ray Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  10. ^ Rooney, David (27 June 2011). "'Attack the Block': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  11. ^ Lyttelton, Oliver (14 December 2011). "Hope You Like Synths: The Best Scores & Soundtracks Of 2011". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  12. ^ de Semlyen, Phil (22 December 2011). "Empire's Music Playlist Of 2011". Empire. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Austin Film Critics Association Announces Awards". The Austin Chronicle. 30 December 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  14. ^ Knegt, Peter (28 December 2011). "Austin Critics Go For 'Hugo,' Shannon, Swinton". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  15. ^ ""Pariah" And "The Help" Lead 2012 Black Reel Awards Nominations". The Urban Daily. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  16. ^ "The 2012 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Winners". Fangoria. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ "Sitges 2011: Winners Announced; Red State and Attack the Block Score Multiple Awards". DreadCentral. 12 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  18. ^ Steven Price, Attack The Block, Decca Records, archived from the original on 6 February 2016, retrieved 2 May 2023
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