Icelandic born composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's debut album for FatCat is a soundtrack to a wordless documentary by American filmmaker Bill Morrison.
The film was commissioned for 'Brass: Durham International Festival' and uses archives (mostly in black and white) which preserve on celluloid the lost industrial heritage of the Durham coalfields and the decline of the mining community in North East England.
Decay and memory were also the main elements in Morrison's acclaimed 2001 film 'Decasia' , a film collage drawn from disintegrating film stock. They are themes that are well suited to the solemn and reflective atmosphere of Jóhannson's compositions which combine electronics and classical orchestrations.
The score was recorded live in Durham Cathedral enabling him to incorporate suitably sombre tones of the cathedral organ, played by Robert Houssart.
Another striking aspect of the pieces is the use of a 16-piece brass ensemble (conducted by Gudni Franzson).
Colliery brass bands were a vital ingredient in the culture surrounding the mining industry so the use of these instruments obviously has a strong symbolic importance.
In previous releases on 4AD, Touch and Type labels, there is a melancholic quality to Jóhannson's slow-building pieces. This is also present in these 'hymns' but the brass band adds a human dimension to offset the overriding solemnity.
They Bring Dead Yet Speaketh begins with the mournful drone of the organ and this piece sets quite a funereal atmosphere to give weight to the fact that the work as a whole is conceived as a "kind of requiem for a disappearing industry but also a celebration of the culture, life and struggle of coal miners".
The title of this and of the other five tracks derive from slogans used on trade union banners like the one on the album cover which contains the words: United to obtain the just reward of our labour.
An Injury To One The Concern Of All is, at fourteen and a half minutes, the longest track and adds bold and dramatic dimensions.
Freedom From Want And Fear begins brightly with the sound of trumpets but is underpinned by waves of darker electronic drones that build slowly then subside. There Is No Safe Side But The Side Of Truth is a relatively simple orchestral piece built around organ and brass refrains.
On 'Industrial And Provident, We Unite To Assist Each Other', a deep resonant bass gives way to lighter notes, like a cloud slowly dispersing. This segues into the final track, The Cause of Labour Is The Hope Of The World, a powerful finale worthy of comparisons to Sigur Rós or Godspeed!You Black Emperor.
The context is vital for appreciating the work but the album can certainly be enjoyed as a stand alone work. An indication that the visual dimension is not an essential component can be gleaned from the fact that most of the music was composed before Morrison began work on the film.
The pieces are infused with a sense grandeur and nostalgia reminiscent of the great symphonies of Elgar or Mahler and have an emotional resonance even without the images. I'll make sure I have plenty of paper tissues for when I see it alongside the documentary footage.
