This is the second modern soundtrack of a silent film to come out of Iceland in the last year or so, the other being the previously reviewed The Seashell And The Clergyman by Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason and Hálfdan Árnason last September. In this case the inspiration is The Phantom Carriage, a Swedish film released in 1921 that is often credited as being the first horror movie. It is the story of a drunkard who, on New Year’s Eve, enters Death’s carriage (which is driven by his friend George who died the previous New Year’s Eve…) and reflects on the mistakes of his life. This is not the first scoring of the film – versions were written by Matti Bye in 2003 and another by KTL in 2007.
I’ve been a fan of Kælan Mikla for a decade and I of course know Bardi Johannsson his work as Bang Gang, so I was excited to give this a listen. And it doesn’t disappoint. Having not heard it while viewing the film I can’t speak to how if functions purely as a score, but it captures a sombre mood, though in a way that hints at something beautiful, not despair. The songs are not overbearing or oppressive, instead more delicate and tender, making for wonderful listening even completely removed form the context of the film.
The Phantom Carriage is available on the Kælan Mikla Bandcamp page HERE on vinyl, CD, and digitally, and it’s also streaming on Spotify, so you have no excuses to not go check it out.