Mike Patton: Music from the Film and Inspired by the Book The Solitude of Prime Numbers (La Solitudine Dei Numeri Primi) (Ipecac)

Mike Patton: "Twin Primes"

Still known first and foremost as a vocal aberration, Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantômas) has amassed more and more compositional credits in recent years. The musical Renaissance man already has scored a few films — the schizophrenic alt-metal soundtrack to Crank 2 and the genre-hopping theme-and-variation of A Perfect Place. For the Italian film The Solitude of Prime Numbers, however, Patton has drawn on a much more traditional film aesthetic.

Minimalism carries this material, whether melodic, moody, or dissonant. Accents and flourishes are found throughout, but often as strict atmosphere, building a feel of giallo-esque horror. A track such as “Radius of Convergence” — one of the few with drums — is a rarity, offering a pounding crescendo.

Notably, outside of the first track, vocals are almost completely absent. That’s not a surprise given their secondary roles on Patton’s other scores, but it further cements his transition to being a composer first and a singer second.

- Text by Scott Morrow.

Krisiun: The Great Execution (Century Media)

Krisiun: "The Will to Potency"

Brazilian death-metal trio Krisiun comprises tattooed brethren Alex Carmargo (bass, vocals), Moyses Kolesne (guitar), and Max Kolesne (drums), and with a name that translates from ancient Latin to “the seers of abomination,” the band makes a case for being among the most brutal of its subgenre.

The Great Execution, Krisiun’s third album with prolific German producer Andy Classen and eighth overall, takes the band’s signature speed and tempers it with a string of mid-tempo intervals. These nuances signal sonic progression, as do a handful of interspersed classical-guitar flourishes — making appearances as the album intro and then layered over the full-metal assault in the final few minutes of "The Sword of Orion." A bit of the classical influence spills over into the brutality, as evidenced by the rapid-fire arpeggios on the following track, "Violentia Gladiatore," but by and large, Krisiun is giving listeners exactly what they should expect: searing brutality from those peering into the depths of humanity.

- Text by Kyle Gilkeson and Scott Morrow.

Phantogram: Nightlife EP (Barsuk)

Phantogram: "Don't Move"

- Text by Lauren Zens.

3:33: Live from the Grove (Parallel Thought Ltd.)

3:33: "LFTG-2"

Surfacing in 2011 with a pair of shadowy EPs, 3:33 is a yet-unmasked project that deals in brooding, instrumental hip hop. Tactile yet amorphous — and at times ominous — the music is set apart by a rawness of texture.

For this proper full-length debut — the group’s third release in seven months — much of the source material is a collection of “field/wood” recordings taken from outside the Bohemian Grove. This adds another layer of mystery and foreboding to the 3:33 sound, given the history of the setting — a mysterious, cult-like campground for the Bohemian Club, which has hosted famous guests such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon for pagan-esque rituals. The plodding and pulsating results are a disturbing success, backed again by head-nodding boom-bap beats.

- Text by Kyle Gilkeson and Scott Morrow.

Honorable Mentions

Circle Takes the Square: Decompositions: Volume 1 (Gatepost)

Idle Warship: Habits of the Heart (Element 9)

Locrian: The Clearing (Fan Death)

King Midas Sound: Without You (Hyperdub)

Pianos Become the Teeth: The Lack Long After (Topshelf)

Rapper Big Pooh: Dirty Pretty Things (For Members Only)

Sick of it All: Nonstop (Century Media)

The Soft Moon: Total Decay EP (Captured Tracks)

[Chromatic, our 400-page exploration of musicians and color, is out now. Order here!]

The Chemical Brothers: Hanna soundtrack (Relativity Music Group)

The Chemical Brothers: "Hanna's Theme" (vocal version)

Back in March, The Chemical Brothers released its newest batch of music, a 20-track original score for Hanna, an action thriller that was released in April. The film told the tale of an ex-CIA operative who trains his 16-year-old daughter to exact revenge for an untold secret program, raising questions about the young protagonist's existence.

Thankfully, the soundtrack isn't the typical string-heavy fare that's so associated with thrillers. Instead, the duo crafts a score that alternates between being playful, pensive, percussive, and dark, with a nice balance between synthesized and organic (or faux-organic) sounds. It continues the cinematic flair of Further, the Bros' 2010 album that was released with corresponding video tracks, but it's an even fuller and more purposeful work.

If you missed this back in March, pick up the CD, which is out now to coincide with DVD release.

Fantômas: The Director's Cut Live: A New Year's Revolution DVD & live digital album (Ipecac)

Fantômas: "Cape Fear" live (Bernard Herrmann cover)

Ten years ago, Mike Patton's super-group Fantômas (featuring Buzz Osborne, Trevor Dunn, and Dave Lombardo) released one of its high-water marks, The Director's Cut, an avant-metal tribute to horror-film themes and other classic soundtracks. The release — a spastic and eerie collection of buzz-saw covers — paid homage to such greats as Nino Rota, Henry Mancini, Bernard Herrmann, John Barry, Angelo Badalamenti, and Ennio Morricone via works from The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, Cape Fear, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, The Golem, The Omen, and more.

The Director's Cut Live is a recording of Fantômas' special performance at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall on New Year's Eve of 2008, when the band performed the entire album plus a few bonus songs for an encore. It's now being issued as a DVD with digital-only audio, and though it's the type of thing best suited for diehard fans, it should serve as overdue impetus for the uninitiated to get acquainted with a maniacal masterpiece — and a completely peerless musical project. Highly recommended.

Chthonic: Takasago Army (Spinefarm)

Chthonic: "Takao"

Formed in Taipei in 1997, Chthonic (pronounced “thonic”) plays symphonic black metal rooted in traditional Taiwanese music and folklore. Known to incorporate traditional instruments such as the hena (a two-string bowed fiddle, also known as the erhu in China) and base its lyrics on the mythologies of Taiwan’s history, the band is one of Taiwan’s most outspoken symbols for national independence and thought.

Takasago Army is Chthonic's sixth full-length album and is a concept piece about aboriginal Taiwanese tribesmen who volunteered in the Imperial Japanese Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Musically, it splashes elements of black, thrash, power, and melodic death metal with the emotional cries of the erhu and Freddy Lim's piercing shrieks and guttural screams. The symphonic moments are strategically placed, showing themselves for dramatic effect and melodic accompaniment; the result is an alternately war-like and pensive atmosphere.

- Text by Michael Nolledo and Scott Morrow.

Roc Marciano & Gangrene: Greneberg EP (Decon)

Roc Marciano & Gangrene: "Jet Luggage"

Each a rising emcee-slash-producer, Roc Marciano, The Alchemist, and Oh No joined forces earlier this year to release this six-track EP (seven with a bonus cut) and tide over listeners between albums.

Together, The Alchemist and Oh No dropped a grimy rap album with backpack appeal as Gangrene on Decon in late 2010, and Marciano (formerly a member of Flipmode Squad) issued his solo debut earlier in the year. Now, between follow-ups for each that are coming later in 2011, the three have teamed to rap on or produce each other's works.

With three tracks originally credited to each "half" of the collaboration, Greneberg is defined by raw rhymes, funky bass lines, gurling synths, and alternately minimalist and full samples of pianos, horns, and guitars. Each MC brings his own flavor but keeps it grungy, whether slurring rhymes or routinely referencing female anatomy (human or otherwise). Listeners would be better served to hear Gangrene's Gutter Water or Marciano's Marcberg as introductions, but Greneberg is a fine "sequel."

Arkona: Slovo (Napalm)

Arkona: "Slovo"

In June, Russian folk-metal outfit Arkona (not to be confused with another Russian metal band of the same name) tided over fans with the Stenka na Stenku EP, a brief blast of pagan tunes that, per the band's MO, mixed power metal with wind instruments such as bagpipes, flute, and ocarina.

Slovo is the band's sixth full-length album and follow-up to the 2009 effort Goi, Rode, Goi! It further spreads the group's reach beyond Russian folk and speed metal into more epic territory, touching orchestral movements, classical-guitar passages, power ballads, and a bit of black metal. Vocalist/keyboardist Masha "Scream" Arhipova again is a focal point, balancing harmonic clean singing with throat-shredding brutality, but her songwriting credits, as always, carry most of the weight.

Some will find the mix too corny or intense, but folk-metal fans will be blown away. Dismiss it at your own risk.

Honorable Mentions

AM & Shawn Lee: Celestial Electric (ESL)

Balmorhea: Live at Sint-Elisabethkerk (Western Vinyl)

HTRK: Work (Work, Work) (Ghostly International)

Grace Jones: Hurricane 2xCD (PIAS)

Lingouf: Doème (Ant-Zen)

MonstrO: s/t (Vagrant)

Peter Wolf Crier: Garden of Arms (Jagjaguwar)

Pregnant: Life Hard: I Try (Mush)

The Rapture: In the Grace of Your Love (DFA)

†‡† (Ritualz) vs. F8stercare (Robot Elephant)

Roberts & Lord: Eponymous (Asthmatic Kitty)

Saviours: Death’s Procession (Kemado)

Luke Temple: Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care (Western Vinyl)

WU LYF: Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (LYF)

Mike Patton: "Deep Down" (Ennio Morricone)

In 1994, the musical aberration known as Mike Patton prepared for a pair of life-altering experiences. The anomalous vocalist married Italy native Titi Zuccatosta, and the two purchased a home in Bologna — a city that Patton has since described as the “place where you want to die.”

Putting the personal ties aside, his infatuation with the city is easy to understand. At one time the “second city” of Italy, Bologna holds a rich and deep history. It is home to the oldest university in the West and an abundance of monuments that span the past two millennia. Visitors flock to Piazza Maggiore and the San Petronio Basilica, two symbols of a city renowned for its expansive porticos and the red roofs of its historic center. Its humid climate makes seasonal swings feel more extreme, but given Bologna’s location in Northern Italy, its inhabitants aren’t as hard hit by heat waves as the south of the country. And Bologna is, naturally, a culinary hotspot thanks to its famous Bolognese sauce.

Though the couple separated in 2001, Patton had, by that time, immersed himself in the country and its culture, refusing to speak English while abroad in order to become fluent in Italian. Every day was a learning experience, he says, and his most important education came in linguistics.

“Being ‘invisible’ or in disguise helped me learn the language,” Patton says. “The great thing about Italy [is that] if you just say two words, like ‘ciao bello,’ [they say], ‘Wow, that’s amazing! You sound just like an Italian!’ It really boosts your confidence. The whole attitude [in Italy is] toward acceptance and tolerance. The reason that I learned the language and did it so fast…is because the people were so amazing.”

"In the early stages [of working with the orchestra], I’d fly off the handle and go crazy, and it got me nowhere. Orchestra people don’t want to see that, don’t want to hear that. They already think you’re a freak for doing this."

The thought of Patton concealing himself, however, seems like a non sequitur. His voice, after all, is one of the preeminent and most recognizable in independent music. It has been involved in dozens of personal projects, invited on scores of guest spots, and heard on more than a hundred studio recordings. His malleable voice is known for any combination of dramatic cries, harrowing screams, smooth croons, lilting falsettos, and otherworldly chants.

Patton’s days fronting alt-rock favorites Faith No More were a gateway drug for many, leading first to the mind-altering, genre-demolishing tastes of Mr. Bungle. Then came dalliances with John Zorn, arrangements for Fantômas, time in Tomahawk, pop adventures as Peeping Tom, and copious collaborations. His time on the radio all but ended after Faith No More’s breakup, but his distinct sounds and diverse palette — coupled with a reputation for stage antics and off-the-cuff interviews — cemented his place in modern music lore.

So given these identifiable attributes, the words “Patton” and “incognito” don’t seem to follow each other. But his newest project, Mondo Cane, stems from just such a union — with Patton disguising his American accent and assimilating to a new culture.

“I did have a lot of friends there,” he says of Italy. “Most of them spoke English, but my whole deal was ‘don’t speak to me in English; I have to learn.’ I’m not doing any DVD Rosetta Stone bullshit. Trial by fire, you know?”

Yet Patton learned more than Italian. His interest in Italian counterculture led him to figures like Demetrio Stratos, a 1970s prog-rock revolutionary who explored the limits of the human voice. He later met, befriended, and collaborated with modern musicians, including Zu, a Roman avant-garde trio whose recent sludge-jazz album was released via Patton’s Ipecac Recordings.

But despite his affinity for these kindred artists, Patton found himself drawn to the lavish, layered Italian pop music of the 1960s that he had encountered through friends and the radio. (He is, in the end, an artist whose catalog appeals as much to casual listeners as to ardent experimentalists — an artist as likely to sing with Norah Jones as Melt-Banana.) At some point, it became obvious to him that he’d pay tribute to these expansive orchestrations, and the Mondo Cane project was born.

In the years after World War II, American pop influence began permeating the globe, and the Italian Republic quickly embraced bebop, big band, and rock and roll. By the late 1950s, Italian singer-songwriters — known as cantautori — had come to prominence, at first influenced by Italian folk but then drawing inspiration from traditional American pop singers. As the ’60s progressed, cantautori appropriated bits of rock, psychedelia, and film-score dramatics, culminating in a heavily layered style that just as readily embraced guitars as string sections.

It was this dense, intelligent take on pop that attracted Patton. Legendary composers of the time, both in Europe and the USA, had begun writing and arranging for singer-songwriters, either out of artistic interest or for financial gain (or both). Prominent cantautori such as Gianni Mecca, Gino Paoli, and Luigi Tenco were working with names like Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, and Tony De Vita.

Others recorded their own Italian-language renditions of famous pieces by American or European composers such as Elmer Bernstein or Bert Kaempfert, who worked with some of the most recognized singers of the time.

One such tune, originally titled “The World We Knew (Over and Over),” exemplifies the cultural difference and the impact that it had on Patton. Renamed “Ore D’Amore,” this selection — which would be appropriated by Mondo Cane — was first sung by a vocal giant.

“Sinatra did that song!” Patton says. “But it’s completely different. It’s much more lush and big bandy and orchestral. For whatever reason, the Italian version was much more fuzzed out and ’70s and psychedelic — totally different words, totally different everything. Somehow, I feel, a lot of these [reinterpreted] tunes were given an Italian soul. They’re much more tragic, much more romantic, and much more exaggerated, and that’s definitely something that interested me.”

With a growing catalog of tunes in mind, Patton contemplated a few one-off cover performances with a quartet. However, when a festival promoter called and offered access to an orchestra for three concerts, he couldn’t say no. He began sifting through hundreds of pop songs — many that perched atop the charts but some with more obscure origins — and the wheels were in motion for Mondo Cane.

Loosely translating to “dog’s world,” Mondo Cane was a massive undertaking, consuming months and months just to prepare for the initial three performances. Patton had his selections transcribed and began working with a 10-piece band, while a conductor was put in charge of a 40-piece orchestra.

There were no initial plans for the dozens of concerts that would follow, nor plans to record an album — but at some point, Patton figured that this effort warranted documentation. Italian producer/composer Daniele Luppi came on board for arrangements, and over three new concerts in 2008, the group took part in live recordings that would be assembled into the first of two Mondo Cane albums, released in May of 2010.

“That led me down, let’s just say, another vortex of getting it perfect,” Patton says. “Hey, it’s a live concert, and I hate live-concert recordings. I just can’t listen to them; I can’t deal with it. It took me a long time to correct all the mistakes and redo the arrangements, maybe the way I really wanted them and heard them in my head from the beginning but didn’t have time to execute for the concerts.”

The performances, many of them in public squares, were a success by all accounts, but the entire process proved overwhelming at times.

”There were times when I wanted to tear my hair out,” Patton says, “because you feel like, ‘Who’s helping me? Who’s got my back?’ I thought of this [project]; Jesus Christ, I guess it’s all my responsibility! It was definitely a huge learning period for me, and you have to learn where to pick your battles, when to be a politician, and all that kind of stuff. In the early stages, I’d fly off the handle and go crazy, and it got me nowhere. Orchestra people don’t want to see that, don’t want to hear that. They already think you’re a freak for doing this.”

A few “offbeat” inclusions made Patton unsure of how the project would be received in Italy, particularly in front of mixed crowds at the piazza performances. But despite the unconventionality of the project, the selections on Mondo Cane are, by and large, approachable, appealing to Patton lovers as well as their parents.

“I remember one sound-checking [when] we were playing one of these gigs in an outdoor square,” Patton says. “We were sound checking between songs, and an old lady comes up toward the stage. [She said], ‘Excuse me; excuse me. You know, you have a fabulous voice, son. Is there anywhere that I can buy your cassette?’ I was just so touched. That was total validation for me.”

Early last decade, iconic vocalist Mike Patton moved to Italy and did his best to blend with the locals. He picked up Italian, fell in love with Bologna, and, at some point, realized that he needed to add something else to his never-ending list of projects.

That addition turned into Mondo Cane, a full-scale orchestral homage to Italian cantautori (singer/songwriter) tunes of the 1960s and '70s.

Originally planned only for live performances, the covered oldies — roughly two dozen — are now being released from carefully assembled pieces of three separate concert recordings. Mondo Cane is the first of two such installments, and it presents mostly faithful recreations — with certain new flavors and tinges — of powerful pop songs.

Cantautori crooners Gino Paoli, Luigi Tenco, and Fred Bongusto are honored with potent and colorful renditions of "Il Cielo in Una Stanza," "Quello Che Conta" and "Ore D'Amore." Film-scoring guru Ennio Morricone is recognized with one of his pop numbers, the theme for Danger Diabolik, which barely edges out "Il Cielo…" as the most stirring of the disc's first half.

Patton's comprehensive range isn't tested too much, but his vocal intensity is on display in "Urlo Negro," a poppy psych-rock track seemingly about a former slave's grief. "L’Uomo Che Non Sapeva Amare," Nico Fidenco's version of the theme to The Carpetbaggers, soon follows, and Patton delivers one of the album's most beautiful covers.

Fans of Patton's wild exploits may be disappointed if they're expecting something akin to the Fantômas Director's Cut album, but lovers of emotion-packed ballads will embrace this disc of orchestral pop.

Mike Patton: "Il Cielo in una Stanza"
Mike Patton: \"Il Cielo in una Stanza\"

Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma (Warp)

Electronic producer Steven Ellison, known as Flying Lotus, made waves two years ago with his Warp debut full-length, Los Angeles, an atmospheric psych-hop affair that was augmented with white noise, blippy sci-fi scales, and a deep bass underpinning.

Its immersive sound was built around endless samples and a love of texture. That MO holds true for Cosmogramma, Ellison's brilliant new collage, but the endowments of Los Angeles have been surpassed by an ever-burgeoning skill for composition.

Beautiful and wild runs of harp, bass, and classical guitar are present from the start, contrasting but not conflicting with cuts of sharply buzzing guitars, train whistles, and deep-space synths. String swells and chopped vocals slide in and out of the mix, layering atop glitch, dance, and drum-and-bass beats; rubbery dance-floor passages disappear into symphonic swaths.

A guest spot by Thom Yorke will garner some appropriate attention, but make no mistake: Cosmogramma marks Ellison's ascension to being one of the top minds in electronic production.

Flying Lotus: "Computer Face / Pure Being"
Flying Lotus: \"Computer Face / Pure Being\"

The Austerity Program: Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn EP (Hydra Head)

Two guys and a drum machine — The Austerity Program proves that it doesn't take more to power out brawny alt-rock with brainy rhythms.

Though the duo has operated under this moniker for more than a decade, it didn't release its first full-length until Black Madonna in 2007. Everything else since that time has appeared on an EP or compilation, generally titled "Song [insert number here]."

Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn follows the same tried-and-true Austerity formula: distorted, down-tuned bass guitar teams with the drum machine's deep kick hits and rapid-fire triplets, forming a muscular frame for guitarist Justin Foley's high-register riffs, feedback squeals, and Steve Albini-esque vocals.

The band's basic premise hasn't changed, but its skills are being honed to realize its full potential. Backsliders… is another firm step in that direction.

The Austerity Program: "Song 26"
The Austerity Program: \"Song 26\"

Rudi Zygadlo: Great Western Laymen (Planet Mu)

One of Planet Mu's latest signings, Rudi Zygadlo is a young Scottish songwriter who fuses electronic music with pop structures and classical aspirations. Raised by artist parents who helped nurture an early interest in music, Zygadlo has created a brilliant debut album that touches, however lightly, on themes of church and religion.

Great Western Laymen takes the mid-tempo lurch and chunky bass lines of dubstep and marries them to glossy, mutating pop songs. Zygadlo sings on almost every track, and his voice, which he claims is "there more for its instrumental value rather than its poetic value," features prominently as a lead instrument.

The vocals are omnipresent, panning everywhere, usually multitracked, pitch-shifted, timestretched, vocoded, and tweaked beyond intelligibility. They fight with wonky basslines for supremacy in a crowded (but never cluttered) midrange. Though many of the tracks would play well in a club setting, Great Western Laymen also makes for excellent headphone dubstep.

Most dubstep albums don't have half as many hooks, and most pop albums don't have this level of head-nodding funk. Zygadlo set forth to combine what he loved about dubstep and IDM with song structures that borrowed from jazz, pop, and classical, and he's succeeded marvelously.

Rudi Zygadlo: "Manuscripts Don't Burn"
Rudi Zygadlo: \"Manuscripts Don\'t Burn\"

Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)

Somewhere over the past decade, Toronto's Broken Social Scene became a shining example of both indie-rock success and excess.

With its diversity of sound and buoyant energy, 2002 album You Forgot It In People was a slow-building breakthrough, and tracks such as "KC Accidental," "Stars and Sons," "Almost Crimes," and "Pacific Theme" have made countless cameos ever since.

But all the band's creative input, whether from its main songwriting sources or from contributors, has led to greater interest in or commercial viability of side projects, and Forgiveness Rock Record is its first album in nearly five years.

Co-produced by Tortoise’s John McEntire at Soma Studios in Chicago, the album is one of the band's most vocally driven recordings. Album opener "World Sick" sounds right at home in the BSS catalog, but the next track, "Chase Scene," expands its reach with a vintage synth sound evocative of Goblin's gentler moments. The song adds a wafting violin line, wah-pedal guitar chords, and a driving high-hat cadence — recalling, fittingly, a chase sequence from an '80s film.

There are plenty of other highlights over 14 tracks, including "Forced to Love" with its churning electric bass, sparkling electronics, and pizzicato and strings, or "All to All" with its mounting effects and vocal harmonies. Fans will have no reason to be disappointed, and even though they may refer the uninitiated to You Forgot It In People, this is a fine introduction to an acclaimed catalog.

Broken Social Scene: "Chase Scene"
Broken Social Scene: \"Chase Scene\"

Honorable Mentions

Ben Goldberg Quartet: Baal: Book of Angels vol. 15 (Tzadik)

Dimlite: Prismic Tops (Now-Again / Stones Throw)

Jason Ajemian’s Daydream Full Lifestyles: Protest Heaven (482 Music)

Marching Band: Pop Cycle (U&L Records)

Minus the Bear: Omni (Dangerbird)

Ufomammut: Eve (Supernatural Cat)

Both groups normally share Melvins guitarist Buzz "King Buzzo" Osborne as a member, and the release should come as no surprise as both are friends, both are released on singer Mike Patton's Ipecac label, and both were involved in a 2002 collaborative CD.

The low production quality of the concert film makes for a more realistic and intimate experience. Filmed at the Kentish Town Forum in London on May 1st of 2006, the film is almost exclusively comprised of the beguiling concert, thus giving fans the feeling of being in attendance in this unique concert setting.

The most interesting aspect of the film is watching as the band members play off of each other from song to song. The group's performance of "The Omen" is particularly enthralling as the filmmakers let go of their traditional concert film aesthetics that have driven the film so far to create an enthralling visual experience of spliced shots, jump cuts, and close-ups of the big band as it constructs the layers to the song.

Once you're done watching the film in its entirety, don't forget to take time to watch it with the "special guest commentary" with none other than Danny Devito (yeah, that's right) adding his two cents.

- Britt Julious

Fantômas: www.ipecac.com/artists/fantomas
Melvins: www.melvins.com
Ipecac Recordings: www.ipecac.com

Some folks can't understand why people listen to soundtracks. "Without the movie to accompany it," they ask, "what's the point?" Yet it's hard to imagine that seeing Crank 2: High Voltage would make its score more relevant or interesting.

This release is Mike Patton's first attempt at scoring a feature-length movie, but it isn't his first foray into the world of movies. In 2008, he scored the short film A Perfect Place, whose outstanding soundtrack was twice the length of the film.

He voiced the monsters in I Am Legend the year before, and this summer, he will be voicing the Mixmaster character in the Transformers sequel. And then, of course, we can't forget the masterpiece that his band Fantômas put out in 2001, The Director's Cut, which was a series of experimental metal covers of classic movie themes.

One can definitely hear the influence of Fantômas at various parts in this score — especially the tracks "Chelios," "Tourette's Romance," and "Carpark Throwdown," but there's so much more going on here.

Tracks like "Tourette's Breakdance" and "The Hammer Drops" could have been tracks from any great electro/industrial band, with their crushing drumbeats and chunky, thick keyboards. "Massage Parlour" and "Hallucination" put you straight on a pagoda in the midst of an intense kung-fu stare-down.

"El Huron" and "Verona" have a spaghetti western feel. A personal favourite is "Chevzilla," conjuring images of a big alien space ship grinding its way across the horizon. "Chickenscratch" gives us the weirdest, almost Butthole Surfers-like track, which could be the backdrop to a wild chase scene.

That tune is contrasted with the final track, the ethereal church choir "Epiphany." It's amazing that the same guy wrote all of this.

The beautiful thing about a soundtrack like this is that it conjures up so many different visuals for the listener, especially one who hasn't been influenced by images from the movie. The opposite is analogous to having a favorite book, then seeing it made into a movie and subsequently always having that actor's image in your head whenever you read the book again.

Gone is your image of what the person should have looked like; your mind has formed the lines on his forehead, the curve of his brow, the slope of his shoulders, the scowl on his face. All you have now is the Hollywood star, forever.

This music has taken me to spaceships, smoky blues caverns filled with drunken old men, dusty one-horse towns, porn sets, polka parties, '70s newspaper buildings, scummy punk bars, and dark, horrific corners. Do I want to see the movie? Now that I've heard the soundtrack, what's the point?

- Daniel Fuller

Mike Patton: www.myspace.com/mikepattonofficial
Lakeshore Records: www.lakeshore-records.com

The Bad Plus: For All I Care (Heads Up International)
With a penchant for reworked rock songs, this hard-hitting jazz trio issues a new album full of covers. Three of the disc's tunes are classical pieces; the rest are rock/pop and include vocals, a first for the group.

Powersolo: Bloodskinbones (Crunchy Frog)
A pair of oddball Danish brothers, dubbing themselves "the Railthin Brothers," create eclectic, off-the-wall rock creations as Powersolo. This full-length follows their recent X-mas single Beam Mig Op, Jesus.

Zu: Carboniferous (Ipecac)
This experimental Italian trio combines sludgy alt-metal with complex rhythms and free-jazz freakouts. If it's possible, Carboniferous presents the group's accessible side for one of the winter's better albums.

March

Kylesa: untitled (Prosthetic)
With a new disc for Prosthetic Records, Georgian stoner-metal squad Kylesa issues its first full-length since Time Will Fuse its Worth from 2006.

Dan Deacon: Bromst (Carpark)
Electro-spazz solo artist emphasizes live instrumentation for this anticipated follow-up.

Jerseyband: untitled (self-released)
It's a downright travesty that this East Coast septet is unsigned. Horns + math metal = 100% awesome.

Spring

Mastodon: Crack the Skye (Warner Bros.)
Even when Mastodon issues a dud, it's better than 95% of all metal albums. Here's hoping that it's a return to the form of Remission.

Summer

Mondo Cane: untitled (Ipecac)
Mike Patton's orchestral Italian pop covers. Enough said.

TBD

Coalesce: untitled (Relapse? Hydra Head?)
This previously defunct hardcore outfit doles out crushing grooves, mathy rhythms, and the trademark tracheal attack of vocalist Sean Ingram. Following the outstanding Salt and Passage 7" from late 2007, the group unveils a proper follow-up to 0:12 Revolution in Just Listening from 1999.

Coliseum: untitled (Relapse)
These Louisville hardcore/metal staples Coliseum continue life as a three-piece with their sophomore effort for Relapse.

Converge and Supermachiner: untitled (Epitaph / Deathwish Inc.)
This isn't a joint release, but they're worth mentioning together as Supermachiner is a semi-ambient side project from Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou.

Crudo: untitled (Ipecac?)
Mike Patton and Dan the Automator, who were the heart of the Lovage album released in 2001, unite as Crudo for what should be one of the better hip-hop efforts of 2009.

Fantômas: untitled (Ipecac)
The brainchild of Mike Patton, Fantômas resurfaces after a four-year hiatus with another unpredictable release. The music could be anywhere between incongruous genre spasms and ambient dirges, but Rock-a-Rolla magazine says that it might be an electronic record.

Garage a Trois: untitled (Telarc)
Beautiful groove rock from vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon, drummer Stanton Moore, saxophonist Skerik, and keyboardist Marco Benevento.

Isis: untitled (Ipecac)
These purveyors of epic, accessible heaviness have gotten progressively more melodic. Whatever this new album sounds like, it should take another step forward while remaining heavy as hell.

Medeski, Martin & Wood: Radiolarians 2 & 3 (Indirecto)
The famed jazz/jam trio continues its experiment of meeting for brief writing sessions, testing out that new material (and only the new material) on the road, recording the material, and then repeating the process.

Secret Chiefs 3: Book of Souls (Mimicry)
The long-awaited follow-up of Book of Horizons from this incomparable Indian/surf/metal ensemble. It has to happen this year…right?

- The London Sinfonietta has announced Sinfonietta Shorts, a series of miniatures by some of the world's leading composers to celebrate the ensemble's 40th anniversary. Contributors include Tom Jenkinson (Squarepusher), Mira Calix, Hans Abrahamsen, Luke Bedford, Harrison Birtwistle, Pierre Boulez, Jonathan Harvey, Anna Meredith and others. The event will be held Saturday, December 13 from 9 PM to 1 AM at Spirit Level of the Royal Festival Hall in London.

- Google is putting together a YouTube Symphony Orchestra that will hit Carnegie Hall in five months to perform — for the first time together — Chinese composer Tan Dun's Internet Symphony No. 1, Eroica. Classical and non-conventional musicians can submit YouTube videos of themselves playing Tan's composition and a piece of standard repertoire in order to get into the orchestra.

- On December 11 at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Dan Deacon will unveil his new live set, which features a 15-piece live ensemble performing material from his forthcoming album, Bromst, which will be released on Carpark on March 24, 2009. Deacon plans to tour with an ensemble in 2009 in support of the new record, which promises to be a prominent new chapter in his musical career.

- Bassist Kevin Rutmanis (Cows, Melvins, Tomahawk) will have his first solo art gallery showing of paintings and sculptures from January 7 to February 17 at DIY Gallery in Los Angeles. His latest musical offering, Hepa-Titus, plays at The Smell in LA on February 12.

- For The Ichthyologist, its upcoming album, prog/doom-rock band Giant Squid has announced the appearance of a few guest musicians — Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-Gathering, Agua de Annique), Karyn Crisis (Crisis), and Kris Force (Amber Asylum, Neurosis; no relation to ALARM publisher Chris Force). The album was recently recorded with producer Matt Bayles and will be limited to a few thousand copies, available only through the band.

- The Dead Kenny Gs began a West Coast tour last Thursday that runs through December 13. Led by saxophonist Skerik and percussionist Mike Dillon of Critters Buggin fame, the trio grabs a third member for performances — recently, bassist Brad Houser, also of Critters Buggin — and throws down some wild grooves.

- Fantômas has been added to Australia's Big Day Out festival, performing The Director's Cut in its entirety.

- Kevin Kmetz, the heart of Japanese/metal fusionists God of Shamisen, joins with two additional shamisen masters to perform the Monsters of Shamisen California tour through December 20.

- Chicago saxophonist Charles Gorczynski, one half of Ropeadope ambient jazz/IDM duo Silences (Sumire), has released a pair of solo releases for free download on his personal website, claritymusic.net.

- Rapper Yak Ballz of the Brooklyn hip-hop collective Weathermen has issued the online video premiere of "Dirt Empire," a solo single produced by Aesop Rock.

- Melodic/experimental indie rockers The Appleseed Cast will release Sagarmatha, their follow-up to Peregrine, via The Militia Group in January. A West Coast and Midwest US tour will follow in February.

- Three One G is offering 20% off of everything in its online shop. Holiday deals!

- Unpredictable super-group Fantômas will perform on New Year's Eve at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, where Mike Patton, Buzz Osborne, Trevor Dunn, and Dave Lombardo will have their only US performance of The Director's Cut. Ipecac label mates Tipsy and Zach Hill perform as well.

- Exceptional Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel takes his Orange Tulip Conspiracy on a short West Coast tour in November.

- On his MySpace page, producer extraordinaire Jon Brion released "Croatia," a streaming standalone tune that carries a bit of Balkan flavor.

- For the second straight year, charming oddball folk rapper Tim Fite will release a free EP, this one called Ding Dong Ditch, available for one day only on Halloween. The Halloween-themed effort will be available through www.timfite.com.

- Starting today, a Doomriders / Disfear split 7" is available to pre-order from Deathwish Inc. The heavier-than-thou groups will play two weeks of European shows together in November.

- MySpace has posted a full streaming video of Ben Folds Five's recent one-off reunion performance of The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner for its Front to Back series.

- On Monday, enigmatic Icelandic songstress Björk released "Nattura," a single available through One Little Indian. The song encourages support for the Nattura campaign, which seeks to provide eco-friendly options to Iceland.

- London's freak disco/metal collective Chrome Hoof has set a pair of rare performances in France for Halloween and November 1.

- February 17, 2009 marks the release of Animals in the Dark, the ANTI- debut by raspy folk singer William Elliott Whitmore. As of Thursday, Whitmore joined Murder by Death for a month-long US tour.

- Wired has dug into the world of internet radio alarm clocks, devices that can wake you up using a directory of more than 11,000 worldwide internet radio stations. They can also use your flash / external hard drive to play your choice of tunes.