Snowdrops: Manta Ray (CD on Gizeh Records)

Band: Snowdrops
Label: Gizeh Records
Title: Manta Ray

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Band:Snowdrops
Title:Manta Ray
Reviewed By:Lisa Torem
Date Published:14/05/2019

Label:Gizeh Records
Format:CD
Release Year:2019
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The duo of Mathieu Gabry and Christine Ott AKA Snowdrops composed the soundtrack, ‘Manta Ray,’ for the award-winning film of the same name by Phutttiphone Aroompheng. Bear in mind that this is no ordinary soundtrack, flush with memorable sequences. it is more of a holistic soundscape. Haunting, often bewildering sounds and foreign voices, breath in and out somewhat randomly, or so it seems…

‘Gemstones in the Forest’ takes us to a mysterious place, where bird-like cries posture over a stark, hovering bass. High-pitched, legato phrases battle with sci-fi bleat over the next few compositions. What ties these pieces together is an uncompromising commitment to suspense.

‘Abandon Battlefield’ features a throbbing monotone against a dissonant melody. More compelling is ‘Weird Dance,’ where the bright melody rises gently against an undulating beat. One can imagine a romance brewing as the entities blend. ‘A Ghost in the House,’ as the title suggests, suspends the listener’s ordinary sense of time. ‘Losing a Friend to Death,’ is unquestionably the most heartbreaking of the themes.

Several of these themes tie more uniquely together: ‘Storm # 1,’ ‘Storm # 2’ and ‘Storm # 3’ all evoke great emotion. What is most memorable here is the mash-up of utterances, two male voices speak in Thai, over a cacophony of seemingly random effects. A creaking door suggests an intruder, or perhaps, a loyal friend coming to a gathering? Some sounds are halting and disturbing, others merely invite inquiry. Overall, the themes lend voice to loss, abandonment and companionship. The movie story line focuses on two characters: one, a Thai fisherman, the other, a Rohingya of Myanmar. Snowdrops utilized various keyboards to bring this dramatic film to life, and given the high stakes of the story, that is no small feat.

Embellishing a profound theme via a vast expanse of effects requires a lot of ingenuity—Snowdrops’ ‘Manta Ray’ will undoubtedly whet the appetite for ‘Manta Ray’ the film.

Track Listing:

01) Introduction / Gemstones in the Forest
02) Storm #1
03) The Mangrove
04) The Monologue
05) Weird Dance
06) Festival Music / Inside the Wheel / Thunder Thing
07) Breath / Storm #2
08) Losing a Friend to Death
09) Lights in the Deep
10) Abandoned Battleship
11) Hot Springs (by Rasmee)
12) A Ghost in the House
13) The Return
14) The Harmony of Rohingya's Voices / Circles
15) Manta Ray
16) Storm #3
17) Circles

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Uncompromising soundtrack by Snowdrops, the duo of Mathieu Gabry and Christine Ott, for award-winning soundtrack ‘Manta Ray’

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