Spiderbait‘s Kram can now add film scorer to his ever-expanding resume, with the release of the soundtrack to Aussie drama Love Is Now. Director Jim Lounsbury and producer Behren Shultz, who worked on a documentary of Spiderbait’s 2013 self-titled album, approached Kram to compose music for the movie, with the result being a huge 36 songs. The soundtrack was recorded between Sydney, Melbourne and Byron Bay during Spiderbait’s national tour last year.
To help understand Kram’s first foray into the world of composing for film, we asked him to take us track by track through four tracks from the film, which include the movie’s theme song and a Pat Benatar cover. Here’s Kram on how he used the characters of the movie in his songs to how he thinks one of the vocals sounds like a drunk guy singing.
Love Is Now
http://soundcloud.com/wintermanandgoldstein/01-love-is-now-theme/s-yIz46?in=wintermanandgoldstein/sets/love-is-now-official-soundtrack-kram/s-yIz46
Kram: This was the first idea I had for the film. It had to have a theme with the film’s name as the title and those words in the chorus lyrics. It doesn’t seem to happen much anymore in films. This song came out great and is one of the strongest, I think.
It has 2 musical character themes that are used in the rest of the film around the C to F chord progression. The organ is Dean’s theme and the lead guitar Audrey’s. They weave together, and it reflected their relationship I liked in the script.
Lyrically I like, “There is no tomorrow, only yesterday.” The idea that tomorrow doesn’t actually exist is a poetic concept I really dig.
Japan Pop
http://soundcloud.com/wintermanandgoldstein/14-japan-pop/s-yIz46?in=wintermanandgoldstein/sets/love-is-now-official-soundtrack-kram/s-yIz46
K: This was a quickly written pop thing instrumental on my Juno synth. Then when I was driving to the studio the next day listening I suddenly thought of vocals and quickly recorded it on my phone.
I was driving down Chapel with music blaring – just another one of those loud car stereo guys cruising on Chapel St…
The vocal sounds like a drunk guy in love singing outside his girlfriend’s window at 3 in the morning with a beatbox on his shoulder.
Romantic.
All This Gold (No One Sees Me When You’re Not With Me)
http://soundcloud.com/wintermanandgoldstein/03-all-this-gold-no-one-sees/s-yIz46?in=wintermanandgoldstein/sets/love-is-now-official-soundtrack-kram/s-yIz46
K: Juno jam with drum machine. Tried to make the drums & synth a big random like the character’s mind. This song is a bit dark as he’s lost in love. It’s like he’s invisible. The solo is just bashing on a music stand.
We Belong
http://soundcloud.com/wintermanandgoldstein/25-we-belong/s-yIz46?in=wintermanandgoldstein/sets/love-is-now-official-soundtrack-kram/s-yIz46
K: The only song the filmmakers commissioned for the movie. They got the ok from Pat Benatar for me to cover it and initially wanted a big production with choir etc. But I wanted to try it acoustic, live stripped bare with a deep vocal.
Played acoustic at the APRAs once to total silence which was awesome & powerful. After doing so many big rock shows to loud roars silence seems similar somehow. I wanted this version of We Belong to be the same.
It took ages to get it right as I wanted it to be all live including the singing, which it is. About 3 in the morning after a lot of takes and detuning the guitar a bit, me & Aaron got it as good as we could.
I actually thought it was a bit shit until everyone else in the film liked it so much.
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The ‘Love Is Now’ soundtrack is available digitally now.
Listen: Love Is Now – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
http://soundcloud.com/wintermanandgoldstein/sets/love-is-now-official-soundtrack-kram/s-yIz46
