Today brings great news on both music and movie fronts. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood spent the first part of his 2015 in India, recording an album with Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and a dozen talented local artists. So that’s pretty great.
What makes the news even greater is that the sessions were filmed by Academy Award-nominated director Paul Thomas Anderson (the ridiculously talented man behind Boogie Nights, Magnolia and There Will Be Blood) for a documentary called Junun.
Greenwood has been a regular collaborator with Anderson over the years, scoring the soundtracks for There Will Be Blood, The Master and this year’s Inherent Vice. He even performed the ominous and spectacular score for There Will Be Blood with the London Contemporary Orchestra at a screening for the haunting film at London’s Royal Festival Hall this year.
The documentary about Greenwood's recording process received its premiere last night at the New York Film Festival. During a Q&A after the screening, Anderson announced that Greenwood’s innovative album will be released next month. In our eyes, it can’t come soon enough.
Watch the trailer for Junun below
Produced by Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, Junun contains a mix of "Arabic, Indian, and western music." According to Anderson, all of the musicians involved in its recording are planning to perform the LP live in London, as well as the U.S if they can obtain visas. The trailer gives us a slice of the music that's to come, powerful brass and traditional percussion creating an immediacy and sense of momentum that's pretty intoxicating.
Take a peak at the album artwork and prepare yourself what is sure to be a sonically enticing and intriguing project.
So, what is the album going to sound like? Will Greenwood be embracing the rich darkness of Inherent Vice’s ‘Spooks’ or the expansive orchestral atmosphere of cuts from The Master? We're guessing none of the above, as Greenwood's prone to making drastic musical u-turns, but that's why we love him.
Watch Greenwood and Shye Ben-Tzur performing 'Dil Ki Bahar' last year for what is possibly a signpost to whatever they have up their sleeves. We're excited.
Anderson’s documentary is available to stream from today via the global video streaming service, MUBI.
