Director Todd Phillips chose to work with Hildur Guonadottir very early on in the process of Joker being made, a decision he made after hearing the composer's work for Sicario: Day of the Soladado. After reading the screenplay, Guonadottir submitted sample compositions, which largely consisted of simple, monotonic melodies. The atmosphere matched the gritty tone of the plot as well as the depiction of antagonist Arthur Fleck, and Guonadottir would flesh out her initial ideas with orchestration for the film, focusing on textures and feel more than chords and/or complicated musical structures. The finished product complements the on-screen narrative of Fleck's descent into madness and mayhem, a simplistic accompaniment that effectively backs up the melancholy-steeped origin story the villainous character. Highlights include "Escape From the Train," "Hoyt's Office," "Penny in the Hospital," "Meeting Bruce Wayne," and "A Bad Comedian," but this is a record that's better when consumed as a whole.

• purple colored vinyl pressing
• includes dual-sided insert
• music label: Watertower Music 2019

reviewed by singing in japanese 10/2020