»A home for animals« and »I’m marrying a family«: Sounds idyllic—and very familiar. At least to the boomer generation in Germany. They know them from the ZDF evening TV show, and you can bet your life that the melodies will ring in your ears from the first bars. They were written by Alain Goraguer. The French composer and pianist has only released one album to date. But he’s written many arrangements for European jazzers, chansonniers and pop stars like Serge Gainsbourg, Nana Mouskouri and Udo Jürgens—and, of course, film soundtracks. It was his score for René Laloux’s »La Planète Sauvage« (»Fantastic Planet«) that made him famous. It has been sampled by the likes of DJ Shadow, Madlib, Flying Lotus and Audio88. That’s something—but only half the rent. Because Goraguer has even more in store. The newly released LP »Rare Soundtracks & Lost Tapes (1973-1984)« on Transversales Disques underlines this. It compiles the soundtracks from the two films »L’Affaire Dimonici« (»The Dominici Affair«) and »Au-delà de la peur« (»Beyond Fear«). The individual pieces circle around their main themes in a defined grid, skilfully underlining the desired moods. And they prove that Goraguer is not only a master of funky psychedelia, but also of suspenseful, yearning, ominous and suspenseful arrangements for crime and drama.
Tim Hecker
Shards
Kranky