Few artists embody the joy of creation like Norman McLaren (1914-1987). From 1941, the Scottish filmmaker produced short films in Canada. They are wonderful pieces, bursting with creativity, blissfully unaware of the difference between »educational« and »experimental«. »Rythmetic« (1956) animates arithmetic number sequences as humorous characters, while the war metaphor »Neighbors« (1952) moves real people using stop motion. In almost every film, McLaren tried out a new technique. UNESCO, thus, has dubbed him »the most influential animator in the history of the art of animation.«
One of the most interesting aspects of his art: the soundtrack. Today, it might sound like early synthetic music, full of clicks and weird noises. Yet, McLaren was working 100% analog. He was manipulating film with brushes, pens and knives (as he illustrates here). Now, Phantom Limb has released the soundtrack to some of his movies as well as a few compositions as an LP. It’s a fascinating album including some first-class pieces. Not everything lands. Movies like »Opening Speech« (1961) are masterclasses in physical comedy. Yet, the sound-only version is like mistaking a »Looney Tunes« cartoon for an audio drama: a psychedelic experience for sure, but not necessarily entertaining. Despite this, »The Compositions of Norman McLaren« are among the most interesting releases I’ve listened to for a while. Pure form inquisitiveness.
