somersault : decoder ring

I first heard Decoder Ring on a Bella Union (one of the best labels out there right now) sampler CD. Their soundtrack for the movie Somersault was relased on 1May. This picture is gorgeous. The whole time watching it I couldn't stop thinking of the feeling I got when I saw Sophia Coppola's first film. Every shot is done with care and incredible attention to color and composition. Dominated by blues, greens, and reds the movie takes you on an emotional journey of loneliness and acceptance. The film was released in 2004 and April '06 in the US, but the DVD release is set for sometime this July (things running a little slow for the Aussie indie film set, I suppose).
The pairing of Decoder Ring with writer/director, Cate Shortland for this film is similar to the perfect pairing of Coppola and Air. While Decoder Ring's earlier releases such as 2002s Spooky Action At A Distance EP and their debut self-titled album showed the six-piece outfit blending analogue synths with indie-rock guitars to create a streamlined electro-rock fusion, the Somersault score showed the bands already filmic sound stretching out into even more lush and ambient territory. In the wake of the band winning the coveted AFI award for the Somersault score and also working on the score to Tony Krawitzs film, Jewboy, the second album proper from Decoder Ring, Fractions, shows the bands sound taking on even more lush textural qualities informed by ambient electronics, krautrock and shoegazer rock, with the increasing expansiveness of their sound a quality definitely informed by their soundtrack work.

Decoder Ring needs you as a friend.

mp3 shoebox
Decoder Ring ~ Somersault
Fractions
pop77:v3 ~ p77-049 mix (one of my favorite podcasters, this one has soundclips from the film)
roocast ~ interview@SXSW