Film Score Friday! Nathan Johnson - Brick

Brick, directed by Rian Johnson, was a rather unexpected kind of film for me when I saw it, but in the best possible way. For those who haven't seen it, Brick is a smart twist of film-noir set in modern times in which a high school student investigates the death of his ex-girlfriend. It's a fresh film that was wonderfully acted, espcially on Joseph Gordon-Levitts' part.
If you never saw the film, here's the trailer:

There's plenty of clever dialogue, and great homage to film noirs of the past. It's a fantastic movie, that I highly recommend you see.

Now as for the soundtrack? It too is rather noteworthy. Rian Johnson enlisted his cousin Nathan Johnson to tackle the films score. And Nathan Johnson did so with the help of the cinematic underground. The score itself is rather non traditional, in that it uses non instruments often, such as glassware found in a kitchen. there also is a heavy use of unsettling guitar and a wine-o-phone that becomes a bit of a recurring theme throughout. There are parts of the score that feel very similar to the soundtrack to the video games Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire. The score, just like the film itself, is a very refreshing change of pace, and it works fantastically to complement the offbeat feel of the film.There are also the elements found in a typical noir film score, such as muted trumpets and occasional woodwind parts.

Both the score and the film are some of the best works to come out of the 2000's and show how breaking the norm can make for some very original and noteworthy material.