“And you got your head… all the way up it!!” Before Bobby De Niro and Al Pacino went head to head in The Irishman, 1995’s Heat was long considered the premiere collaboration between the two actors, and has aged considerably well (side note, I just rewatched Donnie Brasco and boy, what a stinker!). Michael Mann’s ultimate heist film strikes a perfect balance between hyper-realistic long form action, intimate lights-down-low drama and humor (bonus points for nailing that vast, endless, lonely quality of Los Angeles in a way few films do), and the soundtrack is no less versatile. Seasoned composer Elliot Goldenthal handles the bulk of the score but calls in a few friends to help fill in the cracks: U2 and Brian Eno (collaborating under the name Passengers, lol) turn in some sombre reptilism in the form of “Always Forever Now”; Kronos Quartet’s moody opening theme is a nice balance of standard orchestral fare peppered with scrambled radio frequencies and scraping sheet metal sounds. Then there’s the straight up industrial abrasiveness of Einsturzende Neubauten’s "Armenia.” Moby contributes sprawling end title “God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters” (and also a pretty funny cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades” which sounds more like Pink Floyd). Solo Eno, Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance and Terje Rypdal also contribute. Recommended.

• black double vinyl pressing
• includes printed insert
• music label: Warner Records 2019
  

reviewed by naffi sandwich 01/2020