Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick [Original Score]

Audio Mixers: Atticus Ross; Trent Reznor.
Composition and production duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have developed quite a body of work since their award-winning score for David Fincher's The Social Network in 2010. Since then, their vigorous work ethic has amounted to a mixed bag consisting of theatrical films and documentaries such as Fisher Stevens and Leonardo DiCaprio's climate change doc Before the Flood. 2017 has seen quite a prolific output of work from the duo, with one of their many efforts intriguingly going to Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's expansive documentary series The Vietnam War. In the series itself, Reznor and Ross' score exists as more than just something to shine a light upon emotion at certain moments. It interweaves the storytelling with definitive classics of the era (such as Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Ohio" or the Beatles' "Let It Be") and situates itself in moments that remind the listener that it was filmed in the present day. The score as a whole is largely made up of soft and foreboding sound palettes that have been touched upon by the Reznor camp before (most notably on Nine Inch Nails' 2002 mini-album Still and the score for 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). However, aspects of this soundtrack have been meticulously reassessed and reinvented to accompany such honest and visceral storytelling. The album changes and morphs as it complements different moments. Tracks such as "Less Likely" and "A World Away" are composed of soft, reverbed piano melodies awash with bleak, rumbling ambience and dissonant static, while tracks such as "What Comes Back" and "Strangers in Lockstep" consist of more erratic tempos that are punctuated with overdriven and delayed guitar, synthesized bass, and pulsating electro beats, suitably highlighting more aggressive moments. The Vietnam War is yet another example of the extent of Reznor and Ross' talents and how well they manage to apply their skills to different projects. Whether it be a NIN record, a full-length motion picture, or a culturally significant documentary, there's no denying that the duo accomplish what they set out to do with powerful results. ~ Rob Wacey