This score may be nothing to write home about, but then I’m not writing home - I’m writing to the internet, where all opinions are accepted with joyful objectivity and open arms and ahem I should just end this sentence now.
SNITCH is a fast-paced action thriller, but you wouldn’t know that from the soundtrack. Composer ANTONIO PINTO has put together a score which is slow and ethereal, blending a diverse stable of sounds and instruments to create music which does little more than lurk shyly in the shadows. Welcome to a melancholy soundscape of uncomfortable, grating strings and tracks so dark that you might need to re-light your metaphorical fireplace.
“The Ecstasy” (1) immediately greets us with the drawn out, hollow tones which are a staple throughout the score. Then enters a rather intense melody of bouncing strings. This charismatic little theme is my favourite part of the score, so it’s unfortunate how few times it reappears. Tracks like Dan’s Breakfast (7) are viscerally pulsing. But then so is most of the score, notably “Cartel Move” (9) and “The Farm” (15). Low-key acoustic guitar is generally the only companion we have as we traverse through these radioactive atmospheres. Perhaps some listeners will find this forlorn atmosphere relaxing or stimulating. Unfortunately, I find it spiritless and upsetting. “House Fight” (8) is more musically pleasing than most other tracks due to its repetition of three chords in conjunction with the usual offbeat mix of desperate-sounding instrumentation.
The score’s two nine minute tracks, “Cartel Move” (9) and “Baseball Move” (11) demonstrate no reasoning for their existence. Both appear to achieve nothing distinct, apart from an almost-rousing final two minutes in “Cartel Move” (9). Overall, there’s no payoff or pleasing structural arc I always hope to find in such long pieces. The second nine minute track, “Baseball Move” (11) contains several good examples of SNITCH’s prolonged tones, similar to HANS ZIMMER’s anarchy note for the Joker. But compared to The Dark Knight, everything in SNITCH is far more modest and reserved (to its detriment, in my opinion).
The desperate wailing of hopeless strings in “For The Money” (14) is another aspect of SNITCH which almost won my heart, but it just didn’t go far enough - another victim of PINTO’s need to be subtle. The aforementioned pulsing in “The Farm” (15) feels dangerous, but for a refreshing moment the endangered string melody returns. It threatens to build spectacularly, filling the moment with excitement, but it is only a few seconds before it fades away and we’re left with the lifeless sounds of before. And like an enthusiastic bird-spotter I got my binoculars out when this theme returns briefly in the following track, “Truck Fight” (16). Here, everything is distorted, further arousing my sense of discomfort. Sudden loud bangs, stabs and wails comprise this horrific mix of sounds. It’s daunting and rather scary - we’ve reached the lowest, darkest point of SNITCH.
In contrast the following piece, “Poetic” (17) is (shockingly) almost light - but not quite. Our constant companions, ethereal strings, have united to soften the tone and lift the mood out of the shadowy junk piles we’ve been rolling in. It’s as though we’ve just emerged from an excruciating night of being trapped inside a garbage can. The relief is visceral in the penultimate track, Snitch (18). The theme returns to comfort us. Though still melancholy, the long wails are by now familiar, almost friendly. This is a feature I find commendable about SNITCH, it’s ‘story arc’. I may not be able to extract much context from each piece, but the soundtrack certainly dips in tone in the middle section for a dramatic rise in the final few tracks.
It’s perfectly possible that this soundtrack works well enough in the context of the film. Musically however, SNITCH is a cluttered, depressing album which doesn’t speak much. This is likely deliberate on PINTO’s part, leaving the true storytelling to unfold on the screen. But judging the album as a standalone listening experience, SNITCH fell short in every aspect. If you’re a fan of dark, low-key scores you may find some content to be of interest; each listener will inevitably have their own experience. But for me SNITCH is downright uncomfortable, and not a score I’ll revisit often.
Rating: 4/10
