Fans of Patrick Watson rejoice; the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter has written new music for Alexandre Aja’s upcoming “The 9th Life of Louis Drax.” For those unfamiliar with the Canadian crooner, Watson is known for his albums Love Songs For Robots and, the 2007 Polaris Prize winner Close To Paradise. Melding indie rock with classical music styles, he has been compared to the likes of Andrew Bird, Jeff Buckley, and Pink Floyd, just to name a few.
“The 9th Life of Louis Drax” follows neurologist Allan Pascal, played by Jamie Dornan, who looks into the unconscious mind of 9-year-old Louis Drax to determine the lead-up to his latest near-death accident: a fall from a cliff. This is not Watson’s first affair with motion pictures, as he has scored whole films (most notably “C’est pas moi, je le jure!“) and has had songs appear in numerous films and TV series, including “What If,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and Wim Wenders’ “Every Thing Will Be Fine.” In “The 9th Life of Louis Drax,” Watson has been given the creative control to craft a dreamlike, orchestral score. Here’s what Watson had to say on the process:
“I believe [Alexandre Aja] needed music that was able to help support the dream states in the film. The feeling of having chosen the musical direction together with the director helps to keep me on the same page for the rest of the score [especially] when scoring the opening credits first. It had a lot of the tones from the film in it which allowed me to really sink my teeth into the heart of the film in one shot.”
It sounds like superb music to accompany an intriguing, genre-bending mystery. The full soundtrack will be released by Varese Sarabande on September 9th, the same day the film opens.