Even though the score is relatively subdued, I would say this was the most ambitious soundtrack of the series.
It was the first episode I worked on and I knew that I wanted a unique palette to work with. I obsessively compiled around 70 sounds, almost all of which were ‘unmusical’, mostly animal sounds. For example, the main ‘vocal’ sound of the witch’s theme is actually the sound of a whale call. I thought this would work well as it almost sounds human, but isn’t, belonging to a completely different realm, bellowing with intense volume over huge underwater distances. I also liked the idea of using ‘innately threatening’ sounds and applying them in other ways. One example of this is that most of the pad sounds are made up of manipulated recordings of great hordes of animals, the main one being a giant swarm of rats screeching and scrapping around. The unprocessed sounds are really grotesque.
Besides animal squeals, I tried to incorporate ‘domestic’ sounds as much as possible. You can hear the sounds of pots and pans clanking, the ticking of clocks, the static of radios, the hum and buzz of electricity and the bangs of wooden floorboards scattered throughout.
With most of these sounds I processed them through a resonator to give them a metallic feel, as if they are coming from the very pipes and bowels of the house. I wanted the overall feel to be as ‘house-like’ as possible.
I will highlight a few examples of these techniques below:
Witch
This track contains most of the ideas set out above. The processed whale vocal is evident throughout and the sound of the ‘rats’ comes in around 0:16. This, coupled with the metallic percussive sounds of the pipes and the thump of wood, encapsulate the witch’s theme most clearly.
Caged
The animal sounds are more prominent in this track. The downward cascading sound mirrors a deteriorating mental state of the protagonist and you can hear the scurrying, itchy sound of the animal swarms coming in just after the halfway point of the track. These are underpinned by the sound of something heavy being dragged over wood, almost like a bed being pushed around over floorboards (1:07).
Smother
The ‘domestic’ sounds are nicely exposed in this track. The pulsing sound of what sounds like a ‘crockery orchestra’ play, and then the rattling of clocks and other household items fade in and out.
Together
This is one example of detached vocals and the usage of radio static to create an abstract soundscape where it sounds like communication through household appliances. You can hear a development of this theme in the track ‘Closer’ where you can hear the sound of a very distorted ‘snoring’ sounding throughout, most clearly at the end of the track.
Surface
This is probably my favourite track in the episode. I have always liked the idea of seeing things through other lenses, and the concept that supernatural things aren’t always inherently dark and grim. This track has the witch’s theme throughout, but peeling through the sludgy pads and thin keys there is a feeling that perhaps there are other emotions at play.
Production Company : Eleven Film Ltd
Director : Amanda Boyle
Executive Producers : Jamie Campbell, Alex Marengo, Joel Wilson
Sound Mix : Greg Gettens (Molinare)
Music Composition : Jack Matthias