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Bloodline
Soundtrack / Score · 2016

Bloodline

Orchestral grandeur meets sharp, avant-garde suspense in this 1970s thriller score. Lush romantic themes collide with jagged piano and haunting vocalise.

February 29, 2016 · EastWest

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Bloodline is a masterclass in the 'sophisticated dread' that Ennio Morricone perfected during his most prolific era. While many associate the composer with the dusty, wide-open spaces of the American West, this score is firmly rooted in the claustrophobic elegance of European high society and urban noir. It opens with a main theme that is almost painfully beautiful, a sweeping romantic gesture that suggests old-world glamour and deep-seated tragedy. However, as the album progresses, that beauty is systematically dismantled by jagged piano motifs and unsettling harpsichord lines that feel like a needle scratching across a silk surface.

Moments Worth Listening For
the main theme's transition from a delicate piano melody to a full, tragic orchestral swell
the use of a ticking-clock percussion rhythm that creates a sense of impending doom
a haunting vocal performance that feels like a ghost wandering through a mansion
the sudden intrusion of sharp, dissonant brass during a quiet string passage

How does Bloodline sound next to the rest of Ennio Morricone's catalogue?

Love Romantic+1.5σ

The writing leans notably further into love romantic than the rest of the catalogue.

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