Lakeshore Records release Visible: Out on Television, the score for the Apple TV+ Original Series, with music by composer Blake Neely. The soundtrack follows the series’ wide range of emotions by featuring pieces built from intimate piano and violin to electronic synth rhythms and fun pizzicato strings. The five-part documentary series investigates the importance of TV as an intimate medium that has shaped the American conscience, and how the LGBTQ movement has shaped television. Each hour-long episode explores themes such as invisibility, homophobia, the evolution of the LGBTQ character, and coming out in the television industry...

It's odd, but from the first few bars of the opening track I instantly knew that this was the score for a documentary. And, as the album moved forward Visible: Out on Television unleashed some powerful themes, delivering a satisfyingly emotional impact.

Composer Blake Neely is probably better known for his scores for Arrow and The Flash TV series, and on Visible: Out on Television he offers a more reflective, emotive side to his art. At times I was reminded of Joshua Johnson's work on I am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, while there were also moments that bordered on classical music ('Opening Doors').

Talking about the project, Neely said: "It has been a life-long passion of mine to support the movement for equal rights, so a history of LGBTQ+ representation, told through the lens of the medium that made my career, was an instant inspiration to me as an artist. What I thought I knew about the topic was expanded 100-fold through what the series taught me. As with our previous work together, Ryan [directed and executive producer Ryan White] found a perfect balance of emotions in his story-telling, giving me a broad and colourful palette to write the music."

The diversity on offer here is pretty impressive. The way the tracks are ordered is also important, and the attention to detail is just mind blowing. Just when you think you're settling down to a set style, Neely throws out tracks like 'Out With The Old Guard', a funky upbeat electronic based theme, before shifting pace to the melancholic 'Your Life Matters'.

And if you need more of a push to add this to your music library: Neely is donating 100% of his earnings from the album to the It Gets Better Project, an organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth support services, every purchase and every streamed listen will help support this organization.

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Darren Rea