Plaza Mayor Company Ltd release Philippe Jakko's original score for 5Lbs of Pressure. Trying to start over, Adam searches for redemption as he returns to his old neighbourhood to put to rest his demons while the brother of the man, he killed seeks revenge...

The music for 5Lbs of Pressure consists of 20 tracks (31 min, 04 sec). It opens with 'Between the Cracks', which houses a melancholic theme which is echoed throughout the album. It reminded me very much of Danny Elfman's gothic style.

It's fair to say that this soundtrack really captured my full attention, right from the first play. On occasion, it can take a few listens to really get into the swing of a score, but 5Lbs of Pressure pretty much had me hooked immediately. 'Redemption Theme' was, for me, this score's highlight. Again, this is a theme that is revisited in various ways throughout the runtime.

I think part of its charm is the diversity on display. There's a thread running through the music that joins everything neatly together, making this a collection of themes that you'll want to revisit time and time again.

Talking about the project, composer Philippe Jakko says: "I talked to Phil Allocco, the writer/director a few months before the shooting. He explained to me the characters, the story, the mood, and talked about his view about the music. I did quickly a few demo tracks, Phil was ok with my direction, and I started scoring as soon as the film was shot. About the instrumentation and music, there was clearly two different levels for me: a dark level, for all the thriller parts, to support the tension. I used real instruments and electronic sounds to keep a cold feeling. But the real instruments were played in a unusual way: weird sounds with the cello, sulponticello, bow scrubs, harmonics… or piano sounds stretched, reversed. All together it helped to create some dark textures and pieces of music. On the other Hand, the second level is the bright side of the characters, the redemption, the humanity, the emotion. For that, the strings orchestra was the perfect medium with bright melodies and harmonies, and performed by great players, it gives a sort of "next level" of emotion."

A wonderfully layered score that works incredibly well as a standalone collection of beautiful themes in its own right.

9

Darren Rea