The Ballad of Howie Bling

Film soundtracks can be hit or miss, but with an artist of the caliber of Oneohtrix Point Never you trust in talent. The man behind the moniker Daniel Lopatin may be one of the most important electronic music artists in America right now. From obscure to mainstream releases, he is setting a standard for innovative music making that is difficult for others to match.

Lopatin dials in some dutiful space fillers on this album – the type of interludes to sustain the visual mood for a minute and two seconds or more. These items can mostly be ignored.

The excerpts of dialogue sprinkled throughout the track can also be ignored. It’s a real ambience killer to hear Opera Man interrupt the music. Soundtracks do this all the time, interpolating dialogue from the film with the music. Presumably because if you’re a fan of the soundtrack, you are also a fan of the movie, and want to hear its dialogue littered throughout? Who knows who is spreading this heinous lie, but stop the madness.

Our highlighted track “The Ballad of Howie Bling” is a classic film score prelude. In 8:26 the track conjures up the entire universe of Uncut Gems, with all its tension, suffering, and absurdity. And there’s a surprising amount of pathos in that universe, though it dovetails nicely with the dramatic shock of seeing Happy Gilmore pull off a serious role. Every 8 years or so Adam Sandler seeks out a meaty role with a respected director and, if he doesn’t nail it, he doesn’t fuck it up either.

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