PAUL LEONARD-MORGAN
FILM TALES
PLM
WORDS: JAY LOWE

Paul Leonard-Morgan has already made a name for himself scoring British television dramas and documentaries, not to mention winning the BAFTA twice (think: British academy awards). In addition to his cinematic work, he’s also dabbled in indie rock, working with the likes of Snow Patrol, Belle and Sebastian and the Young Knives. But until now, he’s never released anything with his name on cover.

The music on Film Tales modulates back and forth between grandly imagined orchestral arrangements, heavy hitting electronic drum freak-outs and moments of cold, hauntingly ethereal sparseness, often in the same song. Morgan opens his album with the soulful, wispy vocals of Isobel Camppbell, formerly of Belle and Sebastian. The song, "Wilderness," is a sultry, seductive cut that establishes the demure tone that characterizes the rest of the record. Songs like "Seen from the Outside" and "Like a Bullet Through the Head" start out with spare instrumental arrangements, but Leonard-Morgan ineluctably adds more and more layers of instrumentation until the tracks erupt in a crescendo of electrosymphonic intensity. Most of Film Tales’ eleven songs manifest themselves similarly: orchestral scores embellished with breakbeats, jazzy bass lines and electronic fuzz, glitches and pops -- with harp glissandos thrown in for good measure, of course. "Standing Up," which is by far the coolest cut on the album, is a collaboration between Leonard-Morgan and Stephen Mason of the Beta Band, although it sounds more like a collaboration between Explosions in the Sky and Coldplay. Go figure.

By the time the end credits roll, it's clear that Film Tales is a wonderfully put together album. It showcases the compositional talent of a man with enough cred in the British film and television industry to not really need it. The songs are multi-layered and cinematic, but unfortunately don’t really escape into any new musical territory. This doesn't mean the album isn't a satisfying listen, because it is. The songs that really shine are the collaborations, but Leonard-Morgan's talent speaks for itself across the whole album. And who knows, if you're a fan of Film Tales, the next time you hear anything like it might be in the background during one of your favorite TV shows.