Mike Patton – The Solitude of Prime Numbers

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Ipecac Recordings
Produced by Mike Patton

Mike Patton is a constant challenge to his listener’s sense of open mindedness when it comes to music. Enjoy his alternative rock with Faith No More or Tomahawk? Try his avant garde work with Mr. Bungle or Fantomas. That fine with you? Then how about straight up modern pop with Peeping Tom, or ’60s Italian pop music with Mondo Cane? With his work catering for so many extremes, it is difficult to be surprised or shocked by what he does, though putting on a new record by Patton should immediately invoke feelings of anticipation as to what he is about to do next.

Of course, soundtrack albums have been something that Patton has been producing more of recently, including soundtracks for short movie ‘A Perfect Place’ and Jason Statham sequel ‘Crank: High Voltage’. Both of these could be considered to have loud soundtracks to suit the productions themselves, but ‘La solitudine dei numeri primi’ (‘The Solitude of Prime Numbers’) is far from a loud film. Based on the best selling Italian book of the same name, the film is subtle, introverted and considered, about as far as one can get from a Jason Statham film.

So this soundtrack album – which includes music both from and inspired by the book and its film adaptation – is a much more minimalist affair than previous Patton soundtracks. Quite often the pieces are little more than piano tracks or otherwise simple one-instrument pieces that give a more ambient experience. There are of course more developed pieces as well, but the tone is often kept delicate and tries not to be too bombastic – sometimes it fails at the latter, with some of the songs proving quite loud despite their minimalist approach. The album does have a certain degree of atmosphere about it, but ultimately the music is fairly melodic and relatively distant from Patton’s avant-garde past. As can be expected for a soundtrack, signature melodies flow through the album’s whole, making the entire soundtrack itself a complete experience, regardless of whether the listener has seen the movie of not.

This all being said, even this collection of music perhaps is a bit heavy for the film itself. The film actually doesn’t feature as much of this soundtrack as one might expect, and it is often subtly placed in order for the characters – not the music – to be the strong focus. Tracks such as Cicatrix and Radius of Convergence, despite their general minimalist approach, do feel very extroverted and attention-grabbing – this perhaps doesn’t make them entirely suitable for the production, even if they make for terrific music otherwise.

Regardless, Music From and Inspired by The Solitude of Prime Numbers is an interesting piece of work in its own right. It tells an abstract story without words, and whilst it might not entirely suit the mood of the actual film, it is an otherwise very compelling soundtrack and is the kind of music that will provoke you into viewing the film (or possibly the book) for yourself. It also portrays a new facet of an already multi-faceted artist, having less of the signature sounds and techniques associated with him. It is obviously not the kind of music to get drunk and headbang to, but then Mike Patton isn’t exactly the first artist to spring to mind for such music. It is the kind of music for people who want something different, which is exactly what Mike Patton regularly – and successfully – provides.

“ a much more minimalist affair ”

Tracklist: Twin Primes / Identity Matrix / Method of Infinite Descent / Contraceptive / Gigatrix / Abscissa / Isolated Primes / Radius of Convergence / Separatrix / The Snow Angel / Apnoea / Supersingular Primes / Quadratix / Calculus of Finite Differences / Zeroth / Weight of Consequences

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Non-metal, Mike Patton