As composed by the Chemical Brothers, there is a remarkable amount of music box whimsy that accompanies the original motion picture soundtrack to Hanna. Laced especially through "Hanna's Theme," "the Devil is in the Details" and their respective variations, it's the perfect sound for the youthful naivete that comes with the protracted and protective isolation of childhood. Alternately, action scenes are delivered with digital loop de loops where layer upon layers of synth sounds spiral into kaleidoscopic new sounds.
As a score, it brings the Chemical Brothers to an arena in which they can explore dynamic shifts and ambient subtleties usually disallowed within the realm of techno. Scenes such as "Car Chase (Arp Worship)" fire off with a contained urgency and an appropriate amount of time to build tension before spilling over with an arena ready drum sound and then suddenly coaslescing into a hushed breath of a bridge. As it's own musical entity, it's compelling. As a score, it's so strong that it just comes short of overpowering the movie it was written for.
None of which is to say that the Chemical Brothers have completely abandoned form. "Escape Wavefold"s swaggering bass is a phenomenal reminder of where these composer's originally hail from. And "Container Park" shows the Chemical Brothers digging deep into their bag of techno tricks as the music lulls in and out of time and phase.
As an independent piece of work, Hanna stops just short of being a true album. There are too many snippets that stop short of being true songs. Additionally, there are also themes that bear repeated variations (though none so good as the demented electro clash "the Devil is in the Beats"). But as a score, it's undeniably captivating. It's an audio equivalent to Alice in Wonderland: a Dali-esque melting slideshow of childhood's journey as it's informed by the treacherous shadows of adulthood's lingering expectations and the surreality of a world formed beyond one's control or influence.
essential listening:
the Devil is in the Beats
Container Park
Escape Wavefold
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