4 out of 5

Label: Illuminated Paths

Produced by: Erik Wofford (mastered by)

When you hire my band to score your movie, I assume you like my band, and so want to hear me do my band-y thing.  The Octopus Project might fail under those expectations, but seeing as how Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter’s director, David Zellner, has had the group score all three of his movies, he probably knows what he’s getting.  Chalk it up to shared Austin, Texas roots, but Zellner noted OP’s morphing musical abilities, despite their electro-pop leaning offerings, and recognized their ability to deliver something incredibly immersive and evocative of each of his movies’ themes and tones.

For Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter – a modern twist on the quest mentioned in its title – the score relies much on atmospherics and simple melodies, the former buzzing with life, kept at an electronic distance; the latter, sing-song, simple beats that are reminiscent of Pierre Bastien’s programmed automaton music.  Track names – Library; Solitude; Diner Walk – give us a sense of the character’s isolated trek, with the occasional appearance of calmly strummed guitar adding to the walkabout sensation, all hemmed in by muted sensibilities that can either be haunting or hopeful, depending on the moment’s need.

While an initial pass of the score might seem underwhelming, given the rather minimalist approach (especially from a band one might recognize as being pretty noise on occasion), there’s enough of a lingering spell left by the main themes (the title theme; ‘Bunzo’) to give it another go, with each returning listen exposing more aspects of what Zellner apparently sussed out of Octopus Project’s possibilities, and revealing deeper layers to each track.