TIM HECKER

The North Water (Original Score) (Invada)

The North Water was one of the better TV adaptations of last year, and without experimental musician and soundtrack composer Tim Hecker’s score, it would not have packed such a significant aural or visual punch. The tale of a doomed 1859 Antarctic whaling trip starring Colin Farrell as the deranged Henry Drax was teeming with ferocious menace, the crew battling with the elements as well as each other, relentlessly so: think Heart Of Darkness meets Moby Dick.

Hecker spent some of the time working on the soundtrack for The North Water during a harsh Montreal winter trying to stave off cabin fever, which has only added additional authenticity. Moreover, he worked with cellist Thomas Beard and pianist Pietro Amato, along with percussionists Liam O’Neill and Stefan Schneider, to create a score that moves swiftly between beauty and peril and is as essential as any of Hecker’s previous albums.

words DAVID NOBAKHT