[Ruslan32]

Great thread, Nicolai!

I’ve been thinking about this almost all day today. Personally, I found it quite difficult to choose just one special album… But that’s the beauty of it—it encourages me to reflect more deeply and figure out why a particular album is meaningful to me.

And that album is The Shrouds by Howard Shore.

First of all, I want to say that this score is very different from anything else he has composed—at least from the works I’ve been able to listen to. Perhaps Crimes of the Future has a somewhat similar atmosphere in terms of sound (which is also an excellent score, by the way).

Howard Shore used electronics earlier in his career, though I’ve always considered him primarily an orchestral composer. This score also stands out because of its very strong and expressive atmosphere.

The synthesizers are fascinating and sound beautiful. I’d really love to know exactly which synths he used. The music relies more on atmosphere and the harmonic qualities of the sound palette than on memorable themes, but for me, that is not a drawback at all.

The main theme, which reappears several times throughout the album, immediately establishes the right tone and mood. There are hints of Vangelis and a very Blade Runner-like atmosphere (Thor also mentioned this in his brief review on the site). In places, the music becomes gloomy and tense.

The track “Fluid of Grief” is an especially touching and sorrowful piece. The title alone already says a lot.

The track “Karsh” feels calm, reflective, and filled with musical silence. In fact, throughout the album, Shore uses silence and pauses masterfully. I would even say he makes perfect use of the soundscape: nothing feels overloaded, yet the music seems to dissolve directly into the listener’s mind.

“Becca” has a similar mood. It feels like a quiet and mournful ode to loss—to the loss of love and meaning in Karsh’s life.

Most of the remaining tracks convey the atmosphere of a technologically advanced future world while also supporting the film’s more tense and unsettling moments.

I truly love this score. I love listening to it from beginning to end without skipping tracks or getting distracted. For me, there are no weak or mediocre pieces here. I’ve listened to the album many times over the past few months, and I know I will continue returning to it.

It’s a completely electronic score, although some of the violin textures sound close to orchestral ones.

Maybe I’m one of the few people who genuinely loved this score. Howard Shore is mostly celebrated for his large-scale orchestral works, so I understand why this album might not appeal to everyone.

I became so interested in the music that I eventually wanted to watch the film itself and see how the score functioned within it. And honestly—it fits perfectly. I’m always amazed by how composers can capture visual imagery and translate it into music so effectively. I’m sure David Cronenberg was very pleased with the result, because the music conveys the emotions flawlessly.

And I’m probably also one of the few people who actually liked the movie itself. For some reason, many Cronenberg fans seemed disappointed by it, even though it contains many of the director’s signature stylistic elements and themes.

Of course, there are some uncomfortable, strange, and even unintentionally funny moments (anyone who has seen the film probably knows exactly what I mean 😉).

To me, the meaning of the story feels quite clear: Karsh never truly came to terms with his wife’s death, and over time that grief evolved into obsession.

What makes this album special to me is its atmosphere—an atmosphere of bitterness, grief, loss, and love. The soundscapes are mesmerizing. I simply lose myself in them and, at times, they help me mentally escape from oppressive reality.

Thor was absolutely right when he said that Howard Shore has an underrated talent for electronic music.