Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason

Solaris (the classic film by Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky) has inspired a questionable remake, countless graduate papers and several attempts to revitalize its soundtrack. For this latest Bedroom Community release, Australian sound artist Ben Frost teamed up with Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason for what was first conceived as a live scoring of the film. This relationship between film and the events of its scoring underline the restraint of the compositions, which although evocative and haunting often give way to the imagery of Tarkovsky's diabolical vision. This is typically the issue with soundtrack albums: they sound unmoored on their own. Unfortunately this is not a situation the fiercely adventurous Frost, who has recently collaborated with Brian Eno, among others, tries to overcome. Sólaris is a worthwhile collaboration, but one that could stand to benefit from its creators more abrasive tendencies.