Ennio Morricone

There’s really no way to put together a bad Ennio Morricone compilation. Nevertheless, Crime and Dissonance is a superior collection of music compiled for maximum psychoactive response. The two-disc Crime and Dissonance is the work of Mike Patton’s label, featuring John Zorn writing the liner notes, and Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, Sublime Frequencies label) trolling through the maestro’s extra-freaky period of 1969-’74. Each disc gets off to a rocking start; little Floydian gems that bounce from ear to ear with heavy guitar vibratos. In quick succession, all of Morricone’s talents are brought to the fore; his use of improvisation and electronics, his daring experiments with wordless vocals, his bizarre orchestrations, and his taste for wicked rock breaks. The emphasis on these qualities sets Crime and Dissonance apart from other reissues. It’s hard to imagine exactly what kind of visuals these compositions are supporting; very few of them suggest "the chase scene” or "the love scene” in mood or tempo. The only visual image to come up again and again is "the opium den scene,” undoubtedly suggested by sitars and other trippy sounds throughout Crime and Dissonance is a great addition to Ipecac’s catalogue, complementing and informing contemporary devotees of Morricone’s work, such as Mr. Patton himself.