“Infused
with wispy, ethereal music, Beautiful Creatures is a stunning album;
the fabulous soundtrack to the film of
the same name from Dhani Harrison’s
critically-acclaimed band the thenewno2,
which also features Liela Moss from
Duke Spirit and Ben Harper...”
RELAX AND ENJOY LISTENING TO BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, a gorgeous CD of
the soundtrack of the soon-to-be hit film of the same name, a supernatural love
story set in the South.
Grammy award-winning Dhani Harrison and his band, thenewno2, have brought out
an amazing and powerful album with the release of their debut original film
score and soundtrack Beautiful Creatures, full of inspired tracks that
are magical and uplifting; ethereal and dreamlike.
“With classical richness,
Beautiful Creatures
touches the deep
recesses of the heart
rarely reached;
with a gorgeous mix of
magical, fabulous,
powerful and ethereal
melodies”
Along
with the original score there are two unreleased thenewno2 tracks, including
the lovely and folk-ish Run To Me, with Ben Harper and Liela Moss of
Duke Spirit and Never Too Late, a wonderful song and a terrific finale
to the album, which also features Leila Moss.
Of much sentimental value to Dhani, Beautiful Creatures has a surreal
and timeless quality. Dhani is, of course, the son of the late (and definitely
great) George Harrison and his wife Olivia so it should come as no surprise
that he should be so gifted. All credit to Dhani, three-time Grammy Award-winner
Paul Hicks and composer Jonathan Sadoff for the original music on this fine
album.
We loved The Caster Theme, a relaxing and beautiful melody and Breaking
The Ice, which is mesmerising. Dark Magic and Make It Home
are stimulating and upbeat and the tremendous Holidays At Ravenwood,
the spooky Other Ways Someone Can Die To Us and scalp-tingling The
Caster Library are deliciously atmospheric.
In dreaming up the score, film Director Richard LaGravenese wanted a sound for
Beautiful Creatures that was unique; something he had not heard before.
Enter thenewno2, delivering a melody-driven soundscape that infuses electronica
and modern rock with a Southern Gothic sultriness, creating a new genre the
band has dubbed Swamptronica.
Richard LaGravenese says of the band: "Their ideas, their excitement and their
creativity knocked me out. Marvelling at the score's melodic power and richness
of sound, the director does not see thenewno2 as a mere musical outfit. They
are, he says, "three composers forming one unit, each with a distinct, savant-like
talent, with equal parts genius and madness." Wow.
Genius is a fitting word. The band created the score over an extensive three-month
period in both their hometown studio in Santa Monica, CA, and in London, England.
With a 54-piece London-based orchestra, thenewno2 recorded in the famed Abbey
Road's Studio 2 — Dhani's first time recording at Abbey Road but a homecoming
for Paul Hicks. His twelve-year tenure at Abbey Road included producing and
working on Let It Be... Naked (the acclaimed Beatles re-masters) as well
as working with artistes such as Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and Placebo.
Beautiful Creatures is an extraordinary accomplishment that encompasses
such stirring and emotive tracks as the eerie Sarafine At The Door; the
surging Ridley's Swamptronica and the dramatic Lena Runs To Ethan. With
classical richness, Beautiful Creatures touches the deep recesses of
the heart rarely reached; with a gorgeous mix of magical, fabulous, powerful
and ethereal melodies.
The band's 2012 sophomore album thefearof missingout was praised by NPR
Music for radiating a "restless energy that helps it sound both independent-minded
and eager to please". Always expanding their collective, thenewno2 enlisted
close to a dozen talented musicians to showcase their talents throughout their
original score. Paul's father Tony Hicks, of The Hollies, also features on the
album.
•
The
beautiful Beautiful Creatures original motion picture soundtrack by thenewno2
is released through Watertower Music on 12 February 2013.
Tracklisting: 1 Interception | 2 The Caster Theme | 3 Breaking
The Ice | 4 Macon's Magic Wand | 5 Dark Magic | 6 Lena's
Magic/The Love Theme | 7 Swamptronica/Voudon | 8 Make It Home
(Ridley's Siren Remix) | 9 Sarafine At Church | 10 Holidays At Ravenwood
| 11 Family Dinner | 12 Ridley's Claiming | 13 The Spell That
Left A Curse | 14 Ridley Goes To The Pictures | 15 Other Ways
Someone Can Die To Us | 16 Sarafine At The Door/Love Breaks The Spell
| 17 The Caster Library | 18 Searching For The Curse | 19 The
Burning Sign | 20 The Curse Reveals Itself (Tragic Love Theme) |
21 Sacrifice | 22 Ridley's Swamptronica | 23 The Honey Hill
Stomp | 24 Lena runs To Ethan | 25 Lena's Love Rage/Macon's Addagio
| 26 Mother And Daughter | 27 Run To Me | 28 Never Too Late.
"With classical richness, Beautiful Creatures touches the deep recesses
of the heart rarely reached; with a gorgeous mix of magical, fabulous, powerful
and ethereal melodies" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
thenewno2
From a line borrowed from television's cult series The Prisoner, the
band named themselves 'thenewno2' (The New No. 2). A Los Angeles-based, critically-acclaimed
band and collective, thenewno2 line-up comprises singer/guitarist Dhani Harrison,
Paul Hicks (keyboards/programming), Jonathan Sadoff (keyboards/guitar), Jeremy
Faccone (guitar), Aaron Older (bass) and Frank Zummo (drums). Since its inception,
Dhani has tirelessly expanded thenewno2 as an art collective, creating both
videos and artwork.
In between the band's 2009 debut, You Are Here and their 2012 sophomore
album, thefearofmissingout, Dhani formed Fistful of Mercy, an NPR top-rated
side project with Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur, Jonathan Sadoff composed for
two films (Good Old Fashioned Orgy and Seeking A Friend For The End
Of The World) and Paul won his third Grammy in Sound Engineering.
“Infused
with wispy, ethereal music,