General Article name: Palo Alto [Original Motion Picture Score]
Genre: Soundtrack / Filmmusik Product type: LP (Vinyl) Label: Domino Number of tracks: 18 Duration: Tracklist LP - 1 1. Devonté Hynes - Palo Alto 2. Devonté Hynes - Soccer Field 3. Devonté Hynes - Teddy & April 4. Devonté Hynes - April’s Daydream 5. Devonté Hynes - Run to Graveyard 6. Devonté Hynes - April’s Bathroom Bummer 7. Devonté Hynes - Emily & Fred, Pt. 1 8. Devonté Hynes - Emily & Fred, Pt. 2 9. Devonté Hynes - Teddy Rides Home 10. Devonté Hynes - Teddy & Fred in the Playground 11. Devonté Hynes - Teddy in the Library 12. Devonté Hynes - Big Game 13. Devonté Hynes - April Bounces 14. Devonté Hynes - Skateboard Garage 15. Devonté Hynes - Teddy Loves April 16. Devonté Hynes - April by the Pool 17. Devonté Hynes - Fred Drives 18. Devonté Hynes - Teddy Is Crushed   Description Release Review (en)

Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, Test Icicles, Blood Orange, and Lightspeed Champion mastermind Devonte Hynes' largely minimalist score for the largely minimalist coming of age film Palo Alto feels a bit paltry for a full-length release, but there's no denying its hypnotic effect on the listener's psyche. Directed by Gia Coppola and based on a collection of short stories by thespian James Franco, the film follows the lives a group of alienated California high schoolers, and Hynes' largely synth-based, ambient pop-infused score does a nice job evoking the dense prescription drug- and media-driven miasma that hangs over the head of the 21st century teenager. Built around the hazy title track, which feels like it belongs in the piney Northwestern forests of David Lynch's fictitious Twin Peaks as much as it does Southern California, the 18-track set works better as a single mood piece than it does a playlist-ready batch of singles. Listeners looking for a more pop-centric collection of Palo Alto-related material would be better off picking up the non-score version of the soundtrack, which features Hynes' evocative title cut, but also includes songs from Rooney's Robert Schwartzman, Mac DeMarco, Tonstartssbandht, and Coconut Records, the latter of which is a pseudonym for actor/rocker Jason Schwartzman. [Palo Alto was also released on LP.] ~ James Christopher Monger

James Christopher Monger

Contributors Artist: Hynes Devonte Artist: Devonté Hynes Record Label: Domino