Continuing a Welcome Throwback
Anyone with an internet connection has probably seen or at least heard of Stranger Things, the hit Netflix series that released quietly last year and quickly shot into a world of critical and commercial acclaim unseen outside of Game of Thrones. The success of the show largely rode on the tight writing and solid acting, but much of the viral effect of the show was due to its strong grasp of small town ’80s culture, and the music of Season One went a long way towards capturing the feel of the ’80s and the genre of the show without being too on the nose. In Season Two the soundtrack acts similarly to the show. The plot is similar, the feeling is largely intact, but everything has evolved to something bigger and more dramatic, and as always, the stakes are even higher.
There’s not so much a standout song on the record, as it was obviously created to play companion to scenes on a television screen. Luckily they don’t work out poorly as a listening experience. Longer songs like “Eulogy,” “Chicago,” “Symptoms” and “The Hub” dot the track listing, occasionally allowing for more of a standard song structure for the listener to get lost in. Much of the album is comprised of pieces of around one to two minutes long — some are calmer and more ambient, like “On the Bus” or “Presumptuous.” Pieces like that serve well as in-between songs within both an album format and a show format, leaving areas for the story to take place with some musical accompaniment that is not distracting but instead is compelling.
The major tracks however do serve rather well as songs. “Eulogy” is a quiet, ambient track; as the title implies, the tone is mournful and it is easy to imagine this track playing as a camera cranes away from a wide shot during a character death. The synths whine against a sparse background, creating a contemplative atmosphere for the listener to get lost in. “Chicago” on the other hand is far more menacing, as the synth line burbles and grumbles against the weight of the silence in the background. The song, much like the titular city, is looming and massive. There is an inherent sense of unease in this track, and the deep synth line does nothing to alleviate that feeling when laser synth notes burst violently in and out of the track. The last and most notable major track is “The Hub.” This track features a masterful use of found sound, the middle section strangely reminiscent of Blanck Mass’s “Silent Treatment” albeit less aggressive. “The Hub” plays out as a balance between intensity and restraint. The early elements are hyper intense, featuring menacingly deep synth notes that force themselves against the walls of the track, threatening to burst through. The latter half of the track is much more chase oriented, as the thought of a Demagorgon chasing a child down a hallway readily springs to mind.
It is quite a feat to have a soundtrack, no less a movie soundtrack, be so sublimely balanced in the way that ST2 is. The tracks constantly flit between ambient and driven, much in the way that the show does, often times flipping multiple times in a single track. The throwback element remains a propulsive force but never feels like a crutch. It should come as no surprise that this series which has inspired such a strong revival of the ’80s tone, features music that would fit perfectly within the time, but never feels ham-fisted or irrelevant. Should the show keep up its tremendous run of success, these soundtracks will be one day looked upon in the same way that the themes of John Carpenter are today.
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