John Carpenter – Lost Themes II – Album Review by Killian Laher

John Carpenter has soundtracked many a scary celluloid moment, most notably Halloween. With pedigree like that, you’d have a fair idea what a ‘solo’ album from him might be like, and you’d be right. The second non-soundtrack album from Carpenter, Lost Themes II kicks off with the creepy organs of Distant Dream.

There’s a slightly dated, 1980s feel to this and other tracks, with stabs of keyboards joined by pounding drums. The album vaguely resembles his soundtrack for The Fog. White Pulse is one of the stronger moments, it starts out evoking supernatural shows such as X-Files before the crashing, Nine Inch Nails style drums come in, and the track mutates into something approximating Reznor’s own soundtrack work. Angel’s Asylum isn’t a million miles away from this, though the effect is somewhat ruined by the homogenised beats that drag the track into a 4/4 rhythm. Hofner Dawn and Last Sunrise are better, with an ambient feel to them, while Windy Death borrows the slow-as-f**k drumbeat from The Cure’s Faith. A track called Bela Lugosi sounds pretty much as you’d expect, dark and spooky.

It’s impossible to get away from the fact that listening to this feels like listening to a film, it’s music in search of something to soundtrack. Not essential Carpenter, but decent music nonetheless.

Track List –

1. Distant Dream
2. White Pulse
3. Persia Rising
4. Angel’s Asylum
5. Hofner Dawn
6. Windy Death
7. Dark Blues
8. Virtual Survivor
9. Bela Lugosi
10. Last Sunrise
11. Utopian Facade

Distant Dream: