Nils Frahm & Woodkid – Ellis OST – Review by Killian Laher

Nils Frahm has teamed up with singer-songwriter Woodkid for this haunting sound track to Robert de Niro’s forthcoming short film about Ellis Island. Frahm’s fine piano skills are put to good use, Winter Morning I is a highly evocative piece which unfurls over nine minutes, joined by sharp bursts of soaring strings and additional keyboards.

The fifteen minute Winter Morning II is even more atmospheric. Opening up with string drones and ambient sounds, it features de Niro giving a dark monologue throughout, a grim tale of US immigration, punctuated by the growling music. It’s a powerful piece of suspense-building, de Niro’s slow delivery just adds to the drama, describing *spoiler alert* how he “took her body and put it in the water and watched it float to where she wanted to go”. The effect is truly unsettling, if a little unseasonal music. It’s available from www.erasedtapes.com

Track List:

01 Winter Morning I
02 Winter Morning II (with Robert De Niro)

Official Trailer: