A neo-western starring Sydney Sweeney and a man with a beard, Americana seemed to come and go from cinemas with so little attention, despite the fact that its lead actor seems to appear in every third post I read on social media. That’s a bit mysterious, and I do hope it doesn’t mean that David Fleming’s impressive score passes people by. It’s a beautifully introspective work tinged with elements of country music (the guitars, including a pedal steel guitar, some of the string work and little instrumental touches) which stands up very well on its own as a listening experience as well as painting a solid dramatic picture.
The opening “The Old New West” is a wonderful piece which introduces the main theme, a fluid melody which goes on to be heard in many different guises through the score, some (like here) featuring soulful, wordless vocals performed by Michael Geiger, who sadly passed away in between this score being recorded and the movie being released. When Fleming goes on to further explore a little four-note ascending phrase which backs the theme, it sometimes sounds (coincidentally, I’m sure) similar to the one Hans Zimmer built his No Time to Die finale cue from, and it’s a really lovely one. There’s a bit of Morricone about the few times Fleming really goes more into action territory (most prominently in the trio of cues “Arm the Women”, “Wyoming Showdown” and “The Cowboy Code” towards the end) which have a wonderful showmanship to them, but interestingly for other action scenes the composer allows the introspection to remain, which works really well. The short album is extremely enjoyable from start to finish, is built using a really interesting palette of sounds which means it comes across as fresh and different – highly recommended.
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