Daniel Lopatin // Uncut Gems — OST

Warp Records

Uncut Gems is not Daniel Lopatin's first collaboration with the Safdie Brothers. In fact, Lopatin also scored the pair's last film, 2017's neon-soaked crime drama Good Time. It is interesting, then, that Lopatin decided to use his full name as opposed to his critically acclaimed alias, Oneohtrix Point Never — especially considering Uncut Gems is one of his most fully realized accomplishments yet. Without having seen the film [not yet released at the time of this writing], and with only sparing clips of dialogue, Lopatin excels at creating a mood based on a combination of electronic noises, organic instruments, and even sound collage. We don't, for example, need to know much more about the scene it scores to understand how tense a synth piece like "School Play" really is. And for all of its lush production, that is still where Lopatin's primary talents lie; shimmering synths coat the six-minute opening title track, occasionally interrupted by indecipherable yelling or jazz-like horn accents. It sets a tone for uneasy listening throughout, only sometimes replaced by a reassuring soundscape. Put simply, Uncut Gems OST doesn't need a movie to make sense; it's a thrilling journey in its own right.

— Aaron Mook