Prime-Video - Amazon Studios Bliss Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Will Bates

By Mulder, 05 february 2021

Milan Records today releases Bliss (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with music by composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Fall On Your Sword founder Will Bates. Available everywhere now, the album features music written by Bates for the romantic sci-fi thriller by writer and director Mike Cahill, marking the third collaboration between Bates and Cahill. Included within the 24-track album is a new original song entitled “You And I,” which features vocals from Skye Edwards of Morcheeba – listen here. Bliss makes its debut on Prime Video and in select theaters on Friday, February 5 from Amazon Studios.

Will Bates is an award-winning composer, multi-instrumentalist and founder of music production company Fall On Your Sword. He has composed original scores for a myriad of filmmakers including acclaimed directors Mike Cahill (Another Earth, I Origins), Alex Gibney (We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Zero Days), Ry Russo-Young (You Won’t Miss Me, Nobody Walks) and Fisher Stevens (Mission Blue, Bright Lights). Bates has scored a number of television series: Golden Globe & Emmy-nominated Netflix series Unbelievable, SyFy’s hit The Magicians, Hulu’s The Path, Chance and The Looming Tower, Away for Netflix, as well as NBC’s Rise. Other projects include Sweetbitter on Starz, the George R.R. Martin series Nightflyers on Netflix, and the Hulu biographical documentary Hillary. Will’s recent features include Michael Tyburski’s The Sound of Silence, the HBO documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, and the horror-thriller Depraved. Upcoming features include Michael Haussman’s Rajah set in 19th century Borneo and Mike Cahill’s Bliss.

Of the soundtrack, Will Bates says, “Collaborating with Mike Cahill continues to be one of my greatest joys. He is a visionary, and he’s always pushing the boundaries of what is possible. There’s so much mutual trust when we work together. He has the ability of putting everyone he works with in this safe, magical environment that really encourages experimentation. I find myself being challenged in new ways and, despite having worked on so many projects together, it seems as if I’m always trying something new with him… The key was to find the tonal balance that the story has; this mind-bending almost absurdist reality against Greg’s heartbreaking journey. The scale of the movie let me really stretch the palette. Along with all sorts of mangled analogue synths, this was my first experience with a full orchestra, and also one that allowed me to dip into my background as a jazz saxophonist.”

A crucial sonic suite in the film, soundtrack lead single “You and I” features an entrancing and ethereal vocal performance by Morcheeba’s Skye Edwards, whose voice sails over a rich backdrop of warm strings towards a hypnotic crescendo. The track was released alongside an official music video featuring scenes from the film as well as footage of Skye Edwards performing her entrancing vocals – watch here. The full soundtrack album boasts both the original version of “You and I” as well as a Fall On Your Sword Remix from composer Will Bates’ production company.

Of “You and I,” Bates adds, “As we were nearing the end of the process, we had the idea of there being a song that melodically incorporated the love theme. I’ve known Skye Edwards for years, since my London days (my old band once opened for Morcheeba.) Mike and I agreed it just had to be her voice, so I wrote the song for her to sing. It was going to be just in the end credits, but when Mike heard it, he recut one of the other scenes in the movie and used it there too.”

Bliss is a mind-bending love story following Greg (Owen Wilson) who, after recently being divorced and then fired, meets the mysterious Isabel (Salma Hayek), a woman living on the streets and convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is just a computer simulation. Doubtful at first, Greg eventually discovers there may be some truth to Isabel’s wild conspiracy.

Bliss (original motion picture soundtrack) tracklisting :
01 - You And I
02 - This Is Real Life
03 - The Inside Of Your Head Must Be Amazing
04 - Rabbit Hole
05 - Trying To Reach You
06 - Kendo
07 - Light Bouncing Around Your Neurons
08 - You Have To See It For Yourself
09 - Great Overwhelming
10 - The Thought Visualizer
11 - Home
12 - Let’s Go For A Swim
13 - Are You Really Here
14 - It Would Be My honor
15 - The Telekinetic Warrior
16 - My Braids Dad
17 - The Scenic Route
18 - Hotel Pleiades
19 - Blues Here We Come
20 - We’re Back In
21 - Go
22 - Safe Harbor
23 - You’re Here
24 - You And I (Fall On Your Sword Remix)

Synopsis :
A recently-divorced guy falls for an enchanting woman's theory that they live in a harsh, alternative world simulation inside of a beautiful, blissful reality.

Bliss
Written and directed by Mike Cahill
Produced by James D. Stern
Starring Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Madeline Zima, Nesta Cooper, DeRon Horton, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Joshua Leonard
Music by Will Bates
Cinematography : Markus Förderer
Edited by Troy Takaki
Production companies : Endgame Entertainment
Distributed by Amazon Studios
Release date : February 5, 2021 (United States)

(Source : press release)