If Brady Corbet‘s The Childhood of a Leader hadn’t received plenty of early praise as a forceful, confident directorial debut from a perpetually interesting young actor, my eye would still be fixed on it for one reason: composer Scott Walker. The press-shy, not-exactly-prolific musician has a fanbase as narrow as it is dedicated — David Bowie may have been first and foremost among them, often considering him a North Star; just hear his reaction to a birthday wish for some idea — and his one contribution to film-scoring, on Leos Carax’s Pola X, is among the best anybody has produced in the last 20 years.
Though a recent convert, I consider myself among said fanbase, and so: whatever I come to make of it, The Childhood of a Leader earns credit for giving us a new, of-the-same-name Scott Walker album on August 19, ahead of which there’s now a very brief preview. The film’s U.S. trailer is, I’m sorry to say from some experience, akin to a concentrated attack of panic, anger, and paranoia hitting all at once, and the string-heavy accompaniment plays a rather major role in making this happen — a matter that’s reinforced in the only-47-second burst made available. Oh, what a fine subway-riding companion this shall make in the late days of summer!
Below, have a listen, see the cover art, and view the track list (via Pitchfork); we’ll update this post if the full score becomes available for streaming:
01 Orchestral Tuning Up
02 Opening
03 Dream Sequence
04 Village Walk
05 Run
06 Down the Stairs
07 Up the Stairs
08 The Letter
09 Versailles
10 Cutting Flowers
11 Boy, Mirror, Cars Arriving
12 Third Tantrum
13 Printing Press
14 On the Way to the Meeting
15 The Meeting
16 Post Meeting
17 Finale
18 New Dawn (Synth Layout for Cut Scene)
The Childhood of a Leader score is now available to pre-order ahead of an August 19 release.