ABSTRACT
Michel Gondry's feature films involve both original and pre-existing music. This chapter discusses musical strategies in several of Gondry's films according to the styles, palettes, and other choices in play. Most of the original music is dramatic underscore by Graeme Revell. The music in this tortuous, emotionally pained tale of memory annihilation after a relationship turned sour, and of the persistence of hope, features original music by Jon Brion and pre-existing music. The song features the whispery singing of Kimiko Ono, thus fitting the palette of whispered voices in music across Gondry's work are discussed. The three music selections of Boards of Canada-"Over the Horizon Radar", "Ready Lets Go", and "Satellite Anthem Icarus"-offer contrasting emotional and timbral palettes that range from pulsing industrial sounds to acoustic rock. The world of 1970s alternative French culture provides a major resource for Microbe et Gasoil.
