BIRDY (OST)

Birdy is an 1983 soundtrack of the movie of the same name. It consists mainly of an instrumental reworking of themes and melodies of the two preceding albums, but there are also some new pieces composed for the occasion.

It's a mesmerizing and ambient album, with sparse instrumentation and lots of new sounds. The opening At Night only has some slow repetitive percussion and some dark dry chords on what sounds like flutes and a mellotron that was smothered under 10 blankets to muffle the sound. Brilliant. Pieces like Quiet and Alone, Slow Water, Slow Marimbas and Sketch Pad maintain a similarly gagging claustrophobic mood.

Most of the remaining tracks are derived from known songs. While they are certainly deserving, they list among the sort of things fans have more need for then anyone else. But when it comes to soundtracks this is up there with the best, Birdy is an amazing album but should be approached with an open mind. 3.5 stars