Somewhat naively, I was sort of expecting this to sound like a Radiohead album. Having not seen the film, this album really could have been anything. But I was glad it wasn't a Radiohead album, I like to hear something a bit different.
Maybe it's because I haven't seen the film however, that I don't really like this album too much. The opening track, 'Open Spaces' didn't really offer me anything as a stand-alone piece of classical music. It was really just a repeated orchestral phrase, which is by no means a bad thing. But this is only considering that it is a soundtrack. I suppose this is my point: I haven't seen There Will Be Blood. All the time I'm listening to the album, I just keep imagining what the film may or may not be like. It's actually quite annoying, picturing images in my head which undoubtedly have nothing to do with the film.
'Prospectors Arrive' is possibly one of the only tracks which I genuinely enjoyed as a piece of classical music. I didn't get the feeling that I should really be watching Daniel Day Lewis crying over the price of oil. Or somehting. It was nice. The piano intro was caming, and there was rarely anything which clashed. I know that Greenwood uses suspended chords, and other clashing sort of things to complement the feeling of the film. But again, I cannot appreciate this because I haven't seen it.
Maybe I'm being a bit harsh. Greenwood is clearly a talented musician. The album is good, as a soundtrack. But that, to me, is all that it is. I understand that it probably complements the mood and message of the film perfectly. But without the film, I cannot appreciate it. I do plan to watch There Will Be Blood, I've heard great things abouot it. Indeed, once I do I may eat these words. But for now I can't give it any more than a 2.5/5, simply because it doesn't do anything on its own.
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