In Treatment Composed by Richard Marvin
Anti Records (2011)
Rating:
6/10
Soundclips below from AmazonMP3
“Such pure and
unashamed underscore is a difficult prospect outside of the show, as
it finds itself in an environment it was never intended to inhabit.
”
Marvin's Treatment
Review by Richard Buxton
With music taking centre stage in many recent major television series such
as LOST, HUMAN TARGET and 24 it almost comes as a surprise when the score
takes a backseat and allows the drama onscreen to carry the weight. Shows
such as the aforementioned three are universally known for their
enigmatic, adventurous and intense themes, making their analysis somewhat
easier than RICHARD MARVIN’S work for IN TREATMENT.
With the exclusion of AVI BELLELI’S title theme music from the score, it
becomes difficult to identify any overarching theme for the series. While
“Jake & Amy (theme) – Week 1 – Season 1” (4) and “Sophie – Week 2 – Season
1” (2) are used during the credits, the tracks consist of ideas found only
sparsely elsewhere. With most episodes detailing the sessions of a
different patient, the only identifiable consistencies in theme or
instrumentation come when a particular patient is granted multiple tracks
across the soundtrack. For example Gina, a character with 6 tracks in the
score release. “Gina – Week 5 – Season 1” (7) and ”Gina – Week 1 – Season
1” (16) mirror one another in instrumentation and their pensive tone, but
it’s there that the similarities come to an end. No theme becomes
apparent, just mood and timbre.
The other major factor in reviewing such a score is the employment of them
music within the show. As character development holds the majority of
attention the music is used sparingly but to reasonably strong effect. The
entire first episode, bar the opening title, is devoid of music until the
plot reaches breaking point and the characters reach a revelatory moment.
Such usage ensures the largely repetitive looping compositions do not
become grating and the plot points are suitable emphasized. This cannot,
however, be said for the solely listening experience. The majority of
RICHARD MARVIN’S compositions are clearly at their most comfortable when
assisting visuals, and their consistent repetition can become grating when
the score is listened to non-stop. That is not to say that there are not
some pieces worth hearing outside of the show.
MARVIN’S compositions can generally be assigned one of three purposes; a
creator of tension, momentum or release. Tensions run high in the
juxtaposing instrumentation of “Gina – Week 5 – Season 2” (17), the rhythm
of the percussion and bass provides ample drive and momentum in “Walter –
Week 4 – Season 2” (1) and uplifting release is a welcome break in “Sophie
– Week 2 – Season 1” (2) and “Paul Follows Laura –Week 1 – Season 9” (18).
Tracks revolving around the character Oliver tend to consist of gentle
meandering motifs whereas Gina’s concentrate on a cocktail of intensity
and apprehension. Structuring the score between these three identities
provides a generally pleasing mixture but never manages to force itself on
the viewer in a way that would catalyze repeat listens.
Such pure and unashamed underscore is a difficult prospect outside of the
show, as it finds itself in an environment it was never intended to
inhabit. Therefore it is difficult to recommend for those without a
specific penchant for reliving the many sessions of Dr. Paul Weston.
