Metahaven’s 2018 documentary Possessed summarised the first steps of our messy divorce from technology. The internet age promised a joyful future delivered by instant, uncensored global communication. But the web has instead tangled us. It's bought itself out, reduced humans to commodities, been hijacked to sow profound worldwide division. Its chatter has become as deafening as it has meaningless. We are reliving the 1970s, a perverse rotting of the previous decade’s utopian values. With Possessed, Laurel Halo provides the soundtrack to this disintegrating future.
Possessed is at its most striking when noisiest. ‘Zeljava’, a lead-heavy and costive mid-point track, lingers long after it’s finished. But even the soundtrack's gentler passages—with Halo stepping back to make space for Metahaven’s visuals—make a very strong impression. Contrasts between the soundtrack’s two extremes are abrupt and jarring. Themes are introduced as flippantly as they are chucked away, and instrumentation is unswervingly eclectic. Possessed is a picture of chaos. A whole comprised of mismatched, conflicting pieces.
If one thing unifies Halo's material here, it’s panic. No matter the form, the content is fear. The solo piano of ‘Rome Theme III’ is a good example; bare and baroque when compared to its electronic peers, but no less defamiliarising. The piece stops and starts in staccato half-phrases—it’s like an animal limping from its predator, sustained by will alone, seconds from collapse. Conversely, ‘Breath’ is an amelodic and ambient piece—but it feels like Angelo Badalamenti soundtracking Hell. One of the few reprieves is ‘Stabat Mater (Except)’. This piano arrangement of a 18th century Pergolesi theme acts in delicate counterpoint to the chaos around it.
It’s remarkable how broad Laurel Halo goes on Possessed; how many tones and techniques she touches on. This soundtrack is ultimately so wild and diverse it feels exhausting. But its dense fury does provide a catharsis, and a comforting sense that we’re all as confused as each other.
Possessed is available for purchase and streaming here.
Words: Andrew O’Keefe