Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)

Thom Yorke - Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film)
Critic Score
Based on 27 reviews
User Score
Based on 422 ratings
2018 Rank: #145
Liked by 51 people
October 26, 2018 / Release Date
Soundtrack / Format
XL / Label
Ambient / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Mojo
It's an album that is, by turns, melancholy and unsettling, tragic and nightmarish, unfolding with a creeping narrative dread.
90
Spill Magazine

While the Suspiria soundtrack pushes every button the listener has, it is exactly that tendency that exemplifies Yorke’s debut success as a film scorer. With a timeless aesthetic that ties together familiarity and novelty in a seemingly effortless way, he has managed once again to push himself towards new realms of accomplishment.

90
Spectrum Culture
As far as soundtracks go, Yorke has excelled. He avoids the common pitfalls of generic, placid post-minimalism in favor of a tactile set of music that easily moves between styles and genres.
90
Northern Transmissions

Though it remains to be seen how well it will fit the film itself and retain as an iconic piece in its own right, this is a piece worthy of the legacy of Suspiria.

90
Crack Magazine
These are pieces of music at once as crushing as they are uplifting, perfect accompaniments to their cinematic partners but capable, too, of transcending them as works of art, becoming something else entirely.
83
A.V. Club

It’s big and gaudy and abrasive; it’s lushly textured and symphonic; it’s Yorke’s best solo album, assuming you are into the idea of 80 minutes of Amnesiac B-sides and analog dark ambient.

80
Evening Standard
It is by turns unsettling, disturbing and flat-out terrifying. However, it also has moments of extreme beauty — Klemperer Walks, The Conjuring of Anke — and in Suspirium and Open Again, a pair of vintage Yorke vocals for Radiohead nuts to cherish.
80
Pitchfork

In its minimalist opacity and Vantablack depths, it’s the polar opposite of Goblin’s playfully neon-hued approach, and it’s in going to that extreme that Yorke has made Suspiria his own.

80
Q Magazine
At its best you're reminded of Yorke's eminent skill: a fluency in dark, otherworldly romance that makes the alien sound familiar.
80
Gigwise

Suspiria may not boast the same symphonic breadth of the soundtrack work composed by Yorke’s bandmate Jonny Greenwood, but, as you would suspect from the two creative forces behind Radiohead, they share an ability to leave an indelible impression, even without the accompanying visuals.

80
FLOOD Magazine

The pinnacle of masterful soundtrack writing, certainly, is to listen apart from the film, and still be able to conjure imagery in its place. Thom Yorke’s Suspiria is that rarest of beasts: music for a cinematic work that can stand on its own.

80
The Observer
It’s to Yorke’s credit that the sense of foreboding he conjures, whether in the discordant Volk or the more elegant Olga’s Destruction (Volk Tape), manages to be so evocative even without Guadagnino’s visuals.
80
The Independent

Yorke’s first ever soundtrack summons the darkness of horror, and the terror of blood and evil, over 25 tracks ... But Suspiria is not all creepy instrumentals. A handful of tracks stand out, and are among Yorke’s best solo work.

80
XLR8R

Yorke’s job here is to maximise the impact of the film through sound, something he does masterfully whenever employed.

80
Uncut

Thom Yorke's Suspiria might not be to everyone's taste--but it feel enough, for now.

80
Rolling Stone

It’s an intriguing sideways swerve for Yorke, who’s still finding new ways to unsettle and delight listeners after all these years as one of rock’s greatest ever late-night spooks.

80
The Line of Best Fit

It achieves the toughest task for a soundtrack - to maintain interest independent of the images it was built to accompany and accentuate - with impressive ease.

80
Sputnikmusic

Yorke came through with his best solo album yet. He assuredly created a multi-layered horror soundtrack that serves as an engrossing confection of new musical landscapes in its own right while being essential to the film’s effect.

80
DIY
He’s clearly thrived from the pressure and expectation, creating something truly exceptional.
75
Consequence of Sound

Suspiria is a competent film score with occasional flashes of brilliance.

70
Under the Radar
Like most music composed for cinema, it suffers without the images, sound that exists to enhance is often lacking when left alone. It doesn't lack anywhere near as much as most scores do though, suggesting Yorke might match his bandmate after all.
70
AllMusic

Altogether, Suspiria is an appropriate accompaniment to the film, generating fear and discomfort as much by what's presented by Yorke as what's left to the imagination.

70
Classic Rock
Yorke's minimalist fragility fits the bill entirely.
70
Tiny Mix Tapes

As gorgeous and misstep-free as it is, the soundtrack risks a bit of that souvenir, collector’s item feel native to score-based soundtracks.

70
Drowned in Sound

This optimism is perhaps Suspira’s most surprising quality. Despite its supernatural setting and modern day political commentary, you get the sense that Yorke remains hopeful amongst the darkness.

60
The Guardian

Without the luxury of diegetic songs, the Radiohead frontman’s music for Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming Suspiria remake is instead much more traditional, belonging in the background to ramp up the emotional cues, and as such is not as satisfying a home listening experience.

60
The Irish Times

Although cohesive and often impressive, Suspiria is a long and testing experience, meaning many listeners are likely to carve the album up, siphoning off the best cuts for playlists.

aaron
80

Calling it now
Thom is the musician our century will be remembered by

Suspirium is jarring, Unmade now stands as my favourite piece of sound from Yorke.
and every snippet of sound heard from this soundtrack more compelling than anything I had dreamed to hear.
With 25 tracks, there are many broken pieces made to live in film, the workings of Yorke's piano are everywhere, but its the smaller moments in which Yorke gives his voice that stand as the most powerful moments on this soundtrack. Its ... read more

maryfreegirl
80

better than i thought, there were some really nice instrumental and sung moments in here but it still was kinda there at points
(i've had this album saved up for future listening for years lmao, i finally did it)
sus-piria

Doofy
80

Breathtaking experimental work from Yorke who really builds an unsettling and uncanny atmosphere here. Ghostly piano is the prominent instrument but it’s often embellished by disembodied choir backing vocals, icy atmospherics and of course Yorke’s own ‘one of a kind’ voice.

The ‘songs’ are some of the best Radiohead-affiliated tracks of recent memory and easily some of the greatest Yorke-penned solo material ever. The electronic and synth instrumentals are ... read more

Bendave2303
75

Pretty awesome soundtrack. Is Chris Pratt in da film

kv09
80

I don't really know what to think about it because I know nothing about the film. I was just hungry for more Thom Yorke and more Thom Yorke I got

"Suspirium Finale" is unironically one of the best things any member of Radiohead has made

qntnzzz
69

So I was having a hard time determining my feelings on this project because all of my criticisms of the music are made irrelevant due to the fact that this is a SOUNDTRACK, not just an album. It makes sense why all of the short instrumental and ambient tracks are here, I just don’t really care that they’re there. It might also be a little difficult for me to get into because I’ve blueberry seen the film the music is attached to, but I feel like if it’s that good of a ... read more

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Added on: September 4, 2018