FRICTION NYC

I finally got around to watching Babel over the weekend and the thing that impressed me the most about the film was its soundtrack. The music fit the tension, mood, and imagery throughout the movie perfectly. There was a scene in the Japan segment of the film where Cheiko (Rinko Kikuchi), a teenage “deaf mute,” and her friends meet up with some guys in a playground and drink some whiskey and take some drugs. Already isolated from the world due to her handicap, Cheiko draws deeper into isolation following her mother’s suicide and teen angst further compounds her frustrations. In this scene, composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Only Love Can Conquer Hate,” kicks in as Cheiko finally feels acceptance and joy and for a minute we feel relief. Sakamoto’s ambient wash of atmospheric loops plays over the blissful slow motion setting of the friends splashing in fountains and riding on swings.

What followed was one of the most heartbreaking parts of the movie as the group leaves the playground and heads out to a club while Sakamoto’s track gives way to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” which everyone goes crazy for, except for Cheiko, who has sort of a dumfounded look on her face. The club’s imagery and sound were used to express Cheiko’s feelings and for a second I forgot she was deaf, until the camera angle changed to her perspective and the music cut out - nothing but silence and light. “September” lead into the thick heavy basslines of Fatboy Slim’s “September/The Joker” and further sexual frustration ensued as her friend started making out with the guy she was smitten with. Silence followed the Fatboy Slim track as the devastated Cheiko left the club and made her way down the bustling Tokyo streets, walking past crowded intersections and live bands, hearing nothing.

I mentioned this scene for a couple reasons, one being that it was utterly powerful and moving and the second being that it was fresh in my mind and reminded of the music of the Osaka 8-bit duo, Mystery Twin. Mystery Twin is the boyfriend/girlfriend couple of Cailan Burns and Yoshie who create dreamy downtempo electronic pop. Like Sakamoto’s “Only Love Can Conquer Hate,” Mystery Twin balances delicate beauty with peaceful atmospheric loops, textures, and glitches taking the listener into that “am I awake or dreaming state.” Their songs are powerful and moving, yet peaceful, soothing. You could almost pluck one of the tracks straight from their MySpace page, drop it in the playground scene and the movie would’ve never skipped a beat.

The pair hasn’t disclosed too much information about themselves, but it is known that Burns is also in the electronic band Pretty Boy Crossover and illustrates much of the band’s artwork. Head over to the duo’s MySpace page for some “rainy day sunshine poptronica” and check out “Underneath Your Feet” below. Hopefully the band will be putting out an EP or album sometime soon, or better yet, some soundtrack work.

Mystery Twin  ”Underneath Your Feet”