What happens when a soundtrack is taken from a film and given a life on its own?

When two Icelandic composers Páll Ragnar Pálsson and Eðvarð Egilsson finished scoring Quake, a psychological family drama, they were not ready to stop just there. What followed was a voyage of musical discoveries as they allowed for new ideas to enter the creative space. Just as a plant spread itself over the whole garden, cues from the movie scenes become independent, mature songs. The soundscape dwells on the border of acoustic and electronic and drifts from song-based to textural, from atmospheric to cinematic with lustrous cello in the foreground. 

1] Hallgrímskirkja [3:23]

2] Flog I [2:04]

3] Saga [3:07]

4] Safavél [4:48]

5] Hvalfjörður [2:22]

6] Gleyma [4:47]

7] Miklabraut [5:19]

8] Furulækur [3:20]

9] Flog II [3:08]

10] Katrín [1:34]

11] Systur [3:04]

12] Leigubíll [4:00]

13] Langahlíð [1:07]

14] Ívar [2:04]

15] Klambratún [4:44]

Total Time: 48:51

Release date: November 10, 2023
UPC: 053479703200

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Quotes & Reviews

“Whilst Skjálfti is far from a conventional soundtrack album it is gloriously successful in capturing the enigmatic emotions at play throughout the film. It certainly repays repeated and even analytical listening, but I found that being enveloped in its delights free of one’s laptop, under the duvet through a decent pair of decent Grados and a DAC was actually preferable to hearing it through speakers. Whilst this disc is unlikely to appeal to classical purists I absolutely loved it. This is what musical curiosity and experimentation is all about. Beauty turns up in the most unlikely places.” - Richard Hanlon, Music Web International

“ The shifting tectonic plates of music reflect the album’s title, translated as Quake.  In the most powerful sections, post-rock emerges from the magma, raising the intensity to volcanic levels.” - A Closer Listen, 2023 Best Film Scores

“Freed from the constraints of cinema, the composers are allowed to write their own ending.  The sedate “Systur” (“Sisters”) is like a reconciliation, although the tone soon turns sadder.  Electronic beats offer a modicum of movement, a hint of hope, bursting into bloom in the finale.  In a movie, “Klambratún” would normally be playing over the credits, but here it is the end of the story, and what a glorious ending it turns out to be.  All the instruments come out to play, genres intertwine, and we imagine a family standing strong and true, having survived the storm.” - Richard Allen, A Closer Listen

“Skjálfti is an intriguing and enjoyable project: one hopes for further collaborations by the duo, both for film and concert music adaptation.” - Christian Carey, Sequenza 21