In film scores, the enveloping nature of ambient meets the experimental drama of contemporary classical. Film serves as a natural medium for this fusion, allowing the music to accompany the visuals without being distracting, all while crafting a distinct and captivating atmosphere. Film music is, of course, visual music. Even with closed eyes, sound is clearly moving and painting pictures.
In the soundtrack for the true crime and psychological thriller docu-series Burden of Proof, Chuck Johnson viscerally illustrates the show’s themes, such as the cumbering weight of devastating truths as well as betrayed trust and family destruction:
“As missing evidence is uncovered, lie detector tests are failed, and past abuses are revealed, a rich, complicated narrative emerges while Stephen is left to wonder the price he has paid by pursuing this painful search for closure.”
While film can easily sensationalize truth and turn trauma into a spectacle for greedy eyes, Johnson’s compositions remind us that truth is stranger than fiction. On my favorite track, “Interrogation,” dissonant and bittersweet chords accompanied by somber drums shape the austere ambiance that reflects the sparseness of information and the absence of answers. There is little more depicted than what is simply unfolding. No epic cinematic storytelling and no tricks; just an allowance for the ears to reach out, albeit hesitantly, for these sounds.
The soundtrack is out now on London label All Saints Records.
