The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell

(William Street Records, 2009)

Action suspense with a dash of humour. Thrust into a frantic scene; the threat of danger is placed immediately upon the listener. What follows is one climatic affair after another.

The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell is the soundtrack for The Venture Bros., an animated television show on Adult Swim. I have never seen Venture Bros., and have no idea what it is about, but this selection of music is extravagant and fast paced, fitting for the execution of a daring plan.

Straight away Thirlwell hits you with immense power; big band pounding away, string section creating drama, and keyboards giving it a modern, somewhat comical feel. Tuff and Tenssacts are perfect for an elaborate chase scene, Node Wrestling is a perfectly planned jewel heist with a flute merrily playing its own little tune. Assclamp! charges along at a million miles an hour, and Spag has spaghetti western written all over it.

While much of the album is a real hit to the system, there are touches of caution in amongst the action. Damion presents us with the calm before a certain storm, Bolly is busy plotting away, getting closer to its goal of destruction throughout, while Descension could quite easily be the aftermath of this destruction. The Music of JG Thirlwell gives the imagination a workout for almost an hour as he works his magic.

Cartoons and movies are not really my thing, so I’ll give watching Venture Bros. a miss and stick to the soundtrack; the explosion of noise here is already enough to overload my senses.