Set Fire to the Stars (soundtrack)

Set Fire to the Stars is a soundtrack album by the Welsh musician Gruff Rhys, composed for the 2014 film of the same name and released on 30 September 2016 through Twisted Nerve Records. It follows his previous studio album American Interior (2014) and is his first full-length soundtrack album.

Background

Set Fire to the Stars is a 2014 film directed by Andy Goddard, whose plot centers around the relationship between the American poet John Malcolm Brinnin and the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas during the latter's visit to New York in the 1950s. With the news that Elijah Wood would star as Brinnin in early January 2014, Gruff Rhys' role as the film's composer was also announced. His first film soundtrack overall, Rhys would compose his second full-length soundtrack for The Almond and the Seahorse (2022). Both films co-star and were co-written by Celyn Jones.

Recording and composition

Around the time of recording, Rhys had also been recording his next solo studio album, American Interior (2014). Paralleling the themes of the film, American Interior focuses on the life of Rhys' ancestor, the Welsh explorer John Evans, and his journeys in the U.S. in the late 18th century. In an effort to avoid any anachronistic qualities between the film and its score, Rhys intentionally limited the scope of the project to instruments that would have existed at the time of the film's setting. The resultant soundtrack has been described by critics as parts jazz, lounge pop, and rock 'n' roll.

Rhys recorded the music at Ali Chant's Toybox Studios in Bristol as part of a self-described "agro-jazz quartet" consisting of himself on guitar, Chris Walmsley on drums, Jim Barr on double bass, and Osian Gwynedd on piano. While much of the soundtrack was performed based on songs and instrumentals that Rhys had written beforehand, some was improvised, such as on "Chop Shop" with Video Loss; the remainder of the improvised material was performed with Gwynedd. The strings that were added were recorded at Metropolis Studios in London, additionally supported by the Elysian Quartet on "John Malcolm Brinnin", "John Adoring at Yale", and "Military Madness". Dialogue from Elijah Wood, Kevin Eldon, and Shirley Henderson is featured on "It Was Hot That Summer", the final piece of the album.

Release

The soundtrack album for Set Fire to the Stars was released on 30 September 2016 through Twisted Nerve Records, an imprint of Finders Keepers. It peaked on the UK Record Store and Soundtrack Charts at no. 18 and no. 17, respectively.

Critical reception

In a five star review for The Arts Desk, Barney Harsent found the album "fantastically varied" and "quite possibly the most satisfying thing he's produced yet as a solo artist", focusing on Rhys vocal delivery by saying "On this project, it's the perfect vessel."

Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian gave the soundtrack four stars out of five and thought Rhys made "a subtle and successful deviation" from his usual solo work with a soundtrack "that reminds the listener... there is a truly maverick – albeit always understated – composer at work." Similarly, Record Collectors Inky Tuscadero expressed that Rhys, in his departure from his more typically pop-oriented work, "nailed it on his first attempt" and said the soundtrack "a poetic grace more than worthy of its subject."