“Both music and movies tell stories and when they come together to tell the same one, something magical happens” says All These Small Moments writer/director Melissa Miller Costanzo. “I used to love running out to buy the soundtrack to my favorite movies so I could relive the film over and over. I could imagine the images that danced across the screen while a certain song was playing. I hope the songs we’ve chosen here, along with the songs we’ve written, and the score we’ve created will take the viewer back again and again to a place where they felt something real”.
When embarking on the soundtrack for her debut film, Melissa plucked NYC composer Dan Lipton from the theater world (conductor of The Band’s Visit and The Last Ship by Sting on Broadway) to write an original score that would breathe additional life into the characters. Shortly thereafter, she recruited music producer Charles Newman (The Magnetic Fields, The Bones of J.R Jones) to handle the music supervision and help find the perfect source music to not only compliment the story but to help shape it. What ensued was a partnership between Miller and Newman taking them on a collaborative journey of the senses. The result was an indie pop rock retro-americana mashup, with a dash of 80’s and shoegaze thrown in for good measure.
From the downbeat of the opening song “My Love Will Bring You Back” by Slow Runner (feat. Michael Flynn) the ear candy begins. Other featured tracks include Vermont troubadour Kris’s Gruen’s “Coming Down Around Me” which was co-penned by Miller- Costanzo for the film, Los Angeles’s Aloud contributes their 60’s inspired Beatlesque duet “Jeanne, It’s Just a Ride!” and NYC’s Tom Shaner contributes “Joe’s Airfield”. Other moments in the film are underscored by the Americana tones of Jaymay and Canadian darlings Birds of Bellwoods, while North Carolina’s Echo Courts and Jean-Luc add a healthy dose of garage rock and lounge vibes alongside New York City’s retro J-Pop group Gaijin à Go-Go. Lastly, David Sisko’s remix of the Cold Blood Club’s 2012 song “Down”, and Brooklyn’s Desert Stars add a modern sheen of 80’s electronica and lush shoegazey moments.
Dan Lipton’s indie folk score which is represented by 12 tracks on the album, was recorded live at Brooklyn’s Strange Weather studios with Lipton on piano, wurlitzer, mellotron, and an array of kalimbas and other accoutrements. The score features NYC musicians Mason Ingram (Cyndi Lauper, Bibi Bourelly) on drums and percussion, Logan Coale (Natalie Merchant, The National) on upright bass and Erik Della Penna (Joan Baez, Kill Henry Sugar) on guitars and mandolins.
The soundtrack album is being released on January 18th, the same day the film becomes available on demand.