Better Living Through Chemistry (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The Venice, Calif.–based pals and musical partners Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau parlayed their successful commercial career into a niche with the comedy website Funny or Die. Then they launched a film-scoring career with an ear toward comic music of a certain vintage; see Anchorman 2. That mindset is quickly evident on their score for this dark comic thriller by David Posamentier and Geoff Moore; the music initially seems to waft from some ‘70s/Rome/Paris rift in space-time. It starts with a nod toward Morricone-Ortolani fizz, then gradually segues into “a darker minimal score with jazz overtones,” explains Feltenstein. “We truly tried our best to keep the music within the homemade ensemble we put together,” he says of the sessions’ spare chamber orchestra and chorus. Nau notes that the score was “balanced out by jazz-type '60s grooves,” one they’re sticklers about reproducing: “When we play to these eras, we cut and produce/record it exactly the same way they would have. Our setup is not reflective of today’s modern studio recording.”