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by Joe Cushley (from Mojo, May 1999)
Being a multi-instrumentalist and producer gives Parish a head start as a film composer. But he possesses other, more esoteric abilities which mark him out as an excellent exponent of the art. First, he understands dynamic extremes - whispers (the breathy cymbals of Pretty Baby) and screams (the swamp rock drawl of Burn Rubber Barons). Secondly, he know how to balance the varying energies of instruments; thus, on Rosie Takes Elvis, accordion and toy organ vie with distorted slide-guitar. His versatility is apparent from the off. Disturbance, an ominous, recurrent metallic drone sounds like Link Wray's contribution to an Enya tribute album. Rosie Rosita has a melodic shimmer which speaks of the melancholic Continental flatlands (I'm guessing this is not a screwball comedy). There are echoes of David Lynch's soundtrack sidekick, Angelo Badalamenti and Eric Clapton's brooding Edge Of Darkness, but ultimately John's his own man. You don't even have to see the film, and you can't praise a soundtrack much higher than that.
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