CHEMICAL BROTHERS - M – Son Of The Century (Original Series Soundtrack)

I've always found interesting the storytelling approach Antonio Scurati takes to the fascist ventennio in his series of five novels, "M". His writing doesn't tell a story in the manner of a classic novel, but instead throws out images, scenes rendered in sharp detail and isolated from context, at times phrases that are little more than a slogan. Yet all of this ultimately sticks in the mind and helps give readers a linear narrative path to follow.

Director Joe Wright, in the Sky series M – Son Of The Century, follows a similar path, heightening this postmodern quality with a rapid, frenzied storytelling style, necessarily far removed from the films about fascism we've grown accustomed to. There's a very strong parodic and theatrical streak running through the series, clearly drawn from Scurati's pages, but here (deservedly) pushed to the point of exasperation.

Joe Wright rightly judged this breakneck pace of storytelling to be necessary, on one hand to bring out the almost cartoonish, if tragic, quality present in the character of Mussolini, and on the other to make the violence and horror of fascism fully understandable, in a way that's easily accessible even to younger generations, who would probably struggle more with masterpieces like "Il delitto Matteotti" or "Una giornata particolare".

In this context, the music by Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers proves absolutely essential to the project's success. A mix of electronics played at a frenzied pace, combined with sketches of 20th-century avant-garde and Russolo-style noise-making, it becomes an integral part of the narrative, able to add force to the images, with pounding techno rhythms that almost seem to heighten the violence of the scenes.

Fascism's criminal ideology, its language, its boundless lust for power are amplified by magnificent tracks like "State Of Emergency", with its frenzied drums and a minimal pattern repeated obsessively, and "Victim", a furious slice of techno with breakbeat rhythms accompanying images of the countless murders and attacks carried out against opponents of the regime.

Tom Rowlands is at his best here, losing nothing by comparison with his history in the Chemical Brothers, as when he layers vocalizations over repeated avant-garde sounds ("Avanti"), or reaches for a connection with 20th-century classical music ("Chasing M"), or unleashes club electronics with undeniable mastery ("Black Dam").

In short, it's hard to imagine the series "M – The Son Of Century" without Rowlands' music. And there's no better compliment one could pay a soundtrack.

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28/05/2025