Spektr, “Mirage” (2023)

This instrumental band specialises in a genre or set of genres that usually play second fiddle to cinema visuals — the movie soundtrack. The twist being, these scores aren’t for any movies actually filmed.

Spektr plays within the genre to paint original, evocative soundscapes that borrow moods and ambiences but never whole cloth tracks from Morricone, Carpenter, Peter Thomas, and others. With tracks called “March of the CEOs”, “Point Nemo”, “Unicef”, and “WHO”, this album seems to be within the conspiracy thriller genre.

With their craftsmanship and sense of the dramatic — bordering on but never crossing seriously into kitsch — Spektr sits comfortably next to some Secret Chiefs 3 albums on my shelf.

Side note: The band shares a name with a better known(?), French black metal project. Interestingly, “Mirage” is published on a small label that primarily publishes black and death metal bands, and I sort of suspect they wanted to have any “Spektr” on their roster to beef up their BM cred…