Mike Patton - A Perfect Place (2008)

Mike Patton - A Perfect Place (2008)

Well, there's no mistaking it: this is definitely a Mike Patton record. Even if you ignore such dead giveaways as his name being printed all over the digipak or his distinctive singing voice on a handful of the albums' fifteen tracks, it's clear to anyone familiar with his past work that this has his fingerprints all over it.

A Perfect Place is Patton's first official film score, but he seems to be perfectly at home working in this medium. His music has always had somewhat of a theatrical quality to it, acting almost as a soundtrack for a movie that only exists inside his head. The collaborative work that he's done with film composers Kaada (Romances) and John Zorn, as well as his admiration and emulation of Ennio Morricone -- 2005's Crime & Dissonance, compiled by Patton, is one of the best Morricone collections out there -- have also prepared him for this task, and he's able to make it all his own. A Perfect Place is dripping with his personality and works well as a stand alone album (I've yet to watch the actual short film, which comes packaged with the CD). I wouldn't be surprised if this opens the door for future film scores for him. It does seem to be his calling, after all.

Score: 7/10

"A Perfect Twist (Vocal)"


"A Little Poker Tomorrow Night"