Michael A. Muller: Less Than (Original Documentary Score)
Michael A. Muller

Less Than by Balmorhea co-founder Michael A. Muller isn't the only release by a group member, having been preceded recently by violinist Aisha Burns's Argonauta and Slow Time by Muller's fellow co-founder Rob Lowe (issued under the RG Lowe name). Being original material created for a 2018 documentary film by director Patrick Kemp, Less Than isn't quite a solo album in the usual sense either, even if it does provide an insightful portrait of Muller as an independent artist. He also would seem to be a natural as far as soundtrack composing goes, given that he's a photographer as well as musician, and not a weekend amateur at that: among the august publications his photos have appeared in are Architectural Digest and GQ.

Much like Balmorhea's, Muller's material exudes a tonal character one associates with his Austin, Texas home base; further to that, the solo tracks make clear that it's he who's been responsible for the guitar shadings in the group's sound. And though the instrument is prominent, it's not the only one included on the release, with keyboards, strings, synthesizers, and ambient textures fleshing out the presentation. That signature Balmorhea guitar twang is front and center throughout the haunting ten-minute opener “Pallen” and chiming “Infra,” and though the visual content Muller's material accompanies isn't present, obviously, it's easy to imagine these sensitively wrought, slow-burning meditations enhancing the film footage.

A lovely set of acoustic guitar-based folk melodies infuses “Alo” with a quiet sense of uplift, and the subtle colour synthesizer and percussion add to the heartwarming setting speaks highly on behalf of Muller's sensitivity as a sound designer. The subsequent “Officium” extends the charm of “Alo” by revoicing its plaintive theme, this time to peaceful effect with electric guitars, while “Umbra” concludes the album on a graceful, lilting note. Whereas some tracks distance themselves from the Balmorhea sound, “Eithne,” with its expansive strings-heavy arrangement, so completely embodies the ensemble's aesthetic, it could pass for a production by the group with no difficulty whatsoever.

The film itself addresses the issue of poverty in America and attempts to root out its causes and gauge its effects. Using Amarillo, Texas as the focal point, Less Than presents educators, pastors, students, and community leaders discussing the impact poverty has had on their hometown and steps that could be taken to alleviate it. The picture presented is far from rosy, but the film's message isn't ultimately one of resignation; instead, hope is posited, with the support provided by communities and individuals regarded as critical to any possible solution.

Documentary content aside, Muller's soundtrack holds up just fine as a stand-alone, even if it leans more towards the atmospheric than a non-soundtrack release by the Balmorhea member might conceivably be. Even so, the recording functions equally well as both background music and material capable of commanding one's full attention.

July 2018