The The, "Cinéola Volume 1: Tony - A Soundtrack by..."
Matt Johnson's first full-length release of new (or new to the public) music in over a decade is a collection of 26 short themes for the film by Gerard Johnson. There's no "hit single" and the music is not reflective of any of his mainstream LP releases for any phase of his career. However, it's a fantastic treat for those who have collected his singles over the decades, as there is a lot of commonality with the more thematic B-sides that have graced his short-players throughout the ''80s and early '90s.
 
Self released on Cinéola, the imprint of Matt Johnson's own mail oder only Lazarus label, the package is alarmingly stunning for its low price (given that the man charges for his monthly podcast!): a bound book with 68 full color pages featuring photos by Matt and stills from the film. The film is about a reality-challenged unemployed middle-aged man who maintains a positive public influence in his small community yet murders people late at night in his apartment. Tony is the first full-length film written and directed Matt Johnson's lesser known brother, Gerard. Andrew Johnson, AKA "Andy Dog," as most fans know, did the artwork for a number of singles as well as the memorable original covers for the LPs Infected and Soul Mining and the reissue of Burning Blue Soul.
The music is entirely instrumental and void of twangy guitar bits or synth pop. It is primarily piano-driven during the first half. Most of the themes are dark, melancholy tinklings that, while pretty, conjure up feelings of solitude. Tony is remeniscent with some of the B-sides I have been most fond of—"Born in the New S.A." off the Heartland single from 1986, "Harbour Lights," from the 1986 single Slow Train to Dawn, "Angel," of 1989's The Beat(en) Generation, and "Scenes from Arctic Twilight" from 1993's Slow Emotion Replay single—most notably probably for the prominent use of the sound of the melodica contrasting the piano with low echoes rumbling beneath.
For the second half of the disc Johnson uses the piano less frequently, making things creepier with echoing low frequencies, bass, and even beats. A thumping low kick drum and sequencer driven opening of "The Swarming Selves" is soon matched with long, drawn, eerie synth noises, which take full control by the end; "Strange Sensations" is more of the eerieness, minus the bumping beats; and "Ultra Violation" is a reprise of "The Swarming Selves." "Meat Fever," has a much slower driving pulse, and is far creepier. Johnson eventually returns to the main theme, "The Lust for Unsung Dreams" (which opens, closes, and appears in a slower form in the middle of the disc) with a slightly different instrumentation for the longest track on the album at only 4 1/2 minutes.
There's a handful of different approaches to a soundtrack album and on Tony, Matt Johnson has assembled one using probably the most honest approach: include as many little themes as possible without making a "medley" or abridged version; incorporate a handful of dialogue segments from the film to break up the monotony that can occur; and leave off any "inspired by the film" hit singles. Cinéola Volume 1: Tony - A Soundtrack by The The isn't going to be regarded as one of his hit records or greatest accomplishments but he has given his followers a very nice present.
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