The Sounds of the Sounds of Science is a score

Film score

A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...

 written by Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...

 for filmmaker Jean Painlevé

Jean Painlevé

Jean Painlevé was a film director, actor, translator, animator, critic and theorist. He was the son of mathematician and twice prime-minister of France, Paul Painlevé.-Upbringing:...

. It contains 78 minutes of instrumental music to accompany his eight short documentary-style films shot underwater. The live performances are known as “The Sounds of Science.” The program debuted in 2001 at the San Francisco Film Festival. The entire score has been performed approximately twelve times. The band had not heard of Painlevé before being asked to work on the project nor did the band view the films much before writing the music.

In an interview with Jim DeRogatis

Jim DeRogatis

James "Jim" DeRogatis is an American music critic and co-host of Sound Opinions. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as Spin, Guitar World and Modern Drummer, and for fifteen years was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.He joined Columbia College Chicago as a full-time...

 of the Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Sun-Times

The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...

, guitarist Ira Kaplan

Ira Kaplan

Ira Kaplan [born 1957] is the co-founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of the American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. He is married to Georgia Hubley, Yo La Tengo's vocalist, drummer, songwriter and co-founder....

 stated:

What was different was that it was all sound for the most part. There was melody involved in the pieces, but it was really all about mood. There's so much of that in the songs we work on anyway, but to think only about the way the mood was developing was a big difference. The songs tend to start the same way with just the three of us kind of playing and seeing what comes out, but once we had something that we were working on, it was a lot different, and the pieces were all 10 minutes long!

The album's cover photos are from the accompanying films. The album artwork was designed by Jim Woodring

Jim Woodring

Jim Woodring is a Seattle-based cartoonist, comic book author, artist and toy designer. He also produces fine art works in a variety of other media, including painting and charcoal....

 and Jad Fair

Jad Fair

Jad Fair is an American singer, guitarist and graphic artist, most famous for being a founding member of lo-fi alternative rock group Half Japanese.-Biography:In 1974, with his brother David, Jad Fair founded the lo-fi group Half Japanese...

.

Track listing

1. "Sea Urchins" - 10:22
2. "Hyas and Stenorhynchus" - 9:12
3. "Shrimp Stories" - 6:43
4. "How Some Jellyfish Are Born" - 8:22
5. "Liquid Crystals" - 8:54
6. "The Love Life of the Octopus" - 11:59
7. "Acera or the Witches' Dance" - 8:15
8. "The Sea Horse" - 13:18

Sources

• Yo La Tengo.com's Page on The Sounds of the Sounds of Science