The bonus track: Tracey Thorn's soundtrack for The Falling

A sideways look at the world of music

Singer Tracey Thorn (Edward Bishop)

FALL’S GOLD

Often little more than background music, it is a rare and wonderful thing when a film’s soundtrack also reflects and adds to the cinematic experience – think The Graduate, Magnolia and Midnight Cowboy. To that too-short list we can now add The Falling, Carol Morley’s atmospheric film about a fainting epidemic at an all-girls’ boarding school in the late-1960s. The soundtrack, by Tracey Thorn was inspired by a scene in which the girls jam in the school music room. “Carol sent me a box of the instruments they used,” says Thorn, “and I used them as the springboard for my songs.” Film and soundtrack are released next month. Watch the trailer here

DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES

It’s not easy making a living in the business of music these days, so we must forgive those who choose to spread their talents across disciplines. Two such performers are Ellis Ludwig-Leone – who scores ballets when he’s not fronting the Brooklyn-based eight-piece San Fermin; and pianist/singer Joe Stilgoe – who is about to make his West End stage debut in Kevin Spacey’s High Society. And yes, Stilgoe is the son of Richard for those old enough. Both have rather impressive pop chops or we wouldn’t be mentioning them here, of course. Decide for yourself, below

Brooklyn-based eight-piece San Fermin

STARS IN THE MAKING

Track of the week is the astonishing “Malukayi”, by Mbongwana Star, a band from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And that’s all anyone knows about them. We shall find out more in due course, I don’t doubt. Listen here

NEXT WEEK’S BIGGIE

Billy Joel, Randy Newman, solo John Lennon … different people hear different things in the music of Tobias Jesso Jr. But what will Kevin Harley make of the up-and-coming LA singer-songwriter’s debut album Goon? Watch Jesso Jr’s first TV appearance on the Jimmy Fallon show here