(Mana Soundtracks/Inertia)

When ashen skies prick my ears with icy little droplets for three days running, I retreat indoors and crave music to get unwet by. It was on just such an evening that Decoder Ring’s soundtrack to Somersault arrived at my doorstep.

Somersault is the debut feature of local writer-director Cate Shortland. Shot in the frosty surrounds of NSW ski town Jindabyne, it follows the wrought experiences of Heidi, a teenage girl dealing with growing up and falling in love.

Decoder Ring’s self-titled debut album from 2002 was a stunningly assured piece of work that masterfully showcased the band’s versatility and breadth of musical knowledge.

When commissioned by Shortland for this score, the band used a working cut of the film as their starting point. The musical ideas were then formed in the privacy of a family farm outside of Kiama. A subsequent visit to Sydney resulted in both the producers, the sound designer, and the writer-director being taken to the farm for more workshopping.

Without doubt, this level of interaction with the film-makers has resulted in the band working more  like a composer than a rock band rubber-stamping old hits for a soundtrack. Decoder Ring has once again proven their versatility by adapting their sound to the film: the distorted guitar that forms such an important part of their live show, and was used powerfully in their debut, makes only the most fleeting of appearances this time. The krautrock-inspired drumming has also been hushed into silence by the wintry soundscapes of Heidi’s story.

Opening with Heidi’s Theme, the scene is set of an innocent girl boldly going where unknown dangers lie. As chimes gingerly strike the opening notes of the album, glockenspiel soon join to reinforce the melody. As the synths and strings emerge from the background, the comparisons with Icelandic ‘folktronica’ group Múm are inevitable.

The title track Somersault introduces the captivating vocal of local actor-singer Lenka Kripac, whose breathy opening perfectly evokes an adolescent romanticism inspired by new surroundings. It is this dreamy innocence that places Somersault in the same heartspace as Múm’s enthralling Finally We Are No One.

Tracks in a similar mood include Music Box (also featuring Lenka), More Than Scarlet, and the outstanding Alpine Way. This last track opens with a sparkling melody on classical guitar and blossoms with the addition of a soothing accordion accompaniment.

A notable exception is Rough Sex, where the hypnotically slow fade-in climaxes in a long EBow guitar passage reminiscent of mid-nineties post rockers like Mogwai. Higher Higher also stands apart with its strong bass and rhodes parts, characteristic of many an Air track.

Sam Petty’s film sound design is also featured prominently in Carillion and Electrocution (Hydro Mix).

Not to be played on a bright and sunny day, Somersault could be the soundtrack to those emotionally drenched moments of your own life.

Following well-received screenings in the Cannes Film Festival and the Australian festival circuit, Somersault opens nationally on 16 September 2004. The soundtrack album is out now on Mana Soundtracks.