Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - 'A Minute To Breathe'

Climate change is a long discussed issue, and there are still those with power who don't believe it or see its impact. Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Stevens are joining forces to help shed light on the issue in their new documentary Before The Flood, challenging the question of just how much the climate has been affected by human interference and how authorities around the world are tackling the problem.

A powerful documentary can't be as effective without a supporting soundtrack to go with it, though. This film won't have to worry much about that, though; they've got the likes of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross tackling it, with Mogwai and Gustavo Santaolalla in the mix, too. Basically, they have the pinnacles of vivd music working together to create the documentary's soundtrack.

The team has released a song from the soundtrack, entitled 'A Minute To Breathe'. It's a very barebones track. The majority of it it Reznor singing in his signature hopeful yet defeated timbre, the song slowly but surely resonating with the deep, cavernous piano chords somberly backing his vocals. A few spiraling synths make an appearance later in the song to add some dimension to the track, setting the scene in an icy Antarctic field - fitting for the film's and the song's message.

The song's message is what really builds the song. The lyrics are, appropriately, a summation of the climate change crisis around the world. The first verse ends with the lines "We try / Deny / To believe to believe / We can't believe / In anything" to express the lack of acceptance of the issue, the first half of the verse claiming we will only see our faults when it is too late: "We wait / We pray for the rain / For the rain / For a rain / To wash away." The song's chorus hauntingly pleas "I don't want to say goodbye / Stars falling from the sky / We will all be judged / By what we leave behind," hoping that the curse of our own legacies will serve as justification to finally provide a reason to help combat climate change. The song ends in a beautiful building of sound, the world ending in a hurricane of noise (or, if climate change continues, a literal hurricane) as Reznor cries "I just need a minute to breath."

We are destroying our own world, and many refuse to believe so. The new documentary Before The Flood hopes to squash any lasting doubts of climate change, and aims to show how some of the world's leaders are attempting to put an end to it. The film is out worldwide in theaters on October 21. The soundtrack sends much the same message, and four of the greatest artists in film scores and music have come together to create it. We can determine what the fate of the world is - but what will that legacy be?

Rating: 87 / 100