Jim Jarmusch & Anika: Father Mother Sister Brother

Sacred Bones mainstay Anika joins forces with Jim Jarmusch to provide a suite of evocative instrumentals (and a couple of well-placed covers) for his latest Golden Lion-winning feature. A comedy-drama anthology film featuring Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps and others, 'Father Mother Sister Brother' is supposedly Jarmusch's best film in ages, and its soundtrack follows the gentle narrative's lead. The director met Anika at Sacred Bones' 15th Anniversary party, when she was playing alongside Jarmusch's band SQÜRL, and the main body of the soundtrack is comprised of brief, atmospheric improvisations that were hashed out in Berlin with Anika on Wurlitzer and electric guitar and Jarmusch on processed guitars. And just to round things off, there's a cover of Jackson Browne's 'These Days', inspired by Nico's 'Chelsea Girl'-era version and a version of Dusty Springfield's 'Spooky' that plays over the film's credits. Jim Jarmusch and Anika first met in 2022 at the 15th anniversary celebration of Sacred Bones, where both Anika and SQÜRL performed. Jim was immediately impressed by Anika's performance, while Anika admired Jim as a mentor who has stayed true to his unique vision throughout his career. This mutual respect led to a creative collaboration that culminated in the haunting soundtrack for Jarmusch's film Father Mother Sister Brother. Jim first invited Anika to record a cover version of Jackson Browne's "These Days", inspired by Nico's legendary version. This track, arranged by Anika, was recorded in Berlin with the string quartet Kaleidoskop and appears as a bonus track on the album under the title "These Days (Berlin Version)". Jim later mixed a more minimalist version of the song and added several electric guitar tracks. While in Berlin, Jim revealed to Anika that the only pre-existing track in the movie would be "Spooky" by Dusty Springfield. Anika, who had played a live version of it, suggested that they should cover it. The stripped-down version they created with just vocals, double bass, finger snaps and a distorted organ riff was chosen as the song for the movie's end credits. Apart from these cover versions, much of the film music was improvised. Jim and Anika spent hours improvising together, which led to a second round of recording in Berlin, where Anika played Wurlitzer and electric guitar and Jim contributed with distorted electric guitars. Upon their return to New York, Jim shaped these recordings into short, atmospheric instrumentals that became the soundtrack. The final touches were completed while Jim and Anika were in Paris at the Centre Pompidou.