Headshot of Michael Abels

Pulitzer Prize winning composer Michael Abels (Get Out, Nope) joins the show to round out 2023! Not surprisingly, Michael and I spend a fair amount of time talking about his work with Jordan Peele on the films Get Out, Us, and Nope, including a broad look at their working relationship and how it fulfilled Michael’s long-time dream of working in film. But Michael also scored a couple films this year, which we then dig into, including The Burial and Landscape with Invisible Hand. Primarily, we talk about his work on The Burial, in which Jamie Foxx gives an electric performance. As such, Michael digs into the score, including discussing how the palette is aimed at universality, giving space to Foxx and the film’s licensed music, and adapting the Bach piece “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” into his score. Even though our chat is just under 25 minutes, we manage to squeeze a lot into it!

It’s interesting to compare the amount of music in The Burial to Michael’s score for Peele’s films. The former is relatively restrained, largely consisting of a couple of recurring motifs. The reason becomes obviously very quickly, with Michael telling me “[y]ou don’t put music in just because you have a composer, you put it in where it can assist in telling the story, and what we ultimately decided was Jamie Foxx doesn’t need much help.”

The Burial is currently streaming on Amazon Prime while Landscape with Invisible Hand is available on MGM+. Meanwhile, Michael’s score for both, as well as much of his other music, is available on all major platforms. In addition, you can find out more about Michael on his website.

Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). Enjoying these interviews? Show the love by subscribing and leaving a rating or review!

About The Burial

“Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral homeowner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.” from Amazon Studios