Milan Records announces the release of Clark (Soundtrack From The Netflix Series) by Mikael Åkerfeldt - listen here, and below. Clark is a brand-new six-part Netflix series released on May 5, and features a dramatic and mesmeric soundtrack by acclaimed Swedish musician, leading rock guitarist and songwriter, Mikael Åkerfeldt. In addition to today’s digital release, the album is set to be released in both CD and vinyl formats in 2022 by InsideOutMusic. The jewelcase CD and the 2-LP heavy weight gatefold set including liner notes from Mikael Åkerfeldt & Jonas Åkerlund are set to arrive on July 22 - pre-order here.

This eagerly-anticipated Swedish-language series in the thriller/crime genre with comedic caper elements is directed by internationally renowned director, Jonas Åkerlund from scripts by Frederik Agetoft, Peter Arrhenius and Jonas Åkerlund and is based on a book of his life by the protagonist, Clark Olofsson.  It features Bill Skarsgård (Deadpool, It, The Northman), Alicia Agneson and Vilhelm Blomgren (Midsommar) and is produced by Börje Hansson and Julia Stannard.  Says Åkerlund of the new series, Clark: “...It’s about his whole life and what made him who he is, the truth and lies of his incredible career...”

Mikael Åkerfeldt’s atmospheric soundscape deftly captures the sound and feel of the times in music, ranging freely from swinging 60s style sounds to 1970s progressive rock and psychedelia via heavy metal, tango, funk, jazz, Arabic melodies and indie pop and chill. All of these vibrant layers and textures are skillfully combined to effortlessly underpin the high-octane dramatic content of the series and also to place it perfectly within the context of the times in which the drama plays out.  Clearly, in his element here, of the 34 tracks presented, four have a distinctive key vocal component provided by Åkerfeldt himself.  

On writing the soundtrack to Clark, Åkerfeldt notes: “Writing the music for Clark is probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done musically. It was so fun. Challenging, but fun. I wanted to do a good job of course, and provide music that would fit with the rather bizarre tale of Clark Olofsson. I had to conjure up a sound for him. His sound. It’s all in my head I guess, but it felt like I was on to something after having finished the first track. The immediate feedback from Jonas Åkerlund was almost overly positive. So I just took it from there. During the pandemic I wrote so much music for this project, but I like to think I didn’t stray too much from the "original sound of Clark". The finished soundtrack record is a downright wish-mash of musical styles. Some sounds I’m familiar with. Other sounds were brand new to me. Or old, depending on how you see it. Brand ”old”? The album doesn’t really make musical sense at all, and that’s pretty much the purpose. Writing music to portray the multi-faceted story of a man like Clark Olofsson was bound to generate some type of musical insanity. It (the music) is just all over the place. Oddly enough, so is my own personal taste in music. Even if many would deem Clark "a man insane", it really helped me in my work. No boundaries (let’s cross them). No rules (let’s break them). Anything goes….”

Clark is a Swedish-language series directed by Jonas Åkerlund from scripts written by Fredrik Agetoft, Peter Arrhenius and Jonas Åkerlund. It’s based on the life and career of Sweden’s most infamous bank robber, Clark Olofsson. He’s also credited as the man behind the expression, "The Stockholm Syndrome"

Tracklisting:

"Libertine Theme"
"Tango Bizarre"
"Druglord Panic"
"Rockefellers"
"Vintage Modern"
"Wish You Were There"
"The Weak Heart"
"Happiness"
"Ode To Confusion In A-Minor"
"La Shay' Jadid Taht Alshams"
"The Real Me"
"Here's That Sunny Day"
"Perfect Horizon"
"Sea Slumber"
"Then"
"The Hunted Are In The Clear"
"Northern Hemispheres"
"Ordinary Folks"
"Distant Spring"
"Funky Chicken"
"Code To The Vault"
"Two Mermaids"
"Rags to Riches"
"Sunrise"
"Red & White"
"Headfirst Into The Storm"
"Ballad Of The Libertine in G-Minor"
"Lost In San Marino" *
"Rhodes Rat"
"Måndag I Stockholm" *
"Mother Of One"
"Veilleicht Später" *
"Battle For Love" *
"Night Life"

* vocals

(Photo - Jonas Åkerlund)