Trying to get to ‘not thinking’
Robb has been a prominent figure in Philadelphia’s underground experimental music scene ever since her debut solo record, “How to Moonwalk,” came out in 2021. Having previously played in several bands, Robb has used the past few years to focus on solo guitar records, interspersed with some one-off collaborations and work with impromptu bands. She has gained a reputation as a masterful solo guitarist and improviser, infusing everything she does with emotive, raw power.
Monolithic drone and sustained cycles of sound underpin much of Robb’s recorded work. She said she’s not afraid to clear her mind of chatter and lose herself to the resonant, trance-like pull of the music. Her aim, while she’s playing, is to stop thinking altogether.
“The feeling of not thinking is freedom,” Robb said.
Emily Robb has made a name for herself as one of the most distinct guitarists in underground music. (Courtesy of Richie Charles)
In her work with the film, Robb’s learning curve came immediately. The first scene Kourkounis requested music for had not yet been filmed. With only the script to work from, Robb had to imagine the actors’ movements. The resulting song, “Dance Music,” begins with wandering acoustic guitar and transitions into a deconstructed, feedback-drenched, rock ‘n’ roll framework familiar to fans of Robb’s work, incorporating a full rhythm section.
The acoustic guitar-based track “Shiny Sister Theme” evokes a dusty, wide-open desert landscape on another planet with its deliberate pacing and ghostly reverb. It wouldn’t feel out of place alongside a classic spaghetti western soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.
Conversely, the amplifier hum of Robb’s “Hell Music” summons existential dread, and its shimmering drone and guitar feedback pulse through the listener’s brain like the most terrifying nightmares can.
Many of the album’s songs are also filled with Foley sounds — textural and environmental noises. Robb was tasked with creating aural effects, such as bubbling water, clangs, crashes, scrapes, bangs, floor creaks and nature sounds, to weave throughout the record. Petty Bunco label head and sometime bandmate Richie Charles is credited with “water balloon and creaks.”
Filmmaker Jessica Kourkounis joined Robb to record some Foley sounds for the movie. (Courtesy of Richie Charles)
Robb said she leaned into the idea of helping build the film’s surreal, post-apocalyptic world.
It was a “really cool learning experience, and it was really fun to see how it all kind of came together,” she said.
“It was fun, because I could just sort of push it in these ways that wouldn’t necessarily be something I would think of doing for my own solo stuff. And I would like to do more soundtrack work for that reason, or maybe just … let go of the whole idea of ‘What is Emily Robb?’”
Various festivals have screened the film, “The Space Between Attack and Decay,” which stars Boris McGiver (“House of Cards,” “Lincoln”) and is narrated by James McAvoy (“The Last King of Scotland,” “His Dark Materials”).
It has won several awards, including the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival’s Best Experimental Film prize and Roswell Shorts Indie Film Festival’s Best Short Film.