Oddjob – Clint (2010)

Unvinyl #12

Released by Act Records in 2010, ‘Clint’ was the fifth album by Swedish outfit Oddjob. The four records before it roughly nodded toward electric-era Miles, but this is the one where their full personality finally came into focus: bold, quirky, and cheeky (all meant in the best possible way). As the cover already gives away, the “Clint” in question is the ever-indestructible Eastwood. The quintet had a blast reimagining twelve of the most iconic themes associated with his on-screen alter egos: the Man With No Name, Dirty Harry, the Pale Rider, and the rest of the Eastwood gallery.

It’s not the most revolutionary idea in jazz (Zorn, to name one, had already taken deep dives into the Morricone songbook), but Oddjob’s twist is more intriguing than it sounds on paper. They chose to spotlight the performer on screen rather than the composers, an approach that’s surprisingly fresh, and, more importantly, the musical results are consistently impressive.

The band reshapes these soundtracks through a distinctly Nordic lens: not the chill ECM stereotype, but something closer to the atmospheric pulse of a Nils Petter Molvær record, whose influence occasionally surfaces (and yes, Molvær himself started his career on ECM, but still). They stir in ambient textures, rock flashes, and electronic touches (the synths swirling through ‘The Good, The Bad & The Ugly’ faintly recall space disco pioneers like Droids), along with chamber music detours and a general tendency toward stretched-out, psychedelic moods. Crucially, they never drift too far from the original melodies. Everything remains recognisable, without the usual “deconstruction for deconstruction’s sake” trap that plagues so many similar projects.

Highlights? The lurking menace of the ‘Magnum Force Theme’ and the full-throttle energy of ‘Scorpio’s Theme’.

Trumpeter Goran Kajfes wrote in the liner notes: “There is an inevitable connection to the music, as Clint Eastwood is a huge jazz fan”. His .44 Magnum would approve.

Chances of vinylization: Thin. In the past decade, ACT has begun issuing most of its new releases on vinyl, which leaves a small door open. However, as far as I can see, they haven’t reissued any of their back catalogue so far.

🟥 Unvinyl is a series of articles about great music not available on vinyl (at the time of writing). A full index can be found here.