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| There are 528 Reviews Done |
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Owl City, David Hirschfelder - Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole
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| An Orchestra for Owls |
| By: |
AdamR
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| Date: |
5 Feb 2011 |
| Rating: |
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David Hirschfelder, while he may not be a common or well-known composer in the film industry or soundtrack circles, has done well on the albums he has composed for, Elizabeth, Australia, and now for the owl fantasy story, Legend of the Guardians.
To begin the album, the track by Adam Young (aka Owl City) is ok. Its a typical synth-pop track, and the lyrics fit the theme of the story of learning to fly, take flight and do what you need to do. I'm not a big fan of pop music, but this song at least isn't bad, considering the lyrics and the purpose of the film.
Hirschfelder, with his score for Owls of Ga'Hoole, gave us something interesting - a fully instrumental score, a powerful main theme for the Guardians, and dark, eerie, underscores for a majority of the track. If you just heard the score and never saw the film, you'd know instantly this was not a young child's slapstick film. In fact, it would remind you of other scores like Jerry Goldsmith's Secret of NIMH...a score that takes its film seriously and sets the mood.
Hirschfelder focuses on one main theme throughout the entire album--the Guardians theme as presented in full glory on track 2, and is repeated multiple times (tracks 5,6,9,14). Instantly, the theme reminds you of John Williams' writing for his scores--and that's not a bad thing. Brass, strings, and soft woodwinds have made popular theme standouts in other films like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, and it works here to describe the effect of flying into the sky. Outside of the main theme, a lot of underscore is left with a play on the theme heard here and there, but without any serious cohesion. That can make the score hard to sit through and enjoy when it seems like tracks live independently of one another.
Don't get me wrong...Hirschfelder gave us a good score, but the tracks which fail to build on the main theme may tire some listeners or leave them bored. The release on SST here is the digital download release. The CD release I have lacks two tracks: "A Friend or Two" and "Hello Brother", but includes an awful (IMHO) piece from Dead Can Dance, "The Host of Seraphim". It works in the film, but not by itself. Some may like that song, but it seems very out of place in this score.
-Adam R.
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2 of 2 found this review helpful |
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Aaron Copland - Copland: Music For Films
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| America's Best |
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Copland had repeatedly proved that he was a versatile composer throughout his lifetime . The first composer able to capture the musical nature of this new world, his ability to relate 'American' music has since only been matched by John Williams. His talent carried him into writing for film where he was again recognized as a pioneer in the style of music he created. American's are fortunate to call Aaron Copland our own.
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3 of 3 found this review helpful |
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Don Caron - Basket, The
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| First score by Don Caron |
| By: |
Twopop
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| Date: |
1 Feb 2011 |
| Rating: |
 |
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Jonathan Broxton wrote a great review of The Basket score for moviemusicuk.com (link no longer exists). Mr. Broxton's article is available on CDBaby.
Note from Twopop: (Currently as of of Feb 1, 2011) DVD available on Netflix and Netflix Instant Play. CD score on Amazon, CD Baby, etc. Some track titles are incorrect on Amazon but the samples are accurate.
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2 of 2 found this review helpful |
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Geoff Zanelli - Hitman
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| Is it "Ava" or "Ave"? |
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We have received many "Make A Correction" emails from listeners saying that tracks 01 and 18 have misspelled "Ave Maria".
Both the album cover and La-La Land Records website have the spelling as "Ava Maria".
Why composer Geoff Zanelli has chosen to spell it that way is anybody's guess.
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1 of 1 found this review helpful |
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Danny Elfman, Siouxsie & The Banshees Danny Elfman, Alonzo Miller Rick James - Batman Returns
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| Merry Christmas, Batman! |
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I feel like I should begin with a disclaimer. Almost every time I listen to Elfman’s score for Batman Returns, I hear the themes and textures from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Even though Nightmare was written later, I was familiar with that score first. Both films are about damaged, gothic-themed characters, and both take place at Christmas. For example, there’s a 4-note melody that permeates the Batman score and is exactly the same as the first 4 notes of “Jack’s Lament.” “Wild Ride” sounds like “Christmas Montage.” It sounds to me like Elfman was working out his ideas with the Batman score before committing to Nightmare, so I feel a little disappointed when I hear the similar themes, though I know that isn’t quite fair. (I suppose you could also say that Nightmare was a rehash of Batman Returns.)
The Elfman Batman theme we know and love from is back on this album, though it makes far less an impression than it did with the previous score. This may have something to do with Batman himself being a character on the margins of the story, while the two villains, Penguin and Catwoman, take over center stage. For example, the album begins with “Birth of a Penguin,” the score for the opening of the movie. “Birth of a Penguin II” is really the Main Title, and that’s where the Batman theme makes its appearance.
I think the best parts of this score are the themes and tracks that were written for Catwoman. They’re slinky, dangerous and off-kilter, like the character. “Sore Spots” and “Finale II” are examples of the romantic writing for Catwoman and Batman. As you can imagine, they’re not happy pieces, but I think they have emotional beauty.
The vocal track at the end was co-written by Elfman and performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It echoes the dramatic themes in the movie, but not the musical ones. I want to like it, but it leaves me lukewarm.
Request: “Cemetery,” “Batman vs. the Circus,” “Cat Suite,” “End Credits”
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4 of 4 found this review helpful |
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Bear McCreary - How The Nerd Stole Christmas
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| A Christmas present for fans of video game score |
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Bear McCreary wrote this score for an online video game review in December 2010. You can read all about the creation of the track on Bear’s blog, which, at this writing, also featured a free download of the track.
The music itself is a traditional (perhaps you might say “kitschy”) Christmas score, complete with quotes from The Nutcracker. In addition to the expected orchestral instruments, the music is made using various electronic samples and quotes from classic video games. Because I never really played those games, I confess the references are lost on me. But if you did, I’m sure you’ll enjoy hearing them here.
This is not groundbreaking score by any means. But it is cute, and Christmas-y, and a treat for those who have fond memories of 8-bit games.
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6 of 6 found this review helpful |
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Christopher Drake - Batman: Under The Red Hood
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| Not inspiring |
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The website World’s Finest conducted an interview with Christopher Drake, the composer on this and other DC Animated movies such as Gotham Knight and Wonder Woman. In the interview, the words “dark,” “modern,” “minimalist,” and “electronic” are used to describe the direction of the score for this film, which gives you an idea of the music and which probably explains why I find the result to be an uninteresting listen, even though the score worked well enough in the movie. The director, according to the interview, had specific references in mind for the score, which clearly included the recent Batsounds by Hans Zimmer. I’m not a big fan of Zimmer’s work in the first place, but this is a pretty bloodless imitation of that style. It’s also my opinion that temp tracks used by a director seldom help the real composer create anything good.
I could point out specific tracks, like “Batwing,” for their driving action. But the entire album is either driving action or emotionally constipated melodrama, with a heaping serving of electronic processing. It gets dull. It’s not thematic, and it’s not particularly attractive. “A Death in the Family” is a good example. The first time I heard it, the disc was skipping in my player. I fixed the problem, but the track was not improved.
This score is probably my least favorite of the DC Animated scores, and I can’t recommend it. If all the NUTs have been cracked and you’d like to try it out, I suggest the “Main Titles” or “Flashback.”
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2 of 2 found this review helpful |
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| Ladies and Gentlemen, John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra ! |
| By: |
Jim_A
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| Date: |
12 Nov 2010 |
| Rating: |
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According to one interview with John Williams, and several with director Richard Donner, the main theme was actually similar to a cartoon-like theme song, with the final note intending to echo the phrase, "Superman !"
Easily some of the best work of Williams' career, Superman was originally scheduled to be scored by Jerry Goldsmith. But the film went over schedule, and the production went looking for another composer. Williams had been suggested and Donner heard his work in Star Wars, and thus Williams was hired. Then the film went further over schedule, Williams had to drop out, and Goldsmith returned. And reportedly, so it went for several months: Goldsmith, Williams, Goldsmith, Williams; back and forth. Until finally, Williams was paid in full and the production now had to accommodate his schedule.
Kidder was originally intended to sing, "Can you read my mind," but Kidder couldn't sing at all, Donner hated the result, and the lyrics were used as a kind of tome poem. Williams has performed said track in concert many times, notably with Julie Andrews on vocals.
The film is segmented into three parts: Krypton, Smallville, and Metropolis. And the score does an excellent job of mirroring these this structure, much of it influenced by the German composer Wagner. The themes presented here are pretty much all over the map, in terms of tone. But works taking into account the film's content, it blends perfectly.
For his work on Superman: The Movie, Williams won 2 Grammys, and was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. The entire score was recorded in 15 separate one day sessions. The original two record album comprised 17 tracks from the film. This two cd Rhino set adds another 18. The album as represented here, includes all known tracks, along with a few concert versions and a cheesy version of Can You Read My Mind, intended to be heard over the radio.
For Superman, Williams used eight separate Leitmotifs. A method he had employed for his score of the film, Star Wars. According to Wikipedia, the definition of leitmotif is as follows: "(a) melody associated with a particular character or story element in any mode of drama in which music is employed, such as a musical play, opera, ballet, or film."
For either the Novice of Williams work, or the Connoisseur, I personally recommend this score above all others as a reference for the work of John Williams.
reference, Wikipedia: Superman Music: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_music
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3 of 3 found this review helpful |
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Raphael Beau, Max Steiner - Micmacs A Tire-Larigot
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| Micmac - a hodgepodge and lovely movie. |
| By: |
Le_Curé
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| Date: |
7 Nov 2010 |
| Rating: |
 |
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Micmac=mingel mangel but could also mean intrigue.
A nice play of words, that defines the subject of the movie. A group of sympathic losers trying to play the two bad arms producer-big-wigs against each others.
Not a big story or epic movie - but a well made French film for lovers of French movies. Well played, nicely directed. And the soundtrack?
Find it out yourself!
Thanks molossus for donatig the s't!
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Mark Morgan - Vault Archives: Fallout Remastered Soundtracks
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| Review for Fallout Soundtrack |
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War... War never changes..
I have been a huge Fallout fan ever since the first game came out in the late 90's. And although the lack of 3d technology, it truly is the music that makes you convinced you're actually in a post-apocalyptic world. No other Fallout games have anywhere near comparable music to the first two.
Most of these tracks do not have vocals and are relatively ambient. Some could hardly be considered "music" because they consist mostly of random noises. These tracks however truly show loneliness, chaos, and a surreal "loss" of the world as we know it.
It is recommended to turn up your speakers a bit in order to really appreciate this album.
Some of my favourite tracks are: Radiation Storm, Metallic Monks, Vats of Goo, Many Contrasts, Dream Town and Acolytes of the New God.
Radiation Storm - Is one of the strongest tracks of Fallout; however it is one of the quietest. This was the music used when you would go into a random encounter on the main map. So essentially the "I'm lost in the radioactive desert" music.
Metallic Monks - Can I say I love this track just because of the air raid sirens in the background? This track was used in the Brotherhood of Steel compound in Fallout 1. And it kind of expresses the past of the fallout world, with the military drums, Morse code noises and of course the bellowing of the monks.
Vats of Goo - If Fallout had a "theme" that wasn't from a classic rendition from the 30's or 40's -- this track would be it. Used in the Military Base level, but was also used in the introduction for the game where Ron Perlman gave his little history lesson. I could apply this track to any other Fallout game today and it would fit perfectly, maybe.. just maybe they will use it for Fallout 4.
Many Contrasts - This is the track from the "San Francisco" level, it includes the sounds from the streetcars, a pretty epic lineup of strings and beats followed with an occasional chant. The track is called "Many Contrasts" because the level in the game was littered with racial groups that were fighting each other. The war in Fallout was caused from China and the US, and most of the inhabitants of San Francisco are Chinese. So this track truly sounds like it's from Doom or something like that. It's very suspenseful, and it has mini-segments in it that suit each of the groups involved in the level.
Dream Town - This track was used in some random encounters in the game, but more notably it was used for the level "The Glow". What I liked about this was that it sounds so positive, it truly sounds like a dream state... however it was used for one of the most horrific levels in the game where a nuclear bomb descended on a facility, and all of the corpses inside are frozen in time (because of the amount of radiation). So yes, it does sound positive in a happy dream state, but with the occasional sounds in echoes it really has a sound of desperation and loss.
Acolytes of the New God - I could listen to this one on repeat until my eyes were bleeding. I love it when music can spark your imagination and allow you to get lost in thought. This track was used in the last level of Fallout 1 in the abandoned church, it's complimented with a steady beat of church bells, monks chanting and some strange reed noises.. overall it's kinda creepy..
Keep in mind, these are just some of my favorites and if you happen to test one please keep in mind that this is my opinion only. There are a lot of awesome tracks on this album that I didn't mention (like Trader's Life, Chrysalis Highwayman, and Biggest Little City in the World)
I often compare this album similar to the Futurist, Luigi Russolo's "The Art of Noise". To essentially use random noises and sounds to paint a picture inside someone's head. I hope you give this album a try, and enjoy it as much as me.
Sincerely,
Segellion
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9 of 9 found this review helpful |
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