Alvin and the Chipmunks
Christopher Lennertz
" I wonder if Lennertz could have done it any other way. "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
It's impossible to describe how some movies make Money, while others fail to churn up any profit whatsoever. Alvin and the Chipmuncks apparently was a gigantic success at the box-office. Christopher Lennertz hasn't scored that many profitable movies but suddenly he was in the top 10 list with several titles. For Alvin and the Chipmuncks he wanted to make the most of it, despite the knowledge that there is not much choice into making the sound for this kind of film.
The score can be described as charming, fluffy, comical and pleasant in the Alan Silvestri way. Stuff like "Main Title", "I'm Late" or "Ever?" does exactly the same as what Alan does in his comedic music. "Ever?" could be seen as a mix between David Newman's pace and Silvestri's orchestrations.
Luckily it all stays melodic and fun. The guitar strings are lovely in "Dave's Theme" while "Storing food for Winter" holds a couple of light surprises. A brief choir is nothing to get excited about, but it always comes as a surprise to hear it on an album like this. The other surprise is the brief rhythmic change, mixing actually both styles of Silvestri and Newman together. In a way this is music that doesn't guarantee you any novelties, but it works as listening experience.
"Toaster Waffles" exploits the trumpets ala Silvestri to create mayhem, while Dave's theme tries to bring back order and balance. The light emotional "Leave me Alone" and "Are you Awake" bring a variation on the main theme, "I'll Clean out my Office is mischievous underscore and "Christmas Morning" is Williams' inspired Christmas writing, containing dancing flutes, cheery main theme versions, the inevitable 'Deck the Halls" melody, well you basically get the idea eh?
Alongside the mischievous play in "Live with Uncle Ian" and "Dinner", there's the main theme, a choral fanfare that knocks your socks off (because you don't expect it), some comedic rushes, basically more or less the tone of the entire score. In the final tracks the comedic rushes are what drives "Get Them!", while "You'll Never Take us Alive" delivers some nice orchestral moments. Finally the more emotional material is found in "Missing the Boys", "Dave's Phone Call" and "I want to go Home".
In the comedic moments, it is the Carl Stalling music that fuels the tone of the score. In the emotional lovelier moments you couldn't think more of an Alan Silvestri sound. Brought together Alvin and the Chipmuncks is nothing new, but I don't know if this could have been brought any other way and even better. We must be honest, if John Debney did this we would have spitted it out in an instant because then it would have been a weak clone of Liar Liar for instance. However, this is Lennertz and considering the material, I don't think a lot of inspiration was sizzling in the mind of the composer when he saw the movie. He just portrayed the visuals on screen and tried to respond with the right kind of emotion and comedy.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (1.07)
2. I'm Late (0.40)
3. Ever? (2.07)
4. Dave's Theme (0.48)
5. No More Nuts / Storing Food for the Winter (4.43)
6. Rescue the Gear / Toaster Waffles (1.44)
7. Leave Me Alone (2.17)
8. I'll Clean Out My Office (1.35)
9. Are Ypu Awake? (1.13)
10. Christmas Morning (4.09)
11. Live with Uncle Ian (2.36)
12. Dinner! (2.07)
13. Dave Remembers / Missing the Boys (1.08)
14. Get Them! (1.03)
15. Dave's Phone Call (1.06)
16. Theodore's Nightmare (1.05)
17. I Want to Go Home (1.28)
18. Alvin!!! / You'll Never Take Us Alive (4.09)
Total Length: 35.05
The score can be described as charming, fluffy, comical and pleasant in the Alan Silvestri way. Stuff like "Main Title", "I'm Late" or "Ever?" does exactly the same as what Alan does in his comedic music. "Ever?" could be seen as a mix between David Newman's pace and Silvestri's orchestrations.
Luckily it all stays melodic and fun. The guitar strings are lovely in "Dave's Theme" while "Storing food for Winter" holds a couple of light surprises. A brief choir is nothing to get excited about, but it always comes as a surprise to hear it on an album like this. The other surprise is the brief rhythmic change, mixing actually both styles of Silvestri and Newman together. In a way this is music that doesn't guarantee you any novelties, but it works as listening experience.
"Toaster Waffles" exploits the trumpets ala Silvestri to create mayhem, while Dave's theme tries to bring back order and balance. The light emotional "Leave me Alone" and "Are you Awake" bring a variation on the main theme, "I'll Clean out my Office is mischievous underscore and "Christmas Morning" is Williams' inspired Christmas writing, containing dancing flutes, cheery main theme versions, the inevitable 'Deck the Halls" melody, well you basically get the idea eh?
Alongside the mischievous play in "Live with Uncle Ian" and "Dinner", there's the main theme, a choral fanfare that knocks your socks off (because you don't expect it), some comedic rushes, basically more or less the tone of the entire score. In the final tracks the comedic rushes are what drives "Get Them!", while "You'll Never Take us Alive" delivers some nice orchestral moments. Finally the more emotional material is found in "Missing the Boys", "Dave's Phone Call" and "I want to go Home".
In the comedic moments, it is the Carl Stalling music that fuels the tone of the score. In the emotional lovelier moments you couldn't think more of an Alan Silvestri sound. Brought together Alvin and the Chipmuncks is nothing new, but I don't know if this could have been brought any other way and even better. We must be honest, if John Debney did this we would have spitted it out in an instant because then it would have been a weak clone of Liar Liar for instance. However, this is Lennertz and considering the material, I don't think a lot of inspiration was sizzling in the mind of the composer when he saw the movie. He just portrayed the visuals on screen and tried to respond with the right kind of emotion and comedy.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (1.07)
2. I'm Late (0.40)
3. Ever? (2.07)
4. Dave's Theme (0.48)
5. No More Nuts / Storing Food for the Winter (4.43)
6. Rescue the Gear / Toaster Waffles (1.44)
7. Leave Me Alone (2.17)
8. I'll Clean Out My Office (1.35)
9. Are Ypu Awake? (1.13)
10. Christmas Morning (4.09)
11. Live with Uncle Ian (2.36)
12. Dinner! (2.07)
13. Dave Remembers / Missing the Boys (1.08)
14. Get Them! (1.03)
15. Dave's Phone Call (1.06)
16. Theodore's Nightmare (1.05)
17. I Want to Go Home (1.28)
18. Alvin!!! / You'll Never Take Us Alive (4.09)
Total Length: 35.05