Big City
Erwann Kermorvant
" Big City = Lovely Big Score "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
For music fans, it is both a wonderful delight and an enormous challenge to keep oneself up to date with all the film music that's being released today. For mainstream buyers, it is then also extremely time consuming to discover the ones that are worth it. Considering there are a dozen of new scores released practically every month, it is important to separate the good from the weak. Luckily MovieScore Media handless the separation personally, and even if it means I have to learn one new composer's name each month, I do it because I get in contact with stylish and wonderful music.
The new name to learn today is Erwann Kermorvant, a French born composer who introduced himself to the mass populas through La Première Etoile (also released by MovieScore Media). This one here is called Big City, an intriguing film about a bunch of kids who play adults in 19th's Wild Wild West, and get in contact with everything that made the West good and bad (romance, death, racism). It's an interesting concept for sure, and one that wasn't all too well accepted. Yet considering this concept, one couldn't possibly expect something remotely challenging for a film where a twelve year old hooker charges 50 cents for a kiss on the cheek, or a dollar on the lips. Enter Erwann Kermorvant, to proof us all wrong.
I have to mention immediately that Big City shares its temp track sometimes all too easy. Considering this is supposed to be the Far west, don't be surprised to discover that some important scores are mixed through the sound of the music. The easiest one to remember is Bruce Broughton's very own classic Silverado, which is heard as the main theme of Big City, in "The Good, the Oil and the Beauty", "Ambush / KKK", "Farewell" (soaring) and "Epilogue / End Credits".
The main theme however is hinted first in "Once Upon the Time", and considering the track also works as a compilation piece, it gives you a glimpse of what to expect. Whether it is the brief rushing action music, innovative violin moment or the clever piano music, it shows you immediately the seriousness of Erwann Kermorvant's intentions.
The native chants and percussion in "This Means War!" lead to fun and exciting action music, which leads to the main theme in the end. It does show you the good and the bad though. Even if the music is that exciting in potential, most of the tracks just don't show the possible development, all because most of the cues are just too damn short. In the end it is this that plagues the score the most, not the temp track which is just easier to accept.
Besides the first full main theme statement, "The Good, the Oil and the Beauty" does offer something else instead and that is romance, highlighted by the lovely flutes and strings. The serious brass highlighting danger in "The Battle", the lonesome trumpet saluting Amazing Grace in "Painful Memories / Face Off" and the main theme colliding with the waltz in "Epilogue / End Credits" are just some moments to remember.
Luckily Kermorvant doesn't forget to incorporate some delightful diversity as well, and this is discovered in the wonderful "The Drunk Waltz", literally bursting with energy. That energy can be discovered in "Business as Usual", recreating a Fievel Goes West attitude which isn't always that easy to create. But the biggest highlight is still "The Whip", a fabulous rousing piece full of thunderous Williams sounding brass.
Considering the temp track isn't a fault of the composer whatsoever, it would be foolish to diminish this score's obvious potential solely because most of the cues are a bit short. Because Big City is better than that. Big City is fun, at times rousing, at times lovely. But it is always orchestral, it is always interesting, it is sometimes goddamn brilliant. And considering this is written for a bunch of kids to play a life in the wild wild west, it is serious A-class music that could support a normal cowboy film like that. This is well written stuff boys and girls, and deserves a closer investigation.
Tracklisting
1. Once Upon the Time ... (1.49)
2. This Means War! (1.35)
3. The Good, the Oil and the Beauty (3.48)
4. The Battle (1.31) Excellent track
5. The Plan (1.32)
6. The Drunk Waltz (2.28) Excellent track
7. First Night Alone (1.49)
8. Business as Usual (1.34)
9. Cats Chasing (1.22)
10. The Trial (1.43)
11. Return of the Beauty (2.41)
12. Ambush / KKK (1.47)
13. The Whip (2.50) Excellent track
14. Monologue (1.32)
15. Deadly Solution (1.31)
16. Painful Memories / Face Off (1.51)
17. The Last Stand / The Kiss (1.49)
18. Farewell (1.11)
19. Epilogue / End Credits (4.47) Excellent track
Total Length: 39.17
The new name to learn today is Erwann Kermorvant, a French born composer who introduced himself to the mass populas through La Première Etoile (also released by MovieScore Media). This one here is called Big City, an intriguing film about a bunch of kids who play adults in 19th's Wild Wild West, and get in contact with everything that made the West good and bad (romance, death, racism). It's an interesting concept for sure, and one that wasn't all too well accepted. Yet considering this concept, one couldn't possibly expect something remotely challenging for a film where a twelve year old hooker charges 50 cents for a kiss on the cheek, or a dollar on the lips. Enter Erwann Kermorvant, to proof us all wrong.
I have to mention immediately that Big City shares its temp track sometimes all too easy. Considering this is supposed to be the Far west, don't be surprised to discover that some important scores are mixed through the sound of the music. The easiest one to remember is Bruce Broughton's very own classic Silverado, which is heard as the main theme of Big City, in "The Good, the Oil and the Beauty", "Ambush / KKK", "Farewell" (soaring) and "Epilogue / End Credits".
The main theme however is hinted first in "Once Upon the Time", and considering the track also works as a compilation piece, it gives you a glimpse of what to expect. Whether it is the brief rushing action music, innovative violin moment or the clever piano music, it shows you immediately the seriousness of Erwann Kermorvant's intentions.
The native chants and percussion in "This Means War!" lead to fun and exciting action music, which leads to the main theme in the end. It does show you the good and the bad though. Even if the music is that exciting in potential, most of the tracks just don't show the possible development, all because most of the cues are just too damn short. In the end it is this that plagues the score the most, not the temp track which is just easier to accept.
Besides the first full main theme statement, "The Good, the Oil and the Beauty" does offer something else instead and that is romance, highlighted by the lovely flutes and strings. The serious brass highlighting danger in "The Battle", the lonesome trumpet saluting Amazing Grace in "Painful Memories / Face Off" and the main theme colliding with the waltz in "Epilogue / End Credits" are just some moments to remember.
Luckily Kermorvant doesn't forget to incorporate some delightful diversity as well, and this is discovered in the wonderful "The Drunk Waltz", literally bursting with energy. That energy can be discovered in "Business as Usual", recreating a Fievel Goes West attitude which isn't always that easy to create. But the biggest highlight is still "The Whip", a fabulous rousing piece full of thunderous Williams sounding brass.
Considering the temp track isn't a fault of the composer whatsoever, it would be foolish to diminish this score's obvious potential solely because most of the cues are a bit short. Because Big City is better than that. Big City is fun, at times rousing, at times lovely. But it is always orchestral, it is always interesting, it is sometimes goddamn brilliant. And considering this is written for a bunch of kids to play a life in the wild wild west, it is serious A-class music that could support a normal cowboy film like that. This is well written stuff boys and girls, and deserves a closer investigation.
Tracklisting
1. Once Upon the Time ... (1.49)
2. This Means War! (1.35)
3. The Good, the Oil and the Beauty (3.48)
4. The Battle (1.31) Excellent track
5. The Plan (1.32)
6. The Drunk Waltz (2.28) Excellent track
7. First Night Alone (1.49)
8. Business as Usual (1.34)
9. Cats Chasing (1.22)
10. The Trial (1.43)
11. Return of the Beauty (2.41)
12. Ambush / KKK (1.47)
13. The Whip (2.50) Excellent track
14. Monologue (1.32)
15. Deadly Solution (1.31)
16. Painful Memories / Face Off (1.51)
17. The Last Stand / The Kiss (1.49)
18. Farewell (1.11)
19. Epilogue / End Credits (4.47) Excellent track
Total Length: 39.17