Sherlock Holmes

Hans Zimmer

 
" Eccentric, sheer bloody eccentric "

Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release

Due to the fact every household name gets a reboot nowadays, it comes as no surprise to see some really big names among them as well. One of the latest to hit the theaters is Sherlock Holmes, this under the directorial guidance of Guy Ritchie. The trailer itself promised viewers a totally different take from practically any Sherlock Holmes film or series you've ever encountered, and so it would be unwise to think the music wouldn't change alongside of that. Hans Zimmer himself was brought on board to acquire just that.

Whatever you think of Zimmer, or attack him off, the man always re invents himself. So, whatever you expected Sherlock Holmes to be like, think of something else. Because the soundtrack will probably be totally the opposite of that. Who would have thought we would hear influences of Matchstick Men collaborating with the mere mischievous schemes of one Jack Sparrow (especially the style heard in the 2nd and 3rd POTC movies) in a movie soundtrack of Sherlock Holmes?

So, the question is not: "will you like it?", but "will you like the sound of Sherlock Holmes?" For a person attacking Zimmer whenever he does something remotely MV (sorry RC) like, Sherlock Holmes will be a blast. For whoever thought Matchstick Men and Sparrow's darker encounters didn't fully satisfy you, Sherlock Holmes will not entertain you so easily. And sad to say it, but Sherlock Holmes will definitely not see a lot of my CD player's running capabilities.

Opening quirky and eccentric enough in "Discombobulate", the attention will be drawn mostly to its usage of instruments, namely the accordion and cimbaloms, giving you a very energetic opening track and theme to say the least. The cimbaloms deliver another performance early on in "Is It Poison, Nanny?", giving you a sinister sense of suspense throughout the track.

Completely the opposite of all that sinister mood is "I Never Woke Up in Handcuffs Before", which is an energetic jig of ethnic proportions, showing you easily how accordions and violins can give you a comedic, awkward and eccentric dance.

Aside the main theme version in "My Mind Rebels at Stagnation", there's also a dramatic encore discovered at the end of the track, giving you again a sense of POTC 2 deja-vu. The best sign of Jack Sparrow's influence is heard in "He's Killed the Dog Again", delivering you a very threatening main theme performance for sure. That threatening performance gets an all out new meaning in "Marital Sabotage", one of the most energetic tracks of the album.

The mysterious and original "Data, Data, Data", the combination of eastern sounding quirkiness with deep emotional somberness in "Not in Blood, But in Bond", the emotional "Ah, Putrefaction" and the quirky "Panic, Shear Bloody Panic" will definitely show you a Zimmer unlike no other.

But the climatic track is surely the 18 minute "Psychological Recovery... 6 Months", which holds its fair share of main theme statements, quirky encounters and lots of cool energetic moments (especially around the 5th and 9th minute). Simply put, the first 11 minutes of it are a blast. The final track "Catatonie" just continues the eccentric road we traveled through before.

Like I said at the beginning of this review, the problem is not liking it but liking the sound of Sherlock Holmes. I'm especially thrilled to announce that the Zimmer bashers will have to come up with a new complaint after having heard Sherlock Holmes, because it is fresh, exciting and daring. So in that case, it is fair to say Hans Zimmer didn't take the easy route whatsoever. But I'm sure there will be hefty dose of people (especially the younger generation) who will dismiss this score because it is not MV (sorry RC) enough in general. And I'm in the middle of all those people, namely indecisive. Which is bad if you're a professional reviewer which thank goodness I'm not :-)

Tracklisting

1. Discombobulate (2.25)
2. Is It Poison, Nanny? (2.53)
3. I Never Woke Up in Handcuffs Before (1.44)
4. My Mind Rebels at Stagnation (4.31)
5. Data, Data, Data (2.15)
6. He's Killed the Dog Again (3.15)
7. Marital Sabotage (3.44)
8. Not in Blood, But in Bond (2.13)
9. Ah, Putrefaction (1.50)
10. Panic, Shear Bloody Panic (2.38)
11. Psychological Recovery... 6 Months (18.18) Excellent track
12. Catatonie (6.44)

Total Length: 52.30
(click to rate this score)  
 
  •  
(total of 76 votes - average 3.72/5)

Released by

New Line Records NLR 39175 (regular release 2010)

Conducted by

Gavin Greenaway

Orchestrations by

Bruce Fowler