Skyfall
Thomas Newman
" Thomas shakes the martini deliciously stirry "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
His name is Newman, Thomas Newman and he was probably one of the most unlikely candidates ever to fill in the candidacy for official Bond composer. Luckily surprises tend to happen, especially if directors stand by the people that made their success together in the past. And considering the people around Bond wanted director Sam Mendes so badly, he was in the demanding position to point out he wanted these people on board, or he wouldn't do it at all. And so martini's tend to be shaken rather differently now, considering Thomas was ultimately given the benefit of the doubt by the Dr. No's of Tinseltown.
Of course we fans ever so wondered what a composer of this magnitude could deliver on a Bond movie of today. Considering he hasn't done anything like this at all. So to answer your question briefly? If you were afraid Thomas Newman wouldn't sound Thomas Newman at all now that he has to do it for Bond, think again. This is Thomas Newman in a nutshell, only larger and more on edge. Think of him creating music for Lemony Snicket but then with snippets of a Bond fanfare in it for good measure. And yes, even though it's used rarely in full, the Bond theme does make noticeable appearances.
So now that we have covered the ground of Thomas Newman's style and the fact the Bond theme is interwoven in it, how does it all sound for a Bond action enthusiast? Well deliciously interesting. You see, Thomas Newman can do action and his opening cue "Grand Bazaar, Istanbul" takes me back to the best David Arnold sound of Tomorrow Never Dies. Of course that doesn't mean it sounds David Arnold at all, it means that I found an action style in this opening cue that sounds so entertaining, it's freaky no one ever mentioned Thomas Newman before as possible Bond composer. Anyway that opening track opens with a 2 note fanfare of the Bond theme, eastern music that's enhanced by electric guitar and a delicious orchestral suspense sound that honors Bond by sounding the horns every once and a while. Easily put, probably one of the best cues of the entire disc.
And what you get after that is a mixture of Thomas Newman doing his usual thing (never expected to hear a typical Newman cue like "Quartermaster" in Bond), combined with some pretty (for your eyes only) interesting action tracks. It's not per se full blown out action music, it's more rhythmic suspense music that isn't afraid to mention the Bond theme occasionally, interwoven with some god save the queen fanfares for good measure. Such a fanfare delivers almost Goldenthal esque quivers in "Jellyfish" while "The Chimera" goes for a purely Thomas Newman style instead. A love theme comes also early in "Severine" that sadly never gets picked up again (I hope for Severine she's picked up by Bond more in the film) and "Komodo Dragon" is really one of the loveliest tracks on the album. It's even here that the song theme (lacking for better or worse) is briefly noticed.
But really, no matter how lovely or interesting the score may seem to be, it's the action material that people were most looking forward at. And honestly, Newman doesn't disappoint. What I like about it is that it's Newman doing his regular routine, but with a mixture of the Bond theme, and a whole lot of percussion, brass and rhythm. The pace never dies and the excitement is constantly present, especially when bits and pieces of the Bond theme are used. Honestly, if people ever thought Newman couldn't hack it, here's the proof they were looking for. Even though it took me a bit of time to warm up to it, the percussion rocks briefly in "Silhouette", the Bond theme gets noticed during the action of "The Bloody Shot" and "Enquiry", and the excitement goes for a home run in "She's Mine", one of this album's most exhilarating tracks.
But as with each specific Newman score, there's so much to discover in virtually every single track. And it makes Skyfall all the more the trademark Newman score in a not so trademark Bond outfit. Newman will never be the most familiar name for action, but he easily gets the job done here. In a year where blockbusters tend to deliver mediocre crap, it's refreshing to discover that an artistic composer came up with some of the most inspiring music for a blockbuster movie this year. Thomas Newman sure makes Bond exciting to listen to once again.
Track Listing
1. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (5.14) Excellent track
2. Voluntary Retirement (2.22)
3. New Digs (2.32)
4. Severine (1.18)
5. Brave New World (1.50)
6. Shanghai Drive (1.26)
7. Jellyfish (3.22)
8. Silhouette (0.56)
9. Modigliani (1.04)
10. Day Wasted (1.31)
11. Quartermaster (4.58)
12. Someone Usually Dies (2.29)
13. Komodo Dragon (3.20) Excellent track
14. The Bloody Shot (4.46) Excellent track
15. Enjoying Death (1.13)
16. The Chimera (1.58)
17. Close Shave (1.32)
18. Health and Safety (1.29)
19. Granborough Road (2.32)
20. Tennyson (2.14)
21. Enquiry (2.49)
22. Breadcrumbs (2.02)
23. Skyfall (2.32)
24. Kill Them First (2.22)
25. Welcome to Scotland (3.21)
26. She's Mine (3.53) Excellent track
27. The Moors (2.39)
28. Deep Water (5.11)
29. Mother (1.48)
30. Adrenaline (2.17)
Total Length: 77.00
Of course we fans ever so wondered what a composer of this magnitude could deliver on a Bond movie of today. Considering he hasn't done anything like this at all. So to answer your question briefly? If you were afraid Thomas Newman wouldn't sound Thomas Newman at all now that he has to do it for Bond, think again. This is Thomas Newman in a nutshell, only larger and more on edge. Think of him creating music for Lemony Snicket but then with snippets of a Bond fanfare in it for good measure. And yes, even though it's used rarely in full, the Bond theme does make noticeable appearances.
So now that we have covered the ground of Thomas Newman's style and the fact the Bond theme is interwoven in it, how does it all sound for a Bond action enthusiast? Well deliciously interesting. You see, Thomas Newman can do action and his opening cue "Grand Bazaar, Istanbul" takes me back to the best David Arnold sound of Tomorrow Never Dies. Of course that doesn't mean it sounds David Arnold at all, it means that I found an action style in this opening cue that sounds so entertaining, it's freaky no one ever mentioned Thomas Newman before as possible Bond composer. Anyway that opening track opens with a 2 note fanfare of the Bond theme, eastern music that's enhanced by electric guitar and a delicious orchestral suspense sound that honors Bond by sounding the horns every once and a while. Easily put, probably one of the best cues of the entire disc.
And what you get after that is a mixture of Thomas Newman doing his usual thing (never expected to hear a typical Newman cue like "Quartermaster" in Bond), combined with some pretty (for your eyes only) interesting action tracks. It's not per se full blown out action music, it's more rhythmic suspense music that isn't afraid to mention the Bond theme occasionally, interwoven with some god save the queen fanfares for good measure. Such a fanfare delivers almost Goldenthal esque quivers in "Jellyfish" while "The Chimera" goes for a purely Thomas Newman style instead. A love theme comes also early in "Severine" that sadly never gets picked up again (I hope for Severine she's picked up by Bond more in the film) and "Komodo Dragon" is really one of the loveliest tracks on the album. It's even here that the song theme (lacking for better or worse) is briefly noticed.
But really, no matter how lovely or interesting the score may seem to be, it's the action material that people were most looking forward at. And honestly, Newman doesn't disappoint. What I like about it is that it's Newman doing his regular routine, but with a mixture of the Bond theme, and a whole lot of percussion, brass and rhythm. The pace never dies and the excitement is constantly present, especially when bits and pieces of the Bond theme are used. Honestly, if people ever thought Newman couldn't hack it, here's the proof they were looking for. Even though it took me a bit of time to warm up to it, the percussion rocks briefly in "Silhouette", the Bond theme gets noticed during the action of "The Bloody Shot" and "Enquiry", and the excitement goes for a home run in "She's Mine", one of this album's most exhilarating tracks.
But as with each specific Newman score, there's so much to discover in virtually every single track. And it makes Skyfall all the more the trademark Newman score in a not so trademark Bond outfit. Newman will never be the most familiar name for action, but he easily gets the job done here. In a year where blockbusters tend to deliver mediocre crap, it's refreshing to discover that an artistic composer came up with some of the most inspiring music for a blockbuster movie this year. Thomas Newman sure makes Bond exciting to listen to once again.
Track Listing
1. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (5.14) Excellent track
2. Voluntary Retirement (2.22)
3. New Digs (2.32)
4. Severine (1.18)
5. Brave New World (1.50)
6. Shanghai Drive (1.26)
7. Jellyfish (3.22)
8. Silhouette (0.56)
9. Modigliani (1.04)
10. Day Wasted (1.31)
11. Quartermaster (4.58)
12. Someone Usually Dies (2.29)
13. Komodo Dragon (3.20) Excellent track
14. The Bloody Shot (4.46) Excellent track
15. Enjoying Death (1.13)
16. The Chimera (1.58)
17. Close Shave (1.32)
18. Health and Safety (1.29)
19. Granborough Road (2.32)
20. Tennyson (2.14)
21. Enquiry (2.49)
22. Breadcrumbs (2.02)
23. Skyfall (2.32)
24. Kill Them First (2.22)
25. Welcome to Scotland (3.21)
26. She's Mine (3.53) Excellent track
27. The Moors (2.39)
28. Deep Water (5.11)
29. Mother (1.48)
30. Adrenaline (2.17)
Total Length: 77.00