Transformers
Steve Jablonsky
" Transforming Autobots sound cool "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
If you want to think about projects where fun needs to be fun, I guess Transformers is on the top of the list. And yes, I'm talking about the score as well. Sadly, there isn't any real originality so to speak off. After all, Steve Jablonsky had to do one thing, recreate the so called Remote Control sound (The Rock, The Island, King Arthur, ...). And that he has done! So, the essence of a Michael Bay sound is born once again.
People can despise the effort and the waste of true originality, dare and depth in this blockbuster movie/score. And yet they are looking at it wholly wrong. Pirates of the Caribbean was an equally despised score, and yet by round 3 we were all cheering away when we heard the bombast through electric guitars. That is making a statement, putting a sound to a genre and sticking with it. Transformers more or less had a sound before it was born and evidently it was obvious that only an RC sound could suffice.
And yet people despise it because it lacks basic originality, and that it is a rehash of what we heard many times before. I'm not going to lie. It is basically devoid of depth, interesting new ideas plus it's too easy on the ears. But as said, when fun needs to be fun don't make it too difficult. It's sad for those who wanted an in depth adventure, full of themes and great innovating movie music. Because here the music stayed simple. This isn't LOTR, so don't compare the 2. And it's not true that the score hasn't got themes. That's a lie. The problem is that the themes are too much alike.
The cool main theme is obviously "Autobots" and it is a typical, easy to like choral anthem of a RC theme. Their enemies receive a choral dark threatening sound and while that's basically it (the way I'm describing it), it also fully works by defining the evil robots. That's heard in "Decepticons'. Another theme is for the reason they arrive on earth, namely for "The All Spark" and here the cello lead theme is basically an adaptation of the Autobots theme. The theme for "Optimus" is basically an even softer variation on the Autobots theme, simply replace the cello with a flute and you'll get the picture.
So the themes aren't that different from one another and if you could complain of one thing really loudly, it would have to be over the non originality in themes. For instance "Bumblebee" is pretty much an eerie beat without a theme, basically stating some notes from the Autobots theme over a beat. And yet it totally works. This track by the way ends with the All Spark theme because Bumblebee is calling for the Autobots, making it one of the best tracks of the score.
"Soccent Attack" now uses an even faster variation on the theme while the apocalyptic choir of the Decepticons is swirling around. One really good reminder is that this is the first track that actually sounds like it has to follow a path. Don't forget that basically the entire album has tracks with a different version than used in the film (this due to the promo released several weeks before the soundtrack, and by putting up different material the so called die hard fans could not pass this one up). Basically Transformers listens like an independent score away from the movie, stating all the themes in a kind of concert version. For an album's experience it really works but it doesn't truly represent the score as heard in the film. The Thomas Newman like "Sam at the Lake" is where it follows the flow of the movie for once.
If you're speaking of cool music, then "Scorponok" is probably the coolest alongside "Arrival to Earth". In "Scorponok" the desert attack carries this cool aggressive building suspense. It may be completely unoriginal but it works once again. That other cool track (most requested one of all) is "Arrival to Earth" and here the choral sound is like this tiny little grace which is heard when the Autobots arrive on earth.
In the track "Witwicky" the Newman sound is back and in "Downtown Battle" and "Sector 7" the beats and electronic pounds need to acquire one thing, basic rhythm for an action sequence. In "Bumblebee Captured" several themes from the Autobots and Optimus mesh together well.
The final tracks all lead to the final big battle. In "You're a Soldier now" the Decepticons theme and cool variations on the Autobots theme flow in RC sense away from your speakers. Cool as well is "Sam on the Roof" when it lays the Decepticons choir on the rhythm that fuelled Skorponok's track. With "Optimus vs. Megatron" and "No Sacrifice, no Victory" we continue to hear the main theme in rapid form, sometimes on the Scorponok rhythm as well!
Now onto the final conclusion. At first this score wasn't released at all. This reached the true die hard fans of the film and naturally the die hard fans of Zimmer and consorts. Even a petition online needed to show how much this score needed to be released. I even reacted in that petition by saying that it sure is better than half the crap that was released this year. I'm not biased, I may be a Zimmer groupie and fanatic yet I still know when I'm listening to crap or something I don't like. Transformers is neither. Sure it's simple, totally structured in the boundaries of what a RC/MV score should be and it carries neither surprise nor new ideas. But if it sounds this cool and fun, why should I call it crap?
Because it could have been more? I could agree to that! Or because it's not a Broughton, Goldsmith, Morricone piece where detail, rhythm and texture lay the boundaries of its excellence? Sure these masters could have made of it a far more enriching experience, with lots of detail and daring film music. And yet that doesn't change the fact that Steve Jablonsky's Transformers still works in context while sounding cool enough on disc. More, it actually sounds fun. And that's why I like Steve Jablonsky's score a lot. Personal taste is a bitch aint it?
Tracklisting
1. Autobots (2.33)
2. Decepticons (3.51)
3. The All Spark (3.34) Excellent track
4. Deciphering the Signal (3.08)
5. Frenzy (1.56)
6. Optimus (3.15)
7. Bumblebee (3.58) Excellent track
8. Soccent Attack (2.07)
9. Sam at the Lake (1.59)
10. Scorponok (4.57) Excellent track
11. Cybertron (2.45)
12. Arrival to Earth (5.26) Excellent track
13. Witwicky (1.57)
14. Downtown Battle (1.32)
15. Sector 7 (2.05)
16. Bumblebee Captured (2.17)
17. You're a Soldier Now (3.27)
18. Sam on the Roof (2.02)
19. Optimus Vs. Megatron (3.59) Excellent track
20. No Sacrifice, No Victory (2.57)
Total Length: 59.56
People can despise the effort and the waste of true originality, dare and depth in this blockbuster movie/score. And yet they are looking at it wholly wrong. Pirates of the Caribbean was an equally despised score, and yet by round 3 we were all cheering away when we heard the bombast through electric guitars. That is making a statement, putting a sound to a genre and sticking with it. Transformers more or less had a sound before it was born and evidently it was obvious that only an RC sound could suffice.
And yet people despise it because it lacks basic originality, and that it is a rehash of what we heard many times before. I'm not going to lie. It is basically devoid of depth, interesting new ideas plus it's too easy on the ears. But as said, when fun needs to be fun don't make it too difficult. It's sad for those who wanted an in depth adventure, full of themes and great innovating movie music. Because here the music stayed simple. This isn't LOTR, so don't compare the 2. And it's not true that the score hasn't got themes. That's a lie. The problem is that the themes are too much alike.
The cool main theme is obviously "Autobots" and it is a typical, easy to like choral anthem of a RC theme. Their enemies receive a choral dark threatening sound and while that's basically it (the way I'm describing it), it also fully works by defining the evil robots. That's heard in "Decepticons'. Another theme is for the reason they arrive on earth, namely for "The All Spark" and here the cello lead theme is basically an adaptation of the Autobots theme. The theme for "Optimus" is basically an even softer variation on the Autobots theme, simply replace the cello with a flute and you'll get the picture.
So the themes aren't that different from one another and if you could complain of one thing really loudly, it would have to be over the non originality in themes. For instance "Bumblebee" is pretty much an eerie beat without a theme, basically stating some notes from the Autobots theme over a beat. And yet it totally works. This track by the way ends with the All Spark theme because Bumblebee is calling for the Autobots, making it one of the best tracks of the score.
"Soccent Attack" now uses an even faster variation on the theme while the apocalyptic choir of the Decepticons is swirling around. One really good reminder is that this is the first track that actually sounds like it has to follow a path. Don't forget that basically the entire album has tracks with a different version than used in the film (this due to the promo released several weeks before the soundtrack, and by putting up different material the so called die hard fans could not pass this one up). Basically Transformers listens like an independent score away from the movie, stating all the themes in a kind of concert version. For an album's experience it really works but it doesn't truly represent the score as heard in the film. The Thomas Newman like "Sam at the Lake" is where it follows the flow of the movie for once.
If you're speaking of cool music, then "Scorponok" is probably the coolest alongside "Arrival to Earth". In "Scorponok" the desert attack carries this cool aggressive building suspense. It may be completely unoriginal but it works once again. That other cool track (most requested one of all) is "Arrival to Earth" and here the choral sound is like this tiny little grace which is heard when the Autobots arrive on earth.
In the track "Witwicky" the Newman sound is back and in "Downtown Battle" and "Sector 7" the beats and electronic pounds need to acquire one thing, basic rhythm for an action sequence. In "Bumblebee Captured" several themes from the Autobots and Optimus mesh together well.
The final tracks all lead to the final big battle. In "You're a Soldier now" the Decepticons theme and cool variations on the Autobots theme flow in RC sense away from your speakers. Cool as well is "Sam on the Roof" when it lays the Decepticons choir on the rhythm that fuelled Skorponok's track. With "Optimus vs. Megatron" and "No Sacrifice, no Victory" we continue to hear the main theme in rapid form, sometimes on the Scorponok rhythm as well!
Now onto the final conclusion. At first this score wasn't released at all. This reached the true die hard fans of the film and naturally the die hard fans of Zimmer and consorts. Even a petition online needed to show how much this score needed to be released. I even reacted in that petition by saying that it sure is better than half the crap that was released this year. I'm not biased, I may be a Zimmer groupie and fanatic yet I still know when I'm listening to crap or something I don't like. Transformers is neither. Sure it's simple, totally structured in the boundaries of what a RC/MV score should be and it carries neither surprise nor new ideas. But if it sounds this cool and fun, why should I call it crap?
Because it could have been more? I could agree to that! Or because it's not a Broughton, Goldsmith, Morricone piece where detail, rhythm and texture lay the boundaries of its excellence? Sure these masters could have made of it a far more enriching experience, with lots of detail and daring film music. And yet that doesn't change the fact that Steve Jablonsky's Transformers still works in context while sounding cool enough on disc. More, it actually sounds fun. And that's why I like Steve Jablonsky's score a lot. Personal taste is a bitch aint it?
Tracklisting
1. Autobots (2.33)
2. Decepticons (3.51)
3. The All Spark (3.34) Excellent track
4. Deciphering the Signal (3.08)
5. Frenzy (1.56)
6. Optimus (3.15)
7. Bumblebee (3.58) Excellent track
8. Soccent Attack (2.07)
9. Sam at the Lake (1.59)
10. Scorponok (4.57) Excellent track
11. Cybertron (2.45)
12. Arrival to Earth (5.26) Excellent track
13. Witwicky (1.57)
14. Downtown Battle (1.32)
15. Sector 7 (2.05)
16. Bumblebee Captured (2.17)
17. You're a Soldier Now (3.27)
18. Sam on the Roof (2.02)
19. Optimus Vs. Megatron (3.59) Excellent track
20. No Sacrifice, No Victory (2.57)
Total Length: 59.56