BEST SCORES OF 2008

So, the year is ending in a few hours. I think i've heard every major (and not only) release enough this year to decide which i liked the most and which i considered the most notable this year has to showcase. They are these 10 very good scores:

1. JAMES NEWTON HOWARD – Defiance --> In an age where quantity and easily-digested, bastardized musical amalgams are usually the rule against coherent musical works, JNH's "Defiance" comes as a breath of fresh air through the fabulous violin work and tight thematic material of this orchestral score, lazily (but accurately i believe) spotted as his "Schindler's List"

2. ALEXANDRE DESPLAT – the curious case of Benjamin Button - Desplat is not for everyone; but his music is a child of elegance, refinery and musical balance, not often met; his delicate motific and thematic elaboration is charming and the heart of each and every work he produces - no matter how small-scale or quirky (to some), is of admirable qualities.

3. JAMES NEWTON HOWARD – the happening; James Newton Howard is undeniably one of the (if not THE) most important few real artists film music has to benefit from and Shyamalan with James Newton Howard are a purely gold recipe. "Be with you" is easily the year's most outstanding single composition in the film music medium, imo.

4. JOHAN SODERQVIST – let the right one in ; JOHAN SODERQVIST's output, although limited so far, shows a very sensitive and cultivated artist at heart; This MovieScore Media release contains some of the best material i've heard in this genre, with a score balancing between classy horror and purely sweeping, emotional passages of sheer beauty.

5. ALBERTO IGLEASIAS – che; Alberto is in the same category as Desplat imo; almost every single work he produced during the last 8 or so years is narrowly accepted but of singularly musical character, personality and quality imo. Che, an amalgam of clever dissonance and the usual emotionally charged and fragile melodies of Iglesias, is easily one of the most unique - but also difficult, scores of the year.

6. JOHN POWELL – stop loss; When Powell gets serious, the results are outstanding. Granted this score suffers on CD from some long underscoring passages of average interest, still it contains some of the strongest thematic material heard this year, with the melancholic melody and passion of the main theme and pieces like "The Greatest Tragedy" standing out in front of a vast portion of anything written in the medium this year.

7. DANNY ELFMAN – Wanted; When big boys come around the corner to show to the young and inexperienced fancy boys with their fancy toys how proper film music is being done. Some boys are simply bigger than others.

8. CARTER BURWELL – In Bruges; Along with BURN AFTER READING (not mentioning the careless and particularly inferior exception that is TWILIGHT), Burwell once again showed how unique and esoteric his musical voice is. In Bruges contains some of the most beautiful piano music ever to be found in modern film music.

9. PINO DONAGGIO – Oorlogswinter ; old-fashioned, sweeping and emotionally passionate orchestral score with a largely memorable main theme. For some it might sound as too melodramatic or over the top, but if you're fond of unrestrained energy in your music and arrangements / sound that send to past eras, this is for you.

-10a. ADRIAN JOHNSTON – brideshead revisited; elegant and classy, this lyrical score is a very notable collection of deeply thematic and melodic period music that - like the majority of Johnston's output, has some very strong to say.

-10b. PAUL CANTELON - the other Boleyn girl; very similar in essence and in philosophy with the above, only the former is done better; still, especially coming from a new name in the field and for a very mediocre movie which it DID elevate largely, this score is very notable as it contains some of the boldest (thematic-wise) melodies heard this year.

Honorable mentions:

BRIAN TYLER - Eagle Eye; excellent dynamics, unstoppable energy, technically brilliant, bold and adrenaline-pumped. If it had more character and personality (like it seems to be the wider problem with Tyler's music), this would be the best score of the year.

JAMES HORNER - boy with the stripped pyjamas; fragile and led by tender piano, smooth and melodic. But it's a tremendously long experience on the album and very one-dimensional as far as thematic approach is concerned. Still, easily above the mediocre majority of the year.

DANNY ELFMAN - standard operating procedure - Very, very good score but a little too Philip Glass influenced. In Hellboy II and some bits of WANTED, this influence is done way more cleverly and indirectly. I don't think a composer of the magnitude of Elfman really needs to plagiarize anyone.

MICHAEL GIACCHINO - roar; this piece is how PROPER film music should be done. But since there are strong debates or whether it actually IS film music or not, i am not placing it in my top-10 (something i originally considered doing).

ATLI ORVARSSON - Babylon A.D.- the Requiem material circling around the choral core and the main theme are some of the most brilliant isolated highlights of the year. Sadly, on CD it gets suffocated by the hordes of impersonal underscore.

PHILIPPE ROMBI - Bienvenue Chez les Ch'tis; As always with Rombi, this is unattainably romantic and sweeping, but coming after such a gem as ANGEL, it can't help but to appear as significantly smaller. Still, it's very, very enjoyable and feel-good romance.

HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD - the dark knight; despite the large tendency against it, i truly think that this is an example of a purely excellent (in essence of the term and programme music in general) modern film score, one which tremendously elevates an already brilliant modern film. Kudos to the team, more space for JNH to actually insert his musical character next time.

MAX RICHTER - Waltz with Bashir; Although deeply demanding, Richter's music is some of the most introvert examples of film* music (*not with the strictest meaning) and certainly the year's most original album, imo.

[edited to add]

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT - Largo Winch; Desplat's BOND. A step beyond his other action scores from the past, FIREWALL and HOSTAGE, with even more mature arrangements, rich orchestration and surprisingly melodic material. Far worthier than the Quantum of Solace score by Arnold, imo.

MICHAEL GIACCHINO - Turning point: fall of liberty. Raw, big, evil, loud and technically impressive, Giacchino once again gives lessons of proper orchestral arrangements and adequate use of instrumentation in order to create a primal archetype of aggressive orchestral music that knows where to stop and how to keep the right musical balance. A game score that is beyond a large number of film scores out there today.

Knut Avenstroup Haugen - Age of Conan: the hyborian adventures; Whilst on a completely different musical venues than the above, Knut has too produced an outstanding score that goes beyond and "game score" labels. It's a very charming amalgam of western music and instrumentation crossed with properly done and imaginative middle-eastern instrumental ensembles. Despite how cliched and tired the later sub-genre might come across in the film music outcome of late, still Knut managed to resurrect it via a varicolored and thematically-heavy score that shines amidst the best of year.