[Closed] Now Playing XLIII

Still on Godzilla. Who knew that one of the most powerful vocal pieces I would ever hear would come from a film about a radioactive dinosaur?

NP : STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE - Jerry Goldsmith



In my all time top 10 and also one of the greatest film scores ever written.

Some good plays there Volker, in particular I really like Lee Holdridge's Mists of Avalon.

NP : THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS - Howard Shore



I think you all know it, not much else to say except Superb!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Patrick Doyle

First listen. It's okay. The quieter moments are the most impressive. The action music is more along the lines of what Doyle did for Thor (and not to my taste). I get that the chuggling string lines, simplistic themes and the static harmonies of the RC school are the "in" thing these days for blockbusters but does it really have to permeate everything? At least Doyle uses woodwinds.

NP : TORA! TORA! TORA! - Jerry Goldsmith


Marvellous.

Brian Tyler - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

A very decent game score, much better than whatever Zimmer and his cohorts did for the same franchise earlier, with one exception I'll explain later (though I frankly thought it was impossible).

The score is mostly fun, though yet again Tyler made a tad too long album (cutting 10-15 minutes would make it better rounded). What is very interesting is that, and I wrote it in my review. Tyler writes a score of his own, with his own heavy metal references, some other Zimmer references thrown in the mix (at one point a Batman-like ostinato crops up, but it fits the soundscape, just as it does in Battle: LA, but there I find it somehow more "offensive" to my ears, though I understand temp-track love and I still think that Tyler likes it as a way of giving homages to composers he looks up to), but working very well as a sequel to the previous two scores in the series. The heavy metal references bring to an interesting thing I have to say about Tyler and I hope Demetris will butt in later or at least those more aware of Tyler's style.

Zimmer basically orchestrated what was popular in form of the 1980 rock. While Tyler tends to refer to the general sound of what Hans tended to do in the mid-90s, but mostly to the anthemic construction of thematic material, Tyler takes the "pop" influences to another level by basically orchestrating heavy metal. In both cases it's not, by any means, a disadvantage. It's just getting personal influences, which are perfectly OK. The experience that shaped them as a musician. I had that thought for a while now and while I still think that Tyler's personal style isn't very strong (prevailing mostly in rhythmic patterns rather than anything else). Those rhythmic patterns are what makes Brian Tyler who he is and I will gladly admit that it can be very, very exciting when he writes an action cue and obviously, gives his music a big sense of structure.

This score is basically a sort of a Tyler compilation, it's his action music at its purest and nothing else could ever be expected from it. There are some interesting self-references (a rhythm/motif from Eagle Eye crops up once, some earlier rhythmic patterns). There is a rather cliche Russian theme (Russian Deliberations), which works quite cool, also in the game (a great actioner). He did what he was asked for and perhaps more. They wanted a modern Hollywood action movie for a game action epic (not everyday you can witness the Eiffel Tower collapse, can you?) While I'd make the album shorter, there is also a very notable omission, which is the game finale, a wonderfully dissonant, brutal and gritty action motif that leads to a soft release of the main theme for a solo clarinet with a dark string base. There is a bootleg already, so I "revindicated" those cues (it's *not* in Arabian Endgame) and I guess it didn't find its way on the album, because of not being "fun" enough. When I heard those cues (working *wonders* in context) in game and realized they are NOT on the album I got very angry, I must say, that's the kind of music I'd like to hear more from Brian Tyler (and in a different soundscape Far Cry 3 goes in that direction).

The weakest point of the album is the main theme, really. It's very, very weak. I thought that Zimmer's main theme for Modern Warfare 2 (a more simplistic anthem than anything he EVER wrote, even King Arthur) was the worst thing that could melodically happen to the franchise... Well, Brian Tyler did the impossible. A very decent and exciting action score, pretty brainless in the end, but with a weak main theme, which should have been better.

And after a year of experience of my own learning, I have to state this very strongly: Brian Tyler is an *amazing* drummer.

Star Trek TOS: 15 CD Box Set

Arrived today. What a nice Christmas gift (to myself)!
Only heard disc one so far but Wow! Stellar sound!
Wonderful liner notes and packaging too!
Totally worth every cent!

Very insightful post, I love it when you do these long analyses.

Queimada - Ennio Morricone

Was reminded by the phenomenal rendition of Aboliçao in Antwerpen on Saturday that I hadn't listened to this score in ages!!!!
Damn, this is fine!

Seven Years in Tibet - John Williams

Outstanding score!

This and Memoirs of a Geisha are my favorite scores by John Williams.

Indeed! As good as those scores are, they don't hold a menorah to, say, Schindler's List (to name but one).

Schindler's List is very high on my list, too.

War Horse John Williams

'Dartmoor 1912', 'No Man's Land', 'Remembering Emilie, And Finale' and 'The Homecoming' would make a very nice suite. Wonderful stuff.

NEEEEEEERD!!!!

Which, incidentally, makes you very cool in my eyes.