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You're not alone there James. I find it one of the most compelling sci-fi scores since morricones mission to mars and goldsmith's alien. The journey from chaos to emotion is a fine thing.

That makes it seem like we're currently overburdened with scores that plaster emotion over every scene...I'm sorry, what 2013 scores am I missing that do that? Because to my ears (and based on the usual sort of complaints I read around here and other places) it seems the problem with modern scoring is the lack of outwardly emotional scoring, not the overuse. You can't complain about both.

Again, I honestly can't hear this tendency in modern film scores. At least, not overwhelmingly. I'd say things tend more in the direction of under- than overstatement these days, no?

Yes...a score that seems to go out of its way not to be outwardly emotional, that essentially exists only to make a ton of noise and pound and brood and drown out the sfx. How is that score an example of "emotional overstatement"?

In Man of Steel there seemed a deliberate intention to avoid making any emotional connection with the viewer through the music (a bit like if a chef decided to carefully prepare a meal and then add a final ingredient that removed all the taste). But it's not understated in any other way, so you end up with this sturm and drang which is oppressive and disconnected and completely unpleasant, significantly weakening the film.

Or you have something like James Newton Howard's Defiance, which is pretty music but within the film it reminded me of when I went to the filming of a tv show and the floor manager's there at the front holding up signs which say "APPLAUSE!" or "LAUGHTER!" or "CHEERING!" - JNH is standing there with his sign imploring you to feel sad or moved or whatever, every single step of the way. You have to earn the right to do that, you can't do it from moment one and expect people to play along.

The first time I really thought about it while sitting in a cinema was probably The Da Vinci Code. Sitting there watching the most trivial occurrence being scored as if it's the second coming of Christ, it was the first time I realised that you could become an A-list film composer without having a clue about either the intellectual or emotional skills required to do the whole musical storytelling thing.

(edited to note that last statement sounds a lot more unfair than was intended - Zimmer's shown on many occasions that he does know how to score a film)

Oh, I don't think you have to earn the right to have a theme.

I can understand the conceit of doing it that way in Casino Royale though. Thought it was the pick of Arnold's Bond scores, in fact.

I've been listening to a few lower-profile releases that have come out recently.

DISCONNECT - Max Richter

Most of this score was not my thing - very electronic with not a lot going on, but the first and last tracks were gorgeous. The second is basically a shorter version of the first. They're slow moving pieces dominated by strings, and very beautiful.

LOST PLACE - Adrian Sieber

This was pretty good. It's well-composed, and has a bit more urgency to it. It seemed like a fairly exciting film based on the score. I recommend tracks 8 and 17 as highlights of the score.

LAST DAYS ON MARS - Max Richter

I did not enjoy this. Much of it was harsh and grating. Much of it was so quiet you couldn't hear a thing. The track "Lost in Space" was more to my taste. I didn't like anything on the album.

LA MULA - Oscar Navarro

The first handful of tracks from this score blew me away. They are fantastic!! It kind of devolved into a bunch of tracks that didn't do much after that. I could do without tracks 6-8 and 10-16. They're not bad, they're just not good. Apart from the blah midsection, this score was a wonderful surprise. That first track is stupendously beautiful! One of the best pieces of music I've heard all year. It's called "Love Story."

THE COUNSELOR - Daniel Pemberton

Yuck. Everything I disliked about LAST DAYS ON MARS only amplified. I did enjoy tracks 11 and 15, which show that Pemberton can write really lovely music (the last couple tracks from his score to BLOOD from earlier this year certainly proved that already), but the rest of this score is extremely unpleasant.

NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING - Lorne Balfe

He's had a very busy year. And I'm intrigued that all his little solo projects were nothing like the music he writes with Zimmer. They don't sound RC at all. This score is very short and lightweight, but not unpleasant (just the sort of music I've come to expect from quirky independent films).

NP: The Book Thief - John Williams.

There are some moments of beauty in this score that sound almost as much Morricone as Williams (the second half of "Max Lives" for example). I like it much more already and it will only get better upon more listens.

It is a bit gimmicky but I like it's use in Casino Royale, something that obviously wouldn't have worked in Dr No.

Perhaps Erik can fill a gap for me here? Did River Phoenix earn the Indy theme for the "first time" in THE LAST CRUSADE?

...witness The Young Indiana Jones Advenures TV series.

But that's the one where he get's 'The' hat.

Well, just saying

^ I love that emoticon!

NP: Suite from Captain Blood by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Performed by the Brandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

This score needs a complete re-recording badly. But no new re-recordings far and wide.

Volker

Bizarre. I was thinking about that the other day. Enjoyable title theme.