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Oh yes, it is.

NP : THE ICE STORM - Mychael Danna



A lovely, atmospheric little score.

Film music isn't a genre, so it's not as easy to pigeonhole it in a single description. In general, its purpose is to aid the film. But specifically, it's whatever the composer and director decide.

I bow before your wisdom.

To have a different perspective of the matter, I believe quality music within the film music spectrum is still very much composed, the problem to me is quite often with the releases. I think a large portion of the enjoyment of film music was how until about 10 years ago, CD releases were carefully created, with selected tracks that stand well on its own and often creating album versions of tracks and suites and stuff. Albums that reach the 70 minutes were the exception, often reserved for those epic scores that cover the whole colourful spectrum of romance, themes, adventure, action, etc., to justify a long release. This is also something the likes of Goldsmith and John Williams were very particular of.

Sometimes a score is exceptional but just because of its nature it needs a 40 or 50 minute CD presentation. That score nowadays would be thrown on a disc with about 30 minutes of 'filler' music, leaving the overall impression of 'meh, it had its moments, but it drags'.

Nowadays, however, also as part of the demand to just 'have it all', releases frequently touch that 70 minutes mark and a lot of tracks are around 1 or 2 minutes. They include music that do not necessarily stand on its own outside of the film (so the creation of 'playlist' talk on forums has greatly expanded over the recent years), and the excess of short tracks prevent music from flowing as a listening experience. This is something that has gotten me quite often to step back from film music, with the frustrating thing that I acknowledge there's quite some music out there that I would've enjoyed a lot more (or, at all) if the CD experience would've been done more towards the listener outside of the film.

I do believe that when composers (especially like Desplat) get the opportunity to record suites of their themes/ideas for the CD release, there'd be a lot less negativity.

Yes. 40 minute albums created from special suites and C&C releases (primary or secondary) serve different purposes. Good music carries over 70 minutes.

But that's the thing! I don't consider a score that warrants a 45 minute release any less good than a score that warrants a 70 minute one! It's just different kind of scores that require their own length. For example, I find the Bourne scores brilliant, and their 40 or 50 minute releases are just what they need. They are very action oriented, emphasis on rhythm and intensity which is like a pure shot of adrenaline that shouldn't be watered down by moments of ambience that was needed to fit the film, but shouldn't necessarily be carried over to the album release for standalone listening. If you want to fill a long score album, you have to give the listener a wide range of emotions, and sometimes the film simply doesn't provide this due to its nature.

Another example, John Williams' War of the Worlds is for me masterful, but if you attack your listener with this vicious music for longer than the album does, you wear them out. While something like Lord of the Rings, which is an incredibly rich tapestry of sounds, emotions, themes etc, that's something that can be listened on long form. It's not focused on one emotion, but ranging from adventure, to suspense, to drama, etc., instead of giving everything to just score or thrill the listener. Does that make the one kind of music better or less good than the other? Of course not, they're completely different, can't be compared, and both brilliant in their own forms.

Clint Mansell's The Fountain to me is a perfect symphony that is structured perfectly on album during 45 minutes. I'm sure he composed more for the film, I don't know, but I wouldn't want it on that CD. It's perfect as it is.

I think the expanded versions of previously-released scores are something different (you can take or leave them - there's a choice). It's the brand new scores that sometimes sell themselves short by being presented in that format and probably add to the impression that things ain't what they used to be. But this is a very old argument that I've probably contributed far more to than anyone would ever thank me for.

'Cause they got the impression, or anyway actually created the impression themselves, even without knowing or wanting it, that the 'old' orchestral approach of those phenomenal scores of their youth, won't sell today. And again it's primarily due to Zimmer and his camp again - no matter how much i like some of these scores, for creating and wide-spreading that notion post-2000.

The Wind Rises - Joe Hisaishi

Lovely way to start the morning.
And not a whiff of derivative, genre-spoiling rot to be found.

X-Men: Apocalypse (John Ottman)

The begin and end are interesting and often good enough, the middle is just downright forgettable. I wonder why I even spotted The Shawshank Redemption, Inception (duh the opening seconds) and Batman Begins (I honestly don't remember which track) in it.

Ahh at least it was better than the crap that was Days of Future Past

NP : STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE - Jerry Goldsmith



Expanded or original album program, I never tire of this masterpiece.

Various Morricone Western Themes

Past me was a fool not to like Morricone. People love hearing this stuff, as I generally get more comments on this that most other scores I play.

Heaven. I save 'The Ecstasy of Gold' until last, no matter the compilation.

I'm hesitant to name any single score, let alone cue, the greatest of all. But it's certainly up there with the best of them.

'Didn't get it' is an apt description. I remember being put off by the weird noises and unique sounds, but of course now all that appeals to me.

I guess there had to be at least one.