LOST Season 2
Michael Giacchino
" If the season one score is the emotional, season three the experimental and season four the bombastic, season two is definitely the primitive one. "Written by Anthony Cornfield - Review of the regular release
Released only seven months after the first season's soundtrack, 2006 could have been considered an overload of Lost music. Off the bat I'll be honest - this release frankly isn't quite as good as its predecessor. It still contains some absolutely fantastic (and I mean fantastic) pieces of music, but it's also got a lot of eerie suspense cues which Giacchino perfected in seasons three and four, but unfortunately not quite here.
If the season one score is the emotional, season three the experimental and season four the bombastic, season two is definitely the primitive one.
The second season started providing the fans with what they thought were answers, but actually opened more doors than ever – literally – starting with the mysterious hatch. After discovering an underground inhabitant, a button that needed to be pressed to save the world and the revelation that more survivors of Oceanic 815 were living on the other side of the island, season two definitely got the bigger mysteries of Lost cooking.
Giacchino's music also goes up a notch, expanding on the themes from the first season as well as introducing a whole host of new ones.
I mentioned that this score was the most primitive of the bunch, and from the opening we're thrust into the midst of a frantic, violent action track, ironically titled "Peace Through Superior Firepower". The more varied percussion section can be instantly heard, along with returning favourite the angklung. The music then turns suspenseful in the six minute "The Final Countdown" which introduces the motif for the hatch.
We're then treated to a whole tub of ranch dressing of Hurley music, introducing a new more playful version of his season one theme in "World's Worst Landscaping", his new emotional theme in "Mess It All Up", and a beautiful, now extended, version of the survivors' theme in "Hurley's Handouts". The last is played on the guitar and strings and is almost lullaby-like.
More aggressive music follows in "Just Another Day on the Beach" and "The Tribe's Merge" (note: beefiest percussion ever!), before the emotional highlight of the album in "The Gathering", which is a wonderfully re-arranged version of "Parting Words" from season one, cleverly mirroring the return of characters previously thought to have left the island for rescue.
While we don't get a listen to all the new themes and motifs for the tail section survivors of 815, we are treated to the best ones. And boy are they the best!. "All's Forgiven…Except Charlie" features the beautiful, redeeming theme for Mr. Eko, while "Rose and Bernard" tenderly underscores the episode for the ill-fated-but-now-saved couple. The latter is exceedingly good, punctuated by its sparse appearances throughout the show (maybe two or three occasions max outside of their centric episode).
We're also given a some decent (but brief) versions of Charlie's and Sayid's themes from season one in "Charlie's Temptation" and "A New Trade", as well as a new piano based theme for Sun and Jin (who were previously underscored by a variation of the Lost main theme in the first season).
Rather than ending on a big emotional climax, the album takes on a darker tone in the final quarter. We're introduced sparingly to the ominous motifs for Be…I mean Henry Gale and The Others, as well as a ton of violent action segments such as "Eko Blaster" and "The Hunt".
"McGales Navy" and "Bon Voyage, Traitor" are spectacular suspense cues, the final with the ultimate in poo-your-pants endings. Finishing the album is the show's end title cue which was absent from the first release. It's noteworthy and nice to have, but it's just a title cue.
The second season of Lost is certainly not a bad album. In fact it's pretty darn close to being just as good, if not better than the first. The new thematic stuff is on par with the first release (spectacular!) but some of the suspense music is just difficult to get into.
If anything, it's a nice bridge between the first and third scores - starting out with sheer emotion before heading down the route of the ominous. The season two soundtrack is great, but the only thing that leaves it partly in shadow is that seasons three and four manage to capture the world of Lost even better.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (0.16)
2. Peace Through Superior Firepower (1.26)
3. The Final Countdown (5.48)
4. World's Worst Landscaping (1.17)
5. Mess it All Up (1.27)
6. Hurley's Handouts (4.42)
7. Just Another Day on the Beach (2.48)
8. Ana Cries (1.47)
9. The Tribes Merge (2.03)
10. The Gathering (4.19)
11. Shannon's Funeral (2.12)
12. All's Forgiven ... Except Charlie (5.18)
13. Charlie's Dream (1.50)
14. Charlie's Temptation (0.51)
15. A New Trade (2.40)
16. Mapquest (0.39)
17. Claire's Escape (3.43)
18. The Last to Know (2.22)
19. Rose and Bernard (2.39)
20. Toxic Avenger (0.40)
21. I Crashed Your Plane, Brotha (1.45)
22. Eko Blaster (1.44)
23. The Hunt (3.57)
24. McGale's Navy (2.22)
25. Bon Voyage, Traitor (5.30)
26. End Title (0.32)
Total Length: 65.02
If the season one score is the emotional, season three the experimental and season four the bombastic, season two is definitely the primitive one.
The second season started providing the fans with what they thought were answers, but actually opened more doors than ever – literally – starting with the mysterious hatch. After discovering an underground inhabitant, a button that needed to be pressed to save the world and the revelation that more survivors of Oceanic 815 were living on the other side of the island, season two definitely got the bigger mysteries of Lost cooking.
Giacchino's music also goes up a notch, expanding on the themes from the first season as well as introducing a whole host of new ones.
I mentioned that this score was the most primitive of the bunch, and from the opening we're thrust into the midst of a frantic, violent action track, ironically titled "Peace Through Superior Firepower". The more varied percussion section can be instantly heard, along with returning favourite the angklung. The music then turns suspenseful in the six minute "The Final Countdown" which introduces the motif for the hatch.
We're then treated to a whole tub of ranch dressing of Hurley music, introducing a new more playful version of his season one theme in "World's Worst Landscaping", his new emotional theme in "Mess It All Up", and a beautiful, now extended, version of the survivors' theme in "Hurley's Handouts". The last is played on the guitar and strings and is almost lullaby-like.
More aggressive music follows in "Just Another Day on the Beach" and "The Tribe's Merge" (note: beefiest percussion ever!), before the emotional highlight of the album in "The Gathering", which is a wonderfully re-arranged version of "Parting Words" from season one, cleverly mirroring the return of characters previously thought to have left the island for rescue.
While we don't get a listen to all the new themes and motifs for the tail section survivors of 815, we are treated to the best ones. And boy are they the best!. "All's Forgiven…Except Charlie" features the beautiful, redeeming theme for Mr. Eko, while "Rose and Bernard" tenderly underscores the episode for the ill-fated-but-now-saved couple. The latter is exceedingly good, punctuated by its sparse appearances throughout the show (maybe two or three occasions max outside of their centric episode).
We're also given a some decent (but brief) versions of Charlie's and Sayid's themes from season one in "Charlie's Temptation" and "A New Trade", as well as a new piano based theme for Sun and Jin (who were previously underscored by a variation of the Lost main theme in the first season).
Rather than ending on a big emotional climax, the album takes on a darker tone in the final quarter. We're introduced sparingly to the ominous motifs for Be…I mean Henry Gale and The Others, as well as a ton of violent action segments such as "Eko Blaster" and "The Hunt".
"McGales Navy" and "Bon Voyage, Traitor" are spectacular suspense cues, the final with the ultimate in poo-your-pants endings. Finishing the album is the show's end title cue which was absent from the first release. It's noteworthy and nice to have, but it's just a title cue.
The second season of Lost is certainly not a bad album. In fact it's pretty darn close to being just as good, if not better than the first. The new thematic stuff is on par with the first release (spectacular!) but some of the suspense music is just difficult to get into.
If anything, it's a nice bridge between the first and third scores - starting out with sheer emotion before heading down the route of the ominous. The season two soundtrack is great, but the only thing that leaves it partly in shadow is that seasons three and four manage to capture the world of Lost even better.
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (0.16)
2. Peace Through Superior Firepower (1.26)
3. The Final Countdown (5.48)
4. World's Worst Landscaping (1.17)
5. Mess it All Up (1.27)
6. Hurley's Handouts (4.42)
7. Just Another Day on the Beach (2.48)
8. Ana Cries (1.47)
9. The Tribes Merge (2.03)
10. The Gathering (4.19)
11. Shannon's Funeral (2.12)
12. All's Forgiven ... Except Charlie (5.18)
13. Charlie's Dream (1.50)
14. Charlie's Temptation (0.51)
15. A New Trade (2.40)
16. Mapquest (0.39)
17. Claire's Escape (3.43)
18. The Last to Know (2.22)
19. Rose and Bernard (2.39)
20. Toxic Avenger (0.40)
21. I Crashed Your Plane, Brotha (1.45)
22. Eko Blaster (1.44)
23. The Hunt (3.57)
24. McGale's Navy (2.22)
25. Bon Voyage, Traitor (5.30)
26. End Title (0.32)
Total Length: 65.02