An eclectic mix of some of my more recent scores:
01 – “Master Blaster / The Manipulator / Embargo / Entity Humiliated” – Mad Max Beyond The Thunderdome – Maurice Jarre
I wasn’t as enthusiastic about this score when it received the complete release treatment as I thought I was going to be. But I like the feel of this cue with its low register suspense.
02 – “The New Kingdom” – Arn de Gothia – Marcos Ciscar
The main theme of this score is one that I enjoy every time I hear it. It does get repeated over and over again but in this cue, with the restrained playing of the theme in strings and with wordless vocals appeals to my Celtic sensibilities.
03 – “Why So Serious?” – The Dark Knight – Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard
The soundscape of this score is excellent, particularly the full-blooded rhythms and urban electronics.
04 – “Flying Cycle” – Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn – Richard Band
Not a score I hear being mentioned very often but this is a nice little action score from Band. The orchestrations do sound a bit “thin” but the music itself is worth a listen.
05 – “Van der Luydens” – The Age of Innocence – Elmer Bernstein
The lush strings in this cue definitely evoke a sense of the time and place for this score. It’s a score that harkens back to the “Golden Age”. But the sound level is one of the highest I’ve heard in a CD and I always have to turn the volume down a bit for tracks from this score.
06 – “Incoming Tug” – Supernova – David Williams
Another little-mentioned score. This cue’s a tense exercise in rhythm. Williams’ score gets listened to much more frequently than Burkhard Dallwitz’s “additional music”.
07 – “Mutants Move Out” – Battle For The Planet of The Apes – Leonard Rosenman
Rosenman’s action scoring can be quite “samey” (this track could easily be from his score for Lord of The Rings) but there’s something about his style that means I don’t really mind the similarities between scores. This track highlights this composer’s action scoring quite well.
08 – “Escape” – Fable III – Russell Shaw
Shaw delivers an exciting cue for a worthwhile game score. An effective ostinato device starts things off and various sections of orchestra are added to the mix for a great 5-minute track.
09 – “Moment of Departure” – Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West – Sam Cardon
I wonder why this composer isn’t more well-known that he is, for this is an excellently put together cue. Full of the optimism that accompanies the start of a voyage.
10 – “End Credits” – DC Showcase: Jonah Hex – Jeremy Zuckerman & Benjamin Wynn
A rather low-key ending to what I would have expected to be an action-packed animation. A nice delicate guitar/mandolin piece of music.
Reel Music 