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Post by christopher on Aug 7, 2013 7:54:34 GMT -8
WOLVERINE - Marco Beltrami
Before 2013 I had never heard a Beltrami score outside of a film. I've heard four of his this year now. If these scores are anything I can judge the rest of his output by, then I'm afraid I don't care much for his music. And it's not like his scores couldn't have been more varied and interesting this year. He scored a big action film, a horror/romantic comedy, an end-of-the-world epic, and a superhero film. I haven't liked any of them.
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Post by christodoulidesd on Aug 7, 2013 8:01:42 GMT -8
It's nice in the movie, nothing to remember outside it, on cd.
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Post by christopher on Aug 7, 2013 8:02:03 GMT -8
I saw some spectacular scenery and a whole lot of corn fields, all the while listening to film music... quite a bit of Hans Zimmer (whose third Pirates score was the funnest thing I listened to the whole trip)... Did you listen to the Americana portions of Man of Steel while you saw the scenery. Sorry couldn't resist. No, actually. I can't really remember any music from that film that I would call Americana. I guess there was some quiet little piano meanderings, huh? Other than that all I can remember from the score was big loud music that was trying to sound epic the whole time. Right now, I'm playing EUROPA REPORT by Bear McCreary. It's my first listen. I enjoyed the first two tracks, which have some nice string work over unsettling synth. The third track has some big dissonance. I like it so far, and the film looks interesting, too. This really sounds like a score I would enjoy. I don't have any McCreary in my collection, this sounds like a good place to start. I've not dabbled much with McCreary, either. I've heard some of his TV stuff, but this album would be a good place to start. Unlike many of his other albums, it's not hours long!
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Post by christodoulidesd on Aug 7, 2013 8:07:21 GMT -8
Europa report is very atmospheric, lots of underscore; still hasn't warmed up to it at all; his 2013 Caprica release is also not my cup of tea at all; very repetitive.
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Post by indy2003 on Aug 7, 2013 8:15:00 GMT -8
Europa report is very atmospheric, lots of underscore; still hasn't warmed up to it at all; his 2013 Caprica release is also not my cup of tea at all; very repetitive. I've been listening to both of these this week and like them both quite a bit. Caprica is every bit as good as his BSG stuff, as far as I'm concerned. But, diff'rent strokes and all that... I'm hoping that Europa Report will lead to more big-screen scoring opportunities for McCreary - he certainly has his share of high-profile TV assignments, but I would think more filmmakers would want to take advantage of his talent.
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Post by Jon Broxton on Aug 7, 2013 8:38:46 GMT -8
McCreary is one composer who I've never really warmed to. I like his main themes - The Cape, Human Target, Dark Void, Da Vinci's Demons, etc etc - but I find most of his underscore rather lifeless. I can;'t explain it. I just hear lots of bass and percussion patterns, and not much else.
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Post by christodoulidesd on Aug 7, 2013 9:11:23 GMT -8
He trully shined once and that was all the BSG scores;
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Post by Southall on Aug 7, 2013 9:27:10 GMT -8
I've not dabbled much with McCreary, either. I've heard some of his TV stuff, but this album would be a good place to start. Unlike many of his other albums, it's not hours long! I really want to explore his music more... but every time I am tempted, I look at the various McCreary albums I have on the shelf... and get put off by how long they are. I've never even listened to most of them, for that reason.
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Post by Southall on Aug 7, 2013 9:28:12 GMT -8
Planes - Mark Mancina
I want to say "ah, bless" when listening to this because it sounds like Mancina doesn't realise it isn't 1995 any more. He's certainly trying to get maximum use out of the drum machine he bought at the time. It's quite enjoyable though, especially when he leaves the synths to one side. The lush Americana is quite Randy Newman ish.
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Post by christodoulidesd on Aug 7, 2013 9:56:23 GMT -8
Yeap and the main theme is very leitmotific and addictive!
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Post by indy2003 on Aug 7, 2013 13:13:53 GMT -8
McCreary is one composer who I've never really warmed to. I like his main themes - The Cape, Human Target, Dark Void, Da Vinci's Demons, etc etc - but I find most of his underscore rather lifeless. I can;'t explain it. I just hear lots of bass and percussion patterns, and not much else. Have you had a chance to explore much of his Battlestar Galactica stuff? I know there's a lot of it (as James mentioned, he does favor absurdly long albums), but there's some stunning thematic content throughout that series.
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Post by Jon Broxton on Aug 7, 2013 14:09:06 GMT -8
Have you had a chance to explore much of his Battlestar Galactica stuff? I know there's a lot of it (as James mentioned, he does favor absurdly long albums), but there's some stunning thematic content throughout that series. No, not really. I think part of the problem might be that I never really got into the show at all, so I don't really have a frame of reference for what's what. This happens to me a lot with TV scores. I don't watch much episodic television anyway, and as a result I sometimes have a mental block when it comes to television soundtracks. They just don't capture my attention in the same way that movie scores do, and I can't explain why, as the actual compositional process is pretty much identical. The only shows I watch religiously are Game of Thrones, Dexter and True Blood, plus American Horror Story and The Americans on FX, and I have recently started getting into Breaking Bad. I also occasionally watch a few network crime shows - a CSI here, an NCIS there, etc - but beyond that my TV viewing is very minimal. Over the years I've started to watch dozens of shows - just recently I had Hannibal, Revolution, Under the Dome, Elementary, Grimm, several others - but gave up on them because I just got so behind it wasn't worth my time catching up.
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Post by christopher on Aug 7, 2013 21:46:47 GMT -8
TURBO - Henry Jackman
First listen. So far this score isn't doing a lot for me. I have enjoyed Jackman's music for animated films more than his live-action stuff, but I don't think this one holds up to his other animated scores quite so well. That's a premature judgment as I'm only halfway through it. Maybe it will get awesome at the end.
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Post by christodoulidesd on Aug 7, 2013 23:20:05 GMT -8
Yeap, Bear's BSG scores are all excellent imo, and the latest in the series is awesome too (blood and chrome). Don't let not being a fan of the show ruin it for you (i don't watch it either) 'cause the music is really, really good. But everything else he's done since, sounds like ghosting around his bsg success, to my ears.
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Post by Paul Schroeder on Aug 8, 2013 5:19:35 GMT -8
My 2 cents on some topics from this thread:
Regarding Bear McCreary, I don't own any CDs by him and whenever LLL releases one I check out the sound clips but they don't impress. As for BSG scores, I really enjoy the Intrada Stu Phillips releases -- better than all the Star Trek TV music IMHO.
Regarding Beltrami, I've tried to get into his scores but apart from "Hellboy" and "3:10 to Yuma", haven't really liked them much. I own the expanded "Mimic" but find it overrated. May try his "The Thing" score at some point.
Recent listens include John Scott's "Expédition Jules Verne: A bord du trois-mâts Belem" which is outstanding. Even like Charlotte Rampling's 2 short narration pieces -- I picture her sunbathing nude on the deck of the Belem. Also, Morricone's "Copkiller" from 1982 which is a tired re-working of old ideas from previous police film scores such as the much-better "Revolver".
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