Inception (Soundtrack)

For me this score worked perfectly in the film, the only cue I didn't particularly like was the one from the end scene, but otherwise I would say I loved the music and it really helped to heighten the emotion.

Unfortunately though I didn't find it worked so well on it's own, and the music didn't impact me half the way it did when I was watching the film.

There aren't exactly any bad cues, but there aren't really any cues that really grabbed my attention either. "Mombasa" is perhaps the only track that caught my attention a little, and that was because it was much faster. However, it reminded me quite heavily of Zimmer's Mission: Impossible 2 score, so I felt I'd kind of heard it before.

I wouldn't rush out and buy the Inception Soundtrack, unless you really loved some of the slow tracks from the soundtrack to Quantum Of Solace, as it also reminds me of that. If you've seen the film then you can judge for yourself if you wish to buy it. Otherwise I'd check this out first. It's a half hour performance by Hans Zimmer and a 20 piece orchestra featuring guitarist Johnny Marr of the score from Inception, and sums up the soundtrack perfectly. Just click here to watch it.

Whether you're going to get the soundtrack or not, if you are interested in the music, or in Hans Zimmer's other works there is a great interview with him at ScoreNotes.

Two Steps From Hell - Invincible (Trailer Music)

This album is a little different from most other soundtracks and is a rarity which I encourage you to buy.

Trailer music is an important part of the movie industry as whilst some trailers do use music from the film, most trailers use trailer music due to the film score being unfinished at the time the trailers are released.

Whilst trailer music gets churned out at an alarming rate, it is generally impossible for you to get your hands on it, simply because it is not available to the general public and is for movie trailer use only.

However, luckily for us there are a few trailer music releases that have been made available to the general public.

The first one to my knowledge was the album Epicon. This contained some popular themes from the trailer music company Immediate Music. However, it was released under the name Globus, and also contained lyrics, which for me defeated the point of releasing a trailer music album.

Immediate Music did release another album to the public though not so long ago called Trailerhead, this time under the more understandable name of Immediate, and this time containing no lyrics.

This album Invincible is the first publicly available album from the trailer music company Two Steps From Hell.

No doubt you will recognise some of the music on this album, but won't know the names to the tracks so I've decided to do a track listing making reference to the trailers the music features in.

01. Freedom Fighters
featured in the trailer to Star Trek (trailer 3)

02. Heart Of Courage
featured in the trailer to The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (trailer)

03. Master Of Shadows
featured in the trailer to 2012 (theatrical trailer)

04. Moving Mountains
featured in the trailer to Jumper (trailer 2) and The Twilight Saga: New Moon (trailer)

05. Am I Not Human?

06. Enigmatic Soul

07. Fire Nation

08. Black Blade
featured in the trailer to Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (trailer)

09. Super Strength

10. Invincible

11. False King

12. Hypnotica

13. Fill My Heart

14. Protectors Of The Earth
featured in the trailer to Inkheart (trailer 2)

15. Velocitron

16. Undying Love

17. 1000 Ships Of The Underworld
featured in the trailer to The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (trailer 2)

18. Tristan
featured in the trailer to Austrailia (trailer 2)

19. Breath Of Ran Gor

20. Infinite Legends

21. To Glory

22. After The Fall

All in all this album is outstanding and I would definitely recommend people buy it and in doing so also support the release of future trailer music albums.

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (Soundtrack)

I'm more of a John Powell fan (him being my favourite composer) than a Harry Gregson-Williams fan, however, I have to say I really loved this score.

From great sweeping strings that depict the landscape of the desert perfectly, not unlike the music from The Mummy, to very ethnic percussion filled action cues. As well as the obvious romantic cues, this soundtrack has something for everyone on it, and I couldn't find a bad track on it.

Or perhaps I could. All of the 18 tracks of score are great, however, the final track is a song performed by Alanis Morissette, which I definitely wouldn't call myself a fan of. It's not the worst song in the world. But on the first few listens I didn't really like it. Maybe it'll grow on my though.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Soundtrack) is definitely worth buying for anyone who loves film music.

Robin Hood (Soundtrack)

Marc Streitenfeld is the composer with whom Ridley Scott now works with on all his films. However, I've never actually heard any of his music before, separate from any film, and I've never actually seen any of the films he's scored either.

When I saw the film this film though the score is one thing that stuck out for me, and in a good way. Whilst there weren't exactly any major themes that I could pick out, there were definite sounds. The sound of the quick strings, a classic Remote Control style (for whom Marc previously worked with, and how he came to work with Ridley Scott), and the amazing sound of the Uilleann Pipes (or at least some other type of bagpipe!).

However, when I first came to listen to the soundtrack away from the film I didn't find it that great. Yes, there were a few really good tracks, but they all seemed to short amongst the rest of the music.

Luckily however, this soundtrack is a grower, and whilst Marc Streitenfeld might not use the Uilleann Pipes like Bear McCreary did in some of his action cues for Battlestar Galactica, he still manages to rock those pipes!

Robin Hood is definitely worth a listen.

Clash Of The Titans (Soundtrack)

Another great score from Remote Control Productions (previously known as Media Ventures), the music studio set up by Hans Zimmer. Ramin Djawadi who's previous scores include Iron Man as well as TV shows Prison Break and FlashForward, gives us a great score to this blockbuster movie.

This soundtrack starts off with a song performed by Tino Dico and is composed by Ramin Djawadi and Neil Davidge. Whilst my initial thoughts on the song weren't great, after a couple of listens it had grown on me quite a lot.

Neil Davidge also has one other track on the album, a 10 minute action cue. I believe Neil was brought it for his work with electronic music. Whilst I did like the cue, I didn't like it as much as Ramin's music which takes up the rest of the soundtrack.

Some great themes and very exciting string work makes for an action score not to miss. But the soundtrack is not entirely action tracks. There are a few slower and darker tracks as well as more emotional, and at times suspenseful.

If you liked Ramin's score to Iron Man then you're going to love this even more.

You can listen to an interview with Ramin Djawadi where he talks about his score to Clash Of The Titans here at ScoreNotes.com

http://scorenotes.com/interviews.html

Pushing Daisies Season 2 Soundtrack Petition

"Pushing Daisies was a great show that ended long before it should have. There were many elements that made the show magical, one of those being the soundtrack. Jim Dooley won an Emmy award for the Pushing Daisies Season 1 Soundtrack, and the Season 2 Soundtrack hasn't even been released. Sign this petition to get the Pushing Daisies Season 2 Soundtrack released. The show is over but the music doesn't have to be..."

If you wish to sign the petition click here.

Green Zone (Soundtrack)

A definite Powell score and similar in style to the Bourne soundtracks and United 93, probably because they're by the same director and that is the style he is after. Whilst I didn't think it as good as the Bourne soundtracks, I did still think it was very good.

Heavy on the percussion and underlying electronics, with strings and brass that sound like United 93. Definitely wouldn't say this score is pieced together from Powell's other work though, as this is all new stuff and does sound different in it's own way.

Well worth it if you've like Powell's other work for Paul Greengrass, and if you like the modern Media Ventures/Remote Control Productions scores.

Alice In Wonderland (Score)

When I watched the film I quite like the music, however, I found that on the soundtrack the main theme in the film is hard to find as in the film I don't remember it having lyrics, which it does on the soundtrack.

As it happens I actually prefer the soundtrack version as in the film I feel the main theme sounded too close to one of the themes in Avatar. Unfortunately though "Alice's Theme" is really the only track on the soundtrack that I do like. The rest is quite average I found.

Not one of Elfman's best scores, but if you feel the need to buy it then do. But otherwise I'd just buy the first track off iTunes or something.

Micmacs (Soundtrack)

This has to be what I think is one of the most original sounding soundtracks there is. I don't think I've ever heard Traditional French / Trip-Hop / typewriter, straw sucking, swords, bullet, horns and ruler bending sounds blended together before, and it is done amazingly.

If you've seen the film then I don't really need to sell you on the soundtrack because you'll have heard it in the film and from that you will know if you want to buy it.

If you liked Yann Tiersen's music from the Amelie Soundtrack then you'll most likely love this too. It's even quirkier then Amelie and just sounds like pure fun.

The music I'm talking about is by composer Raphael Beau, someone I'd not heard of before, but am very interested in hearing more from. But the soundtrack also contains archived score composed by Max Steiner, but there are about twice as many original cues to archived cues. There are also a couple of French songs on the soundtrack, but I didn't find these anything special.

Unfortunately the soundtrack is only 36 minutes long. However, they are still worth the money to hear something so original and amazingly clever and fun.

Caprica [Pilot] (Soundtrack)

Something I find with all Bear McCreary soundtracks is that they're growers. On first listen they're great, but on repeat listening's they just get better and better.

This soundtrack contains the score for the pilot episode of Caprica which since the pilot has been made has picked up for a full season. However, I think the pilot has only just aired in the US, and will be followed by the rest of the season, so hopefully we'll get another soundtrack release for season 1 of Caprica, as the pilot soundtrack is very good.

It is different to Bear's score to Battlestar Galactica, but apparently the shows are very different so it makes sense to change the music. The music to Caprica is much more orchestral and pretty sure it doesn't contain that many enthic instruments. There are still a few percussion heavy tracks, which made for a welcome change among the orchestral tracks, and certainly remind one of the music for Battlestar Galactica.

With new characters there are plenty of new themes throughout. If I recall correctly there are two main themes, one for each family and then lots of other less dominant themes. And if you listen closely to one of the tracks you can hear a little tribute to one of the themes in Battlestar Galactica, something I thought was very clever.

If you've seen the pilot then you might find this interesting: Bear McCreary's Blog. He goes through the episode and details all the themes and much more. Although having not seen the episode I've only browsed through it.

If you've like any of Bear's other soundtracks, particularly Battlestar Galactica, then you simply must buy this one. And if you're a fan of the older generation of film music then I'd recommend it too. Although that's not to discourage those that are fans of more modern film music, as this blends the old style beautifully and makes it more modern.

And on a quick side note I'm going to be going back to just my Saturdays posts for a while, as I've a pretty hectic schedule at the moment.

Avatar (Soundtrack)

I'm not the biggest James Horner fan, but I am a fan of the songs he composes (or are at least composed using his themes). Titanic, The Mask Of Zorro and Troy all have great songs at the end of them. "I See You" is the newest song from Avatar. Whilst on first listen I wasn't that impressed, on second listen I was, and now I love it.

I don't watch The X Factor because I don't like it, but Leona Lewis who was discovered via the show sure can sing. Whilst I don't like the songs she usually sings I definitely do like this one, and respect that she is a great singer. I would say this song is just as good as James Horner's other songs.

As for the rest of the score, I love it. I didn't listen to it until after I'd seen the film. (Even though I'd bought it before!) With the other scores of Horner's that I own there's usually a few tracks I like and particularly bits of tracks I love. The rest just seems like filler music.

Avatar is definitely not filler music. Every note is amazing, and there is not a single moment on the soundtrack that I dislike. Out of 14 tracks I found 12 of them to be outstanding. The other 2 were still very good, but didn't quite do it for me like the other tracks did.

It reminds me of Horner's Apocalypto score in regards to the tribal sound, but only much, much, much better.

The Avatar score is very much a James Horner one, as it is riddled with his little signature sounds, but it is also what I think is his best score. I would even say it is one of my favourite soundtracks of 2009 and possibly just in general.

Simply a must buy.

Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (Soundtrack)

Another great soundtrack from John Powell. Whilst I prefer his score for Ice Age 2: The Meltdown this one is still just as good.

My only major problem is that the music has been split up into too many tracks. 32 of the 44 tracks are under 2 minutes, 22 are under 1 and a half minutes, 17 are under a minute, and 8 of them are under 30 seconds in length. It works fine if your listening to the soundtrack in order, but if you put it on shuffle then a lot of the tracks continue into the next track, and the one after forming one long cue that's been chopped and sliced up. This is quite noticeable on shuffle.

Other than that it's great. The old themes are back and the new themes are in. I'm less keen on the new themes then the old ones which is why I prefer Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, but if you're a John Powell fan then it's definitely worth a listen. His arrangements of "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" by Lou Rawls are just fantastic. It's worth getting it just for them.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (Score)

Steve Jablonsky's score to Transformers was in my opinion one of the best of 2007. However, his score to Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen isn't really in the same league.

I really wanted the score to be even better than the first, but unfortunately I didn't find it so. It's definitely not a bad score and is a pretty good listen. However, compared to the score for the first film, it is pretty average.

Some of the same themes are back, but they're either exactly the same, or less than they were. I was expecting epic new themes and the old themes to be bigger and better. Instead on first listen I was utterly disappointed. But perhaps this score is more of a grower, because I don't think it's quite as bad as when I first heard it. Although it will never grow past the original.

Heroes (Score)

If you're a fan of the score to Heroes then this is the soundtrack for you. There is already a soundtrack release for Heroes, however, it only features a couple of tracks by the shows composers Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman, with the rest being songs by various artists, making it more of a "music from and inspired by" soundtrack.

This however, is the score album and I've been waiting for this since the first episode of the show. The album is arranged so that the tracks are named after the major characters in the show, which are suites of that characters themes. It features all the major themes from the show and many more.

I would have preferred each theme to have it's own track as I find that some characters have a couple of good themes and a less good ones. And unfortunately if you want to listen to the good ones then usually you have to listen to the whole track.

However, saying this, I still really enjoyed this soundtrack and am very glad that it got a release. A must buy for any fan of the Heroes music.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 Soundtrack Petition

There is currently an online petition for a season 2 soundtrack release of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. If you wish to sign the petition, follow the link below.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 Soundtrack Petition

Angels & Demons (Soundtrack)

The DaVinci Code had a pretty awesome soundtrack, however for Angels & Demons Hans Zimmer pretty much started again. A few of the original themes are still there, but the majority is brand new stuff. And that's what we like.

"160 BPM" is my favourite of all the cues but the entire soundtrack is made up of great cues. The soundtrack almost reminds me of John Powell's Bourne scores. However, crossed with the sound of The DaVinci Code it takes it to another level.

The opening of "God Particle" is the cue used in the trailer and just sounds even better in the film. The rest of the cue is okay, but after such a strong opening it makes the rest of it sound a bit weak.

I found all the tracks have parts I love. And if you loved the soundtrack for The DaVinici Code or are any sort of a Hans Zimmer fan then you simply must buy this.

The International (Soundtrack)

Another soundtrack from the trio that is Tom Tkywer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil. This soundtrack whilst perhaps not there best is still very good and has a few nice themes.

I didn't find there were really any outstanding tracks but what was there was very listenable. I'd be happy to just put this CD on in the background, but I'd also be happy to just listen to it on it's own and there are some definite tracks I would go back and listen to.

If you've heard any other music by Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil then it is similar to their usual stuff. I found this album as a whole was very strong compared to their other work, however, as for individual tracks, some of their other albums have some better tracks that stand out, such as with Run Lola Run and One Hour Photo.

Watchmen (Score)

If you're a fan of Tyler Bates then you'll probably like this too as it is in his usual style. However, I got this after watching the film and really liking the score in it. If you're after the songs then you want the soundtrack CD not the score CD.

However, after listening to the score away from the film I didn't really think that it work that well and other than the opening cue "Rescue Mission" I found the rest of it pretty average.

The theatrical cut of the film is a massive 162 minutes long, however the score CD is only 45 minutes long. As a result you can imagine that a lot of the score is missing from the CD. Unfortunately for me the music I really liked in the film isn't on the score CD.

Not Bates' best score by far, there is a little too much minimalistic/ambient stuff for my tastes.

Bolt (Soundtrack)

The soundtracks starts with a couple of songs. The first is a song performed by Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, titled "I Thought I'd Lost You", the second is performed by Jenny Lewis and titled "Barking At The Moon". Both songs are pretty catchy and fit into the country music genre. Only the second song though actually appears in the film. The first song is probably played over the end credits.

The rest of the soundtrack features the score by John Powell. I really enjoyed listening to this soundtrack and couldn't pick out a bad track. There were some really good outstanding tracks as well, and Bolt sits comfortably amongst Powell's great animated scores, such as Ice Age: The Meltdown.

There are a number of action cues on the soundtrack, but this just fits with the film which did have a lot of action scenes. Some are better than others, and there are a couple of outstanding ones, but there definitely aren't any bad ones.

As for the other tracks, they're great too. They're mostly light hearted tracks that are real fun to listen too. There aren't too many emotional cues on the soundtrack, but the ones that there are, are very good. "Where Were You On St Rhino's Day?" is one of the emotional ones. Whilst it doesn't start off that great it does build up and makes quite a beautiful listen by the end.

Some of my favourite cues include, "Bolt Transforms", "The RV Park", "A Fast Train", "Saving Mittens", "House On Wheels", "Rescuing Penny", "Unbelievable TV", and "Home At Last / Barking At The Moon (Reprise)".

This is a must buy for any Powell fan and for anyone who has listened to one of his animated scores and loved it. Or if you fit into neither of those categories then simply buy this if you like listening to fun soundtracks.

Can't wait for Powell's score to Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs now.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Soundtrack)

This is the eighth soundtrack release to come from Bear McCreary and he just keeps getting better and better. Okay so it's not quite his best, but it definitely is one of them.

The opening track "Samson And Delilah" performed by Shirley Manson, I didn't really like at first. However, it has really grown on me and I particularly love the ending of it.

Next up is the "Opening Title" where Bear McCreary incorporates Brad Fiedel's iconic Terminator drums into a great little cue containing strings and electronics that build up to Brad's theme.

But Bear doesn't just manage to give the opening titles a traditional Terminator feel, he some how does it with the whole score. It stays true to the sound of Terminator and Brad Fiedel's original scores for The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and yet he uses all new themes.

There are plenty of stand out cues on this soundtrack which make it a great listen. Unfortunately for me though there are a couple of tracks which I'm not so keen on as well. The first one is "Ain't It Famous" written and performed by Brendan McCreary. I've not seen season 2 yet, so I'm unsure how it fits into the show, but for me it doesn't really belong on the soundtrack, as when I sit down to listen to the whole thing it takes me as far away from Terminator as you can get.

Likewise with the cue "Atomic Al's Merry Melody". This cue was composed for a cartoon that appeared on the television in the background of a scene. It fits right in with the old cartoon stile of music, so congratulations to Bear for that. However, for me, it disrupted my listening experience.

I liked "Ain't It Famous" and "Atomic Al's Merry Melody" at first. However, I quickly grew tired of these tracks, unlike the rest of the soundtrack. I think I would have preferred if these tracks were tagged onto the end of the soundtrack instead of placed a third and two thirds of the way through.

Nevertheless, this has got to be my favourite Terminator soundtrack to date. Although from the sneak peak I've heard of Danny Elfman's score to Terminator Salvation it might not be for long. If your a fan of any Terminator music then this is a must buy, as it is for any fan of Bear McCreary.