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Absolutely true.

Atonality can be heard all throughout the six SW scores. The OT, especially after the first score (which is the most traditional, in the Korngoldian/Golden Age sense of the bunch). There are plenty of wonderful avant-garde moments in ESB and ROTJ, but as Lee mentions, done in a more subtle fashion to create supporting atmosphere or other varying textures, the flashy melodies are still at the centre of the whole thing. And it seems what Lee was referring to as "atonal", correct me if I'm wrong, was the more aggressive nature of it, where sometimes those modern elements take the centre stage over the more traditional melodicism. There is a certain lack of focus, or a core element that ties it all together in the later prequel scores, so you end up with wonderful vignettes in the work, but only loosely tied together by "transitional" material that doesn't sound like it was exactly written with Williams full heart into it. With the OT, Williams struck a nice balance between the modern and the traditional, so much so that guys like KM get to have all the fun they want with their fanfares and themes while others like Sharky can enjoy the more fascinating textural elements Williams employs throughout the underscore.

A bit of an off-topic statement, perhaps, but I think The Emperor's Throne Room is one of the most spine-tingling cues in film music history, especially the part The Grey Pilgrim referred to. Williams really succeeded in capturing the emperor's evil, there.

A skipper, if ever there was one!

Inherent Vice by Jonny Greenwood. I simply adore this score. After actually watching the film the entire album forms a whole and both the score (which is very well represented) and songs form one of the finest soundtrack combos in quite a while. I seriously think this might be Greenwood's finest film work. The previous two were very showy and upfront, which is great, but this one proves he can actually adapt to different conventions, too. Plus, his take on noir genre is absolutely lovely. If I were to revise my top 2014 list again, it would end up much higher on it. http://youtu.be/zBqJfDJqI60 Karol

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OAR0UYkorng?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> In a reflective mood.