James Horner - Living In The Age of Airplanes (2015)

[Bilbo 3,709]

Isn't on a Spotify here anyway ?

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

[Jay 37,287]

iTunes [256kbps AAC, $9.99] https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1166487570

Google Play [320kbps mp3, $9.49] https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Bxmmoneofcvsw5l6nyvwfts2pmq

Amazon MP3 [320kbps mp3, $8.99] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5D78QH/

 

I could not find it on HDTracks, 7Digital, qobuz. or Spotify yet.

[karelm 2,903]

I picked this up and quite enjoy it.  Some of it reminds me of Avatar in the flight training sequence with the chorus and rhythm.  There is also a little bit of "beautiful mind" in the "Exponential Progress" cue.  There are many Hornerisms (rolling low piano, low open brass voicing, direct melodies) in this score.  I haven't seen the film but sort of expected a big "joy of flight" theme but alot of the score is obviously narration underscore so don't expect many grand themes but it is all nice and characteristically Horner.   

[Will 2,215]

Finally got a chance to listen to this score. 

 

It's certainly very pleasant and "feel good." Very accessible too - it's sometimes nice not to have to listen multiple times to enjoy music. 

 

Opening sequence is perfection. That oom-pa percussion thing during the big main theme statements in the latter half of that cue is a simple but wonderful touch. 

[Jay 37,287]

I listen to this frequently still, it always puts me in a good, productive mood. 

[fommes 153]

Is there going to be a pressed CD for this?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

I listen to this frequently still, it always puts me in a good, productive mood. 

 

It's a ridiculously listenable album!

[Thor 7,465]

Our review:

 

http://celluloidtunes.no/living-in-the-age-of-airplanes-james-horner/

 

It's in Norwegian, though. You'd need Google Translate.

[Jurassic Shark 12,028]

Or just learn Norwegian. It's not that hard - even kids can do it!

[Ollie 1,059]

Recently purchased the Intrada CD. It’s alright but I prefer the Flying Horsemen music over this.

[Jay 37,287]

Both are very good - along with First In Flight!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Horner does great aerial music.

[Will 2,215]

Yeah I just listened to this for the first time a few weeks ago and was really, really impressed. Sure, it's not anything revolutionary, but it's so well executed. I'd heard (and really liked) a sample of "Opening Sequence" last year, but nothing really beyond that.

 

I have "Portal to the Planet" running through my head right now! The low string entrance is sublime. Classic Horner. One interesting thing about this score is that I like the first half way more than the second. It's all great, but the first half has some truly jaw-dropping moments. 

[Jay 37,287]

This week I took the shrinkwrap off my physical copy I had picked up when Intrada released it on CD in 2018.

 

When this album first hit streaming in 2016, I loved it instantly and listened to it frequently for a while.  I hadn't actually heard it in quite a bit though, so listening to it again this week was great, like an old friend coming to visit.

 

This might be one of my favorite Horner albums.  It doesn't satisfy me in the same way my favorite Horner scores to narrative films do, but its one of those cases where each track is just so different and interesting and so good, it's like they all bring a smile to my face and makes the album engaging the entire time.  This time I paid special attention to the "remix" tracks at the end and realized how different they are from their main program counterparts.  They make the whole album even stronger by capping off with them instead of the first End Credits track.

 

The Intrada booklet is only 1 triple-wide, no stapled interior pages, and features a nice note from the film's director about James and the score.

Good stuff all around!  I just went to Intrada's site to see they've marked it Sold Out: http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.11454/.f

 

Yet, there are copies on Amazon US available for $10: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BVVCFLT/

[Jurassic Shark 12,028]

14 minutes ago, Jay said:

Yet, there are copies on Amazon US available for $10: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BVVCFLT/

 

Thanks for the heads-up!

[Jay 37,287]

No problem

[scallenger 481]

It's funny that this thread was recently revived, because I just revisited this score again today. Not that there is ever much time that passes between listens, because this is definitely one of my favorite Horner scores (echoing Jay). While it doesn't have the dramatic flair of his film scores, I think it is the lack of drama that makes it so nice to listen to. The mood and tone of this score clicked with me instantly, which is such a rare thing for a score to do to me anymore. I actually didn't even see the film until a few days ago, and while it was a good IMAX film (it is a shame I missed it during its run, because the experience would have been amazing with the music score blaring), the music truly lives on its own.

 

I play it while driving quite frequently, which it is perfect for. But it also suits well just trying to absorb a thoughtful and engaging mood, which is very hard to accomplish with current events these days... but this score somehow brings me right back to what it sets out to make me feel. Moving, flowing, exhilarating at times... and even a sense of thoughtful, emotional, nostalgia. A sort of emotional time travel of one's life.

 

By far my favorite moment of listening to this score, which will be obvious, is when I listened to it more than once on a flight from California to Florida in March of 2019. To say it works impressively in that circumstance is a understatement.

 

Some aspects of the score are cheesy in that Titanic/Avatar Horner pop kind of way, but somehow it REALLY works in this score. I don't mind it at all. The one track that I actually omit from my playlist of this score is, unsurprisingly, the big band "Flowers" track. On its own it is actually a really fun track, and now having seen the film it really worked great in its sequence. But it sort of destroys the mood of the rest of the album; so I only play it on rare occasions.

 

At first I thought, "oh I only like this score so much because it is one of his last ones ever released"... but when it still gets played years later, usually in (99%) full sequence, it is definitely one of my favorite Horner scores. For me it sits right next my other favorites of his like Land Before Time, Rocketeer, Aliens, Titanic, and Krull. But it honestly gets more rotation than any of those.

 

Also, Jay, I am glad you mentioned the CDs on Amazon for such a good price, considering it is sold out on Intrada and goes for like $40 at least on eBay now. I finally snagged a copy just a couple days ago (after having a digital version all this time)!

 

Seriously, more people need to hear this score if they haven't already. I feel like it could be easily missed.

 

NOTE: Now that I have seen the film, I think there are actually maybe one or two pieces of music missing. I honestly forget where at in the film now, but they were super brief and nothing that felt needed, thank goodness. This is one of those cases where I am 99% happy with the album ("Flowers" should have been a bonus track at the end, LOL).

[Jay 37,287]

Oh man, Flowers is super fun! Doesn't ruin the mood for me at all

[Jurassic Shark 12,028]

7 hours ago, scallenger said:

I finally snagged a copy just a couple days ago

 

I did too, thanks to Jay's post. What I like about this score is the warm mood, perfect for a tired morning at work.

[Jay 37,287]

Yes! It's uplifting. 

[scallenger 481]

Thanks to their Facebook page, for anyone on the fence right now, you can actually get the soundtrack CD and/or the BLURAY of the film for 50% off through Amazon until the 30th using this code:

 

SAVE50TP

 

Now I wish I would have waited just a little longer to have gotten the CD haha, but oh well. I did use the code to order the BluRay, because at just $10 it is definitely worth it, plus all the extras.