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Danny Elfman -- ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (2016)


Matt C

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First trailer for the movie is now up. Per the trailer, Walt Disney Records will release Elfman's score.

 

 

Looks far more colorful and more seamless this time around.

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  • 6 months later...

Track list is there too

 

01 Alice (6:36)
02 Saving The Ship (3:41)
03 Watching Time (5:11)
04 Looking Glass (3:30)
05 To The Rescue (0:56)
06 Hatter House (3:47)
07 Red Queen (2:29)
08 Chronosphere (4:16)
09 Warning Hightopps (2:24)
10 Tea Time Forever (1:45)
11 Oceans Of Time (1:16)
12 Hat Heartbreak (2:28)
13 Asylum Escape (4:07)
14 Hatter's Deathbed (3:22)
15 Finding The Family (2:05)
16 Time Is Up (4:24)
17 World's End (1:51)
18 Truth (4:10)
19 Goodbye Alice (2:13)
20 Kingsleigh & Kingsleigh (1:22)
21 Seconds Song (0:12)
22 Friends United (1:07)
23 Time's Castle (1:49)
24 Seconds (0:50)
25 Clock Shop (1:55)
26 They're Alive (2:24)
27 Story Of Time (3:07)
28 Just Like Fire (performed by Pink) (3:36)

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I kind of like what I'm hearing. It certainly develops material from the previous score but doesn't sound like a rehash.

 

Karol

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ALICE IN WONDERLAND was one of the best Elfman scores in the last 10 years. So yeah -- very curious to see how he's going to develop the material.

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I like it a lot. Really good development of the main Alice theme throughout the album and the action tracks are really powerful. :)

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1 hour ago, Shatner's Rug said:

He's been hit and miss for about 16 years.

 

He was hit and miss before that too. Most composers are throughout their careers.

 

I've really enjoyed the sound he's discovered after the "Serenada Schiozphrana" in 2005 -- especially in the more indie-oriented films that require softer, minimalist textures. Not that fond of his big blockbuster scores. But of course, as a completist I have to get it all. Even grating noise affairs like GOOSEBUMPS and AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.

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If you heard the score only in film then I'm not surprised. It was a mashup of three different composers that sounded nothing alike. And on top, of that some bad edits and poor mix. It's a waste of time in the film.

 

On album, if you isolate Elfman's stuff, it's a really pleasant half an hour and probably the strongest Marvel score. Yes, he had to acknowledge some stylistic Marvel elements like anvil and string ostinatos. But it shows what a skilled and enthusiastic composer can achieve with so little time. It's just a pity we didn't get bit more of it.

 

I don't necessarily like everything he's doing. Some of the scores leave little impression. But that was always the case, as Thor already pointed out. Out of 48 (more or less) score he's done since 2000, I really liked about 22-23. It doesn't seem like a lot but this guy works a lot.

 

Anyway...

 

 

Karol

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He's gotten so skinny (I particularly noticed this when I saw him live for the Burton concert premiere in London a couple of years ago). Must be Bridget who has put him on a diet. Not that long ago, he looked like this:

 

dsc_2008.jpg

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10 hours ago, crocodile said:

If you don't like his music then why bother now?

 

Karol

 

The thing is, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Batman and Batman Returns are some of my favorite scores ever. In that era, it seemed like he could do no wrong. He and Tim Burton seemed to both lose their mojo around the year 2000.

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He has written more interesting scores since the 2000's (Planet of the Apes! Hulk! Wolfman! Corpse Bride!) but also lots of puzzling non-scores like 'Hellboy II' where you wonder why he bothered. After 'Wanted' i kind of gave up on him (liked 'T4') though.

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He's not only undergone a physical transformation, his voice has seriously altered as well. It's super deep now. It's like it's been artificially pitched down like Worf's in Star Trek: Nemesis. It also looks as though he's wearing Alternative Apparel Moroccan tees with Trekkie colors and collar?

 

ef436ea017d30c868ebc06b00aa1b2d3ad79d4df

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14 minutes ago, publicist said:

He has written more interesting scores since the 2000's (Planet of the Apes! Hulk! Wolfman! Corpse Bride!) but also lots of puzzling non-scores like 'Hellboy II' where you wonder why he bothered. After 'Wanted' i kind of gave up on him (liked 'T4') though.

Wanted is great!

 

Karol

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Well, I listened to this score yesterday on Spotify and loved it!  This is immediately superior to the first score in my opinion.  I purchased the physical CD from Amazon as soon as the main album program ended.

 

Anybody know the chronological order of the CD with tracks 21-27 integrated into the main program?

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"Superior to the first score" -- IMO one of Elfman's best in the last 10 years -- sounds like a tantalizing recommendation. Can't wait to hear this now!

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Yeah, it's on Spotify here too. But I'm waiting to engross myself in it untill I get the physical disc, as I'm an Elfman completist.

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According FSM member Machionic in the FSM thread, this is the chronological order of the OST

 

02 Saving the Ship (3:40)
04 Looking Glass (3:30)
05 To the Rescue (0:56)
22 Friends United (1:07)
06 Hatter House (3:47)
27 Story of Time (3:03)
23 Time's Castle (1:49)
24 The Seconds (0:50)
03 Watching Time (5:10)
08 The Chronosphere (4:15)
11 Oceans of Time (1:15)
09 Warning Hightopps (2:23)
12 Hat Heartbreak (2:27)
10 Tea Time Forever (1:45)
26 They're Alive (2:28)
25 Clock Shop (1:55)
13 Asylum Escape (4:06)
14 Hatter's Deathbed (3:22)
07 The Red Queen (2:29)
15 Finding the Family (2:04)
16 Time Is Up (4:24)
17 World's End (1:50)
18 Truth (4:09)
19 Goodbye Alice (2:13)
20 Kingsleigh & Kingsleigh (1:13)
01 Alice (6:35)
21 Seconds Song (0:11)
 

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Yes, I will try listening to it that way tomorrow

 

My physical copy of the OST arrived just before we moved, glad its not caught up in mail transfer.

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Someone (I think it was Karol) said it best, about this score:  The first score is fine, but the best part about it was the main theme, and all 5 tracks highlighting the main theme on the OST were fairly similar to each other.

 

What makes this score better (imo) is that it takes that main theme and finally gives it a bunch of variations.  It's integrated well into the score throughout.  I really like this a lot.

 

Going to listen to the chronological playlist after lunch!

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I've made a Spotify playlist of the OST in chrono order if anyone's interested

 

 

 

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I wouldn't say the Alice 2 score is surprising, but I still enjoy it.  And yea, Rabbit and Rogue is really fun!

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25 minutes ago, publicist said:

It doesn't deserve more than three. This new ballet piece is really the only nice Elfman surprise in recent memory.

If you were to rate them in relation to each other then I agree.

 

But then, I thought the new Alice score is a big improvement. I wasn't a big fan of the original. Technically, he's way ahead of many of his colleague, even if the content is somewhat predictable. When Elfman is no longer with us, all those later fantasy scores will be re-evaluated. Mark my words.

 

Karol

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I'm with pub on this one. There are some welcome extensions of previous material. But its just more of Elfman in action-ostinato mode. I don't have much patience for that anymore. Also, something about the recording rubbed me the wrong way.

 

Rabbit & Rogue is a delight though.

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11 hours ago, EdC said:

Oh right, I just slammed out this one as well.  I dunno, maybe it's a grower...and maybe not.

 

http://cuebycue.blogspot.com/2016/06/alice-through-looking-glass-elfman-2016.html

 

Wow that's great stuff, thanks!

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8 hours ago, crocodile said:

But then, I thought the new Alice score is a big improvement. I wasn't a big fan of the original. Technically, he's way ahead of many of his colleague, even if the content is somewhat predictable. When Elfman is no longer with us, all those later fantasy scores will be re-evaluated. Mark my words.

 

By the same people that suddenly think 'The River Wild' is a great achievement. Elfman has a patchy track record in the fantasy genre. For every 'Batman Returns' there is a 'Hellboy II' - it's hard to fathom another A-composer getting by with music that thematically undistinguished (even RCP scores in that area) and while 'Alice' is Elfman's best tune in years and there are some droll and sweet moments in this new one i found it the whole album a meandering chore to sit through (a problem it shares with many other releaes, for sure).

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  • 5 years later...

This week I opened up my physical copy and listened to the album on work commutes, my first time hearing this score in a while, maybe not since 2016 actually.

 

This time I have a different opinion than what I see myself saying in the thread here.  The main theme sure still is GREAT, and the opening Alice track is a terrific suite that takes in it new places the first score didn't.  Then, the next track is a great, "start of the film score proper" track, really good stuff.  But then it settles into a bit of a rut for a while, with lots of ostinato-based stuff.  The ending of the main program picks up again, with the "Kingsleigh & Kingsleigh" track being a good wrap-up track.

 

But then you get the bonus cue section that has no real flow and some goofy ideas, and the Pink song.  I love Pink, but this is not her best work.

 

Overall, there's more good here than bad, and maybe an expanded release would be better depending on what else exists that might break up the ostinato-y tracks, but before then I might actually want a shorter presentation!

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The two Elfman Alice scores follow the exact same pattern as Giacchino's first two Spider-Man scores: the first scores are the better of the two, but the suites in the sequels are superior.

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