Ludwig Göransson & Joseph Shirley's THE MANDALORIAN (2019-present)

[Jay 37,368]

Wowwee, I heard a lot of score in episode 4 that I want to hear on the album.

If we are getting a Vol 1 OST this Friday, I would expect that largest part of its running time to be pulled from this episode.  Lots of good stuff, lots of good callbacks to older themes.  Really liked it!

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

I think Volume 1 comes next week

[Jay 37,368]

One thing I forgot to point out until now:

 

I liked that in the season premiere, there was an original Shirley composition that covered the "Previously On", that continued right into the Logos, that continued right into the first scene of the show.  It had a great flow to it and made the start of the season exciting!

 

In all episode since, the "Previously On" is scored by tracked music.  Then there's a pause, then the normal Logo music.  Then another pause, then the episode starts, which may or may not have score immediately.

[crumbs 14,317]

Really enjoying Shirley's music this year. Kudos for delivering somewhat of a hybrid between the Williams and Göransson styles; not an easy task.

[Jay 37,368]

One of my favorite Mandoverse cues is the Shirley cue in Book of Boba Fett covering Grogu's training with Luke.  Like you're talking about, that reminded me a bit of taking Goransson's sound and Williams' sound a bit and melding them together in a cool way.

 

I can't speak too specifically about any Mando 3 music until I can hear it clean outside the show since on initial viewings of these episodes I'm more paying attention to the show itself than trying to analyze the music, but I did hear cool stuff that reminded me a bit of that older Grogu training cue this week when he was playing with the rocks and then doing the dart combat

[crumbs 14,317]

24 minutes ago, Jay said:

One of my favorite Mandoverse cues is the Shirley cue in Book of Boba Fett covering Grogu's training with Luke.  Like you're talking about, that reminded me a bit of taking Goransson's sound and Williams' sound a bit and melding them together in a cool way.

 

I specifically like his music for Grogu's Order 66 flashback during BOBF. That dark brass is right at home with Williams' ROTS, yet the elegiac material feels more at home with the sequel trilogy.

 

 

Yet the whole package still feels wrapped up in Goransson's DNA. Pretty awesome!

[Jay 37,368]

Yea!

[MedigoScan 324]

16 hours ago, Jay said:

Wowwee, I heard a lot of score in episode 4 that I want to hear on the album.

If we are getting a Vol 1 OST this Friday, I would expect that largest part of its running time to be pulled from this episode.  Lots of good stuff, lots of good callbacks to older themes.  Really liked it!

 

Knowing our luck though, its just gonna be 3 tracks per episode again.

[Jay 37,368]

Well at this point it's clear there's no OST album dropping today anyway.  I hope they aren't gonna do the whole season as one release (unless its really long)

[CGCJ 394]

AHA Music now identifies the series 3 OST!

Spoiler

The Apostate
01:13-04:20 The Living Waters
06:30-07:40 The Apostate
10:30-13:58 High Magistrate
25:51-28:40 We Got Pirates
29:04-29:49 A Castle
31:30-32:20 A Castle

 

The Mines of Mandalore
01:40-03:30 Back for a Tune Up
17:51-21:30 Mando's in Trouble
22:00-22:38 Mando's in Trouble
34:00-36:19 The Old Mines
37:50-39:30 I Swear on My Name

 

The Convert
04:10-04:40 Attack on the Gauntlet
05:30-09:29 Attack on the Gauntlet
09:50-12:09 Amnesty Scientist
14:02-16:10 Amnesty Scientist
19:53-23:18 Coruscant Street Fair
32:50-34:20 Worth the Risk
42:20-44:20 L52
46:01-46:39 L52
47:52-47:59 You Are One of Us
48:40-49:09 You Are One of Us
50:20-53:00 You Are One of Us

 

The Foundling
01:20-04:54 Playtime's Over
11:40-11:45 There Are No Others
13:30-15:10 There Are No Others
19:40-21:40 Quest for a Foundling
23:30-23:40 Quest for a Foundling
26:15-26:20 Double Signet

 

[Jay 37,368]

Phew!

[Knight of Ren 789]

3 hours ago, CGCJ said:

AHA Music now identifies the series 3 OST!

  Reveal hidden contents

The Apostate
01:13-04:20 The Living Waters
06:30-07:40 The Apostate
10:30-13:58 High Magistrate
25:51-28:40 We Got Pirates
29:04-29:49 A Castle
31:30-32:20 A Castle

 

The Mines of Mandalore
01:40-03:30 Back for a Tune Up
17:51-21:30 Mando's in Trouble
22:00-22:38 Mando's in Trouble
34:00-36:19 The Old Mines
37:50-39:30 I Swear on My Name

 

The Convert
04:10-04:40 Attack on the Gauntlet
05:30-09:29 Attack on the Gauntlet
09:50-12:09 Amnesty Scientist
14:02-16:10 Amnesty Scientist
19:53-23:18 Coruscant Street Fair
32:50-34:20 Worth the Risk
42:20-44:20 L52
46:01-46:39 L52
47:52-47:59 You Are One of Us
48:40-49:09 You Are One of Us
50:20-53:00 You Are One of Us

 

The Foundling
01:20-04:54 Playtime's Over
11:40-11:45 There Are No Others
13:30-15:10 There Are No Others
19:40-21:40 Quest for a Foundling
23:30-23:40 Quest for a Foundling
26:15-26:20 Double Signet

 

Went back through the episodes taking a look at that and it seems like every important piece of new music is there, with the exception of a small cue for IG-11's repairs, and some less interesting ones. It's so cool to see that even the Courscant street source music with the March of the Resistance variation is there, which I wasn't expecting, so that's great! Looking forward to the release hopefully next week!

[Jay 37,368]

Aw nuts I actually remember that IG-11 repair cue and really liked it!

[Knight of Ren 789]

Perhaps is there but the music recognition app does not catch it. Even so, there's a cool variation on IG-11's theme right before, when Mando sees the statue, that seems like it is going to be in the release, so there's that.

[MedigoScan 324]

The app must be missing something if its saying there's a cue of just 5 seconds.

[crumbs 14,317]

The Disney Music Licensing page should be the first place the soundtrack appears, and it'll filter out to streaming services thereafter.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

https://music.apple.com/nz/album/the-mandalorian-season-3-vol-1-chapters-17-20-original-score/1679086315

 

The Mandalorian: Season 3 - Vol. 1 (Chapters 17-20) (Original Score)

Joseph Shirley

 

1. The Living Waters

2. The Apostate

3. High Magistrate

4. We Got Pirates

5. A Castle

6. Back for a Tune Up

7. Mando's in Trouble

8. The Old Mines

9. I Swear on My Name

10. Attack on the Gauntlet

11. Amnesty Scientist

12. Coruscant Street Fair

13. Worth the Risk

14. L52 

15. You Are One of Us

16. Playtime's Over 

17. There Are No Others

18. Quest for a Foundling

19. Double Signet

 

1 hour 7 minutes

[Jay 37,368]

Here are the lengths of each track:

 

01 The Living Waters (3:27)
02 The Apostate (1:58)
03 High Magistrate (3:41)
04 We Got Pirates (3:24)
05 A Castle (3:34)
06 Back for a Tune Up (2:12)
07 Mando's in Trouble (4:35)
08 The Old Mines (3:02)
09 I Swear on My Name (2:31)
10 Attack on the Gauntlet (5:27)
11 Amnesty Scientist (4:05)
12 Coruscant Street Fair (3:33)
13 Worth the Risk (2:02)
14 L52 (3:26)
15 You Are One of Us (3:55)
16 Playtime's Over (3:58)
17 There Are No Others (5:39)
18 Quest for a Foundling (5:09)
19 Double Signet (1:44)

 

It's already up on Tidal too

 

https://tidal.com/browse/album/285075190

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Episode breakdown Volume 1

 

Episode 1

1. The Living Waters

2. The Apostate (slightly longer in episode)

3. High Magistrate

4. We Got Pirates

5. A Castle

 

Episode 2

6. Back for a Tune Up

7. Mando's in Trouble (slightly longer in episode, but just a bit of sound design)

8. The Old Mines

9. I Swear on My Name

 

Episode 3

10. Attack on the Gauntlet

11. Amnesty Scientist

12. Coruscant Street Fair

13. Worth the Risk

14. L52 

15. You Are One of Us

 

Episode 4

16. Playtime's Over 

17. There Are No Others

18. Quest for a Foundling

19. Double Signet

[Jay 37,368]

...

 

Why yes, that's a quote of what I posted on FSM, which is just the information from @CGCJ here in this thread just 9 posts up

[Manakin Skywalker 4,896]

So the "tracked" section during the pirate chase is on here, and it turns out it's actually not tracked from "Warm or Cold", but is a new recording/arrangement. The tempo is even slightly different.

[Jay 37,368]

I listened to this album twice today and..... I guess I'm not sure what to say.  I guess I can say I liked it, but didn't love it?

 

I had a similar reaction to the Season 2 Vol 1 album, which kind of builds for a bit and then just ends; When the Vol 2 OST came out and I just listened to them back to the back as if it was one long album, I liked it much better.  Maybe the same thing will happen here.

[Knight of Ren 789]

Volume 1 is great at representing the highlights of the first half of the season, which is mostly subdued material, hints of themes and some great action set-pieces. The best parts for me are the two big action cues, We Got Pirates and Attack on the Gauntlet, the coruscant material on Amnesty Scientist and Worth the Risk, and then the subtle and noble development of Bo Katan's material, either her main theme or the new "redemption" theme, both of which can be heard extensively in A Castle and Double Signet.

 

I'm thinking on doing a more detailed analysis of the first volume in case anyone is interested, but it would take me a couple of days since I don't have that much time right now.

 

As for today's new episode, it greatly developed many of the Mandalorian motifs, with some great variations on Bo Katan's material, and it brought back the Gorian Shard theme from episode one, heard at the end of We Got Pirates, and used it to great effect during the action set-pieces, which I hope are included on the next score release.

 

If you want to read a bit more in depth analysis on the music for the episode, feel free to check out my write-up, and share your thoughts. Enjoy!

Chapter 21: The Pirate

[michael_grig 472]

I like this season's soundtrack much more than the previous two!

[artguy360 1,843]

The latest episode featured more March of the Resistance. Interesting to hear a more direct quote of the theme, less disguised as it was in the festival music.

[Jay 37,368]

I remember liking the cue for Paz talking in the cave with the fire going from this episode

[Knight of Ren 789]

 

The music for the third season of these mandalorian adventures was composed by Joseph Shirley, who had already done the music for the Book of Boba Fett, using as a basis Göransson’s own material, and a similar thing happened in another franchise, in the Creed saga, where Shirley was tasked to continue Göransson’s work in the third entry of the trilogy.

 

In this season, the composer retains many of Göransson’s own themes for the many different characters and concepts and perfectly adapts them into his own new material that represents the new conflicts and events of the season, and as such, I will try to do a small track-by-track analysis of what each track contains to help you recognize and appreciate Shirley’s work in the series.

 

I invite you to listen to the album as you read along to further enjoy the music!

 

The Living Waters

We start the first cue of the first episode with a mix of an exotic recorder motif and some synths that soon lead to the first appearance of the A theme for the Mandalorian Culture, which a bit later is joined by an ascending string motif, that I think is another motif intended to represent the Mandalorian Culture. At 1:00, percussion and chants carry a lengthy sequence that leads into the reappearance of the A theme on high strings and the newly introduced C theme for the Mandalorian Culture, with hints of that exotic recorder motif from the beginning, also representing the mandalorian culture and their ways.

The Apostate

The first action cue is a fairly standard one, relying on dissonant synths and electronic beats, with some hints of themes like the Mandalorian Culture A theme ay 0:34. When Mando arrives to the rescue, we hear his characteristic stinger at 0:57 and a heroic variation on his fanfare, which soon leads to the title card, with the western motif and the recorder riff playing in unison

High Magistrate

Right away, we hear what seems like a broken-down version of the Rhodes motif, which leads to a beautiful choral passage, which perhaps will become a theme for the Purgills if these mysterious space whales return later in the season. Mando arrives at Nevarro at 1:00, and we are introduced to a lengthy passage of noble music for Nevarro’s new aspect. The recorder riff makes some cameo appearances here and there, joined by a folksy-like motif which even gets a sort of “medieval-street-band” arrangement during its second half. Especially noteworthy is the lovely interpolation of IG-11’s theme at 2:35, when they see the droids statue in the city.

We Got Pirates

This is the second action set piece and it’s one of my favorites of the season along with the one that opens season 3. First some tension building leads to a re-recording of a passage from Warm or Cold from Chapter 5, which contains extended variations on Mando’s Heroic Fanfare, then seguing to some more brand-new variations. I especially like the brass trill at 1:26. The underlying chords of the western motif lead into a heroic arrangement of the recorder riff at 1:54, joined by some fast-paced string runs, which give way to the introduction of Gorian Shard’s material, at 2:28. His main theme, which be of great importance in episode 5, can be heard in full at 2:40, and it’s a pirate-y motif that is both imponent and pompous, joined by some weird percussion accompaniments and some distorted vocal chanting.

A Castle

When Mando travels to Bo Katan’s castle, the composer brings back in full force the B theme for the Mandalorian Culture, joined by heavy percussion, and even some references to Bo Katan’s motif, like at 0:26, leading up to a softer variation on the Mandalorian Culture A theme. At 1:09, one of Shirley’s main new ideas is introduced, a theme that seemingly represents Mandalore’s former glory, and accompanies Bo Katan’s journey through the season as she redeems herself and accepts her role as leader of Mandalore. It’s intrinsically tied to her main theme, which is also referenced in the track like at 2:43, and sometimes both ideas overlap with each other, making it quite clear that the destiny of Mandalore and Bo Katan are closely tied.

Back for a Tune Up

Peli Motto is back for a brief appearance, and the composer brings back the rythmic devices he used for the reparing sequence from the Book of Boba Fett, heard in Faster Than a Fathier as Mando and Peli repaired his N-1. This comic passages extend for most of the piece, and near the end we get a brief reference to Mando’s stinger, as well as Grogu’s warm synths from the Snacks track to close the piece

Mando's in Trouble

The first two minutes of this piece are mostly atmospheric synths, and dark passages which kind of reminded me of Göransson’s material for the Ice Planet in The Passenger episode from Season 2, as heard in Beneath the Ice. At 2:13, Shirley brings back the Child’s mysterious theme, dating all the way back to the end of the very first episode, and the offers a fun action cue based almost entirely around energic and even heroic variations on this idea. I particularly love the brief heroic fanfare at 3:17 as Grogu throws that alamite out of his way, as well as the celebratory statement of his theme at 3:44 as he manages to escape. The cue ends on a sombre note with that Mandalore / Redemption theme from A Castle, as Grogu arrives to ask Bo Katan for help.

The Old Mines

This is probably the best representation of Shirley’s new Mandalore / Redemption theme, and he plays around with the theme in extended variations for the three minutes that it lasts, allowing the theme to really establish itself as a lovely but somber idea representing the fallen city’s former glory. There are also some noble references to Bo Katan’s theme, like at 1:13, and a somber variation on the Mandalorian Culture A theme as Bo Katan remembers her father to close the piece, at 2:22.

I Swear on My Name

The first 50 seconds of the piece offer a beautiful joining of the recorder riff and Mando’s Heroic Fanfare, as he recites the creed and bathes in the Living Water of Mandalore. He suddenly drops to the bottom of the lake, and Bo Katan goes after him, with her sound motif carrying the action, and including some references to the Mandalore / Redemption theme, at 1:02. She starts to bring him back to the surface, but is suddenly met with an imposing view, and at 1:54 the Mythosaur is seen, with a grand choral statement of Shirley’s theme for the creature, before the Mandalore / Redemption theme plays briefly as the episode closes.

Attack on the Gauntlet

One of my favorite action cues of the season so far, and it contains many of Göransson’s themes in new, cool variations. We have references to Mando’s stinger and Bo Katan’s sound motif, and at 1:05 it becomes slowly more interesting, with the presence of the western motif, which leads to an energic variation of the skeletal riff joined by the “Heroics” theme at 1:27. The tension builds via synth beats and orchestral passages and at 2:24 we get a desperate variation on the new “C theme” for the Mandalorian Culture, which leads to another appearance of the “Heroics” theme this time in fragmented form, which is soon joined by the Mandalore / Redemption theme at 2:58, with hints of the Bo Katan theme thrown in there too. The Redemption theme plays triumphantly at 3:27, but is soon overthrown by some unnerving synth passages, as Bo Katan’s castle is bombed. Her theme is tragically referenced before the composer throws in some aggressive variations on her theme at 4:13. This leads to a passage of pure tension, built around synth beast and growling brass, culminating on the title card with the western motif, as Mando and Bo Katan manage to escape the Empire’s forces.

Amnesty Scientist

We travel back to Coruscant for the first time in this show, and the composer right away introduces his regal and majestic idea for the city, a major-moded theme that represents the capital’s beauty (and it kind of reminds me of Bear McCreary’s Númenor theme from The Rings of Power). The rest of the cue plays around with soft synths passages that underscore Dr Pershings time in the capital and the time he spends with other Amnesty Officers

Coruscant Street Fair

This fun piece of source music has two separate sections, the first one playing around with the Coruscant theme, while the second one references John William’s March of the Resistance in full, clearly intended to be a theme for the New Republic in this era.

Worth the Risk

A bit of tension builds into a lovely statement of the Coruscant theme at 0:14. The rest of the cue is mostly tension built around synth beats and some string passages, with the Coruscant theme returning once more at 1:20

L52

For me, this is the least interesting track of the bunch, and it’s mostly some tense synth bits, a reference to that characteristic sound that has popped around in the show many times at 1:23 and 2:03, and then some somber material for the rest of the cue.

You Are One of Us

The track opens with Mando’s stinger to bring back to the narrative to the mandalorians, with the Redemption theme playing surrounded by some pulsating synths, and percussion material reminiscent of Mando’s visits to the Forge in the first season, in tracks like Back for Beskar or Mandalore Way. The Mandalorian Culture B theme is referenced on electric guitar, and leads to an unfinished variation on the Redemption theme, as Bo Katan and Mando are confronted by the Mandalorian Covert. In a similar fashion to what happened in the very first cue, The Living Waters, the A and the new C themes for the Mandalorian Culture join each other surrounded by some “mandalorian ambiences”, for the rest of the cue, with the Redemption theme appearing as well at 3:17, as Bo Katan is accepted into the covert.

Playtime's Over

The first minute of the track contains some percussive variations on the Mandalorian Culture A theme, leading to a cool joining of the Rhodes motif and the Child’s theme at 1:01, and even some references to Grogu’s synths and the exotic recorder motif from The Living Waters. Grogu’s challenge is underscored with some more Rhodes motif and Mandalorian Culture B theme, but my favorite part of the cue is when the composer brings back the Forge theme from the first season at 2:51, now using it as a fast-paced rythmic device to support the tension of the challenge, culminating in a celebratory statement of the Mandalorian Culture A theme. Before the cue closes off, we get a sadly brief reference to the theme that represents Mando & Grogu’s relationship through the show, at 3:42

There Are No Others

Grogu’s flashback sequence is one of the best from the season so far, and features some great music by Shirley. The first part of the cue is sadly missing, but this track starts with some dramatic string passages that remind me of another Grogu flashback as we heard on the Book of Boba Fett, in the track Life Lessons. Some tension then builds to the first of the many appearances of a new theme, that represents Master Jedi Kelleran Beq. This theme plays many times through this track in some energic and vibrant action variations, being one of my favorites the one at 1:33, with those orchestral beast and the underlying synth rhythms. The Child’s theme is briefly referenced at 3:13, before one last variation on Kelleran Beq’s theme at 3:25. I don’t know if the character will return, but if he does, I’m sure we will hear some more variations on the theme. The track is capped of by a lovely extended variation on The Child’s theme on strings

Quest for a Foundling

This action set piece is one of the less interesting ones for me, but even so, it has some cool moments here and there. The beginning with the percussion beast reminded me a bit of the Marshal’s material from Season 2, but then around the 2:30 minute mark we hear some orchestral beats, with some loud dissonant string passages that kind of resemble the screams of the little creatures they encounter at the nest. The action that follows has some brief references to the Redemption theme and the Heroics theme, and Bo Katan’s sound motif, while the strings remind me a bit of Moff Gideon’s material, before a celebratory statement of the recorder riff and the western motif as they rescue the foundling and arrive to safety. The final seconds offer some relief with a lovely joining of the recorder riff and the Mandalorian Culture A theme

Double Signet

The last cue of the album opens with a guitar statement of the Mandalorian Culture B theme, that leads into a softly mysterious variation on the Mythosaur theme, at 0:14, which slowly builds into a straight statement of The Forge theme, supported by the Redemption theme chords, with the melody appearing itself at 0:55. Bo Katan’s theme gets a noble rendition at 1:17 and leads to one final, mysterious statement of the Mythosaur theme at 1:29 to close the episode and the album.

 

Feel free to share your thoughts, or any correction or addition I may have missed. Hope you enjoyed it!

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Thanks so much for that!!!!! That is awesome!!

[Jay 37,368]

I love JWFan

[CrimsonRain96 11]

So I’m guessing the score is in chronological order then, since I’m not seeing any major alterations to it’s order in the various posts I’ve seen on here since it was released a few days ago.

[Jay 37,368]

Why is track one titled "The Living Waters", if it contains the music from the opening of episode 1? They don't arrive at The Living Waters until the end of episode 2.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Maybe it is the scene in where the armorer says again how can  the mandalorian be redeemed?

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

No. It's the music from the opening.

 

But maybe because the waters that they have on that planet act as the 'new' Living Waters because they think Mandalore is toxic etc

[Jay 37,368]

I'm listening to the album again now and enjoying it much more than before, for whatever reason!

 

I have a question though.  All the brand new themes this season, like for example the Coruscant theme: Do we know Shirley wrote those, or is it possible Goransson did?

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

I would also like to know this👆🏽

[Jay 37,368]

On 31/03/2023 at 1:40 PM, Knight of Ren said:

 

 

Also I really enjoyed reading this post while listening along, @Knight of Ren!

 

Question though: There's a theme you call the Mandalorian Culture theme.  But isn't it a theme for this specific group Din and Grogu are now a part of, not the entirety of Mandalores as a whole?

[Knight of Ren 789]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

All the brand new themes this season, like for example the Coruscant theme: Do we know Shirley wrote those, or is it possible Goransson did?

I don't know the answer to this, but I think they are Shirley's, because in Book of Boba Fett happened something similar, but there we had Goransson's theme suite, while in here we just have a "themes by" credit, which could just refer to the old themes.

 

5 hours ago, Jay said:

There's a theme you call the Mandalorian Culture theme.  But isn't it a theme for this specific group Din and Grogu are now a part of, not the entirety of Mandalores as a whole?

Glad you enjoyed it! All the different parts of the "Mandalorian Culture theme" have been strongly used in scenes with this group, but if my memory doesn't fail me, it also appeared with Bo Katan's mandalorian pals in S2. But since those are the only namdalorians we've seen so far, it makes sense to apply it as a theme for Mando's covert and for the mandalorian culture as a whole, but if the show expands into other groups, we will find out if the composer uses these themes or creates new ones for the new groups.

 

Even so, some of the thematic associations in this show are a bit hard to clarify, and sometimes the composers use a set of ideas for abstract concepts that doesn't always make it easy to narrow down in a more "traditional" sense, examplified by all the different ideas that form "The Mandalorian" track.

 

Hope this helps a bit!

[Knight of Ren 789]

Last episode was mostly okay, and the music was one of the most underwhelming aspects of it, heavily relying on tracked music from seasons 1 and 2 (sometimes reworked in some ways, removing sections and such), plus some more electronic source cues here and there.

 

The only cue worthy of attention is the one at the very end, which features an extended arrangement of the recorder riff, which leads to the Mandalorian Culture themes joining with Mando's western motif, some Bo Katan material and then a proper, complete statement of the "Mandalore / Redemption" theme, which finally has established itself as a theme for the ruler of Mandalore, as it plays when Bo Katan finally recieves the Dark Sword. This is the only cue that I would like to hear on the release, since the rest is mostly tracked stuff, and some more contemporary source music which isn't really my thing, even if they're interesting.

[Manakin Skywalker 4,896]

Yeah, I didn't notice a whole lot of interesting music in this particular episode. But that finale cue was great!

[Jay 37,368]

I heard a lot of music I liked in episode 7!

 

One question for you experts: Was the music played during the "previously on recap" this week actually an original composition, or was it tracked?  I remember specifically liking it.

 

There were some cool new variations of the main Mando theme ideas in this episode, like during the title card for one.  One bit of odd scoring was when The Armorer flies away in Bo's ship with wounded Mandalores, her flight gets scored by the main Mando theme - why?

 

I was surprised Gideon's special troopers weren't scored with dubstep like the ones at the end of season 2.  I miss it!

 

Can't wait for the volume 2 album  

[TheAvengerButton 175]

Given that Gideon's troopers were not Dark Troopers I wouldn't think they would get that awesome cue. They looked more like the Imperial Super Commandos from Rebels, but there were definitely humans in those suits.

[Jay 37,368]

Makes sense

[Alex Shore 83]

15 hours ago, Jay said:

I heard a lot of music I liked in episode 7!

 

One question for you experts: Was the music played during the "previously on recap" this week actually an original composition, or was it tracked?  I remember specifically liking it.

 

 

 

What there is is a use of sound libraries like Symphobia 2.

I have been able to recognize a very famous violin cluster from that library 

[Knight of Ren 789]

16 hours ago, Jay said:

I heard a lot of music I liked in episode 7!

 

There were some cool new variations of the main Mando theme ideas in this episode, like during the title card for one.  One bit of odd scoring was when The Armorer flies away in Bo's ship with wounded Mandalores, her flight gets scored by the main Mando theme - why?

I also liked that title card cue, as it mixes the Recorder riff with one of Gideon's motifs, and I particularly loved the extended development of the material for Gideon in the final standoff! Also, the choral motif for the Praetorian Guards was so great, and I think one of the first times (if not the first) that we have heard choir in the series.

 

I think the Mando Fanfare plays under that sequence because they are intercutting between her flying away with the injured mandalorians and the rest of the group travelling in that ship in search of the Great Forge, as a sort of montage, so I think that's why the use that theme there.

 

If anyone's interested in reading a more in-depth analysis of the music of the episode, feel free to check out my wirte-up, share your thoughts or any correction or detail I may have missed. Hope you enjoy. Cheers!

Chapter 23: The Spies

[Jay 37,368]

Yes, the title card mashup was so cool!! And yea, Gideon's theme was great to hear again, and in new arrangements, in the episode. 

 

Another thing I just remembered was the end credits music, which uncharacteristically ended early, before thr credits were done. Was just just the orchestral arrangement from season 1, episode 7? And did it end early because they omitted the opening? 

[Jay 37,368]

Anyone?

[Manakin Skywalker 4,896]

 

On 15/04/2023 at 2:08 PM, Jay said:

Another thing I just remembered was the end credits music, which uncharacteristically ended early, before thr credits were done. Was just just the orchestral arrangement from season 1, episode 7? And did it end early because they omitted the opening? 

 

Checked just now. They phase the entire time, so it's indeed just the cue from S1 Chapter 7. The entire cue too, including the opening.

[Jay 37,368]

I wonder why it ended so much earlier than the credit roll did?  I guess season 3 credits are longer than season 1's?

[michael_grig 472]

Damn, what a great finale!

 

What I particularly enjoyed about this last episode was the "harmonic diversity", if you can say so. It's something I've already noticed throughout the season and I find it very pleasing.

None of Shirley's music sounded boring or "empty". It always has a certain way of uniqueness that interacts so well with the picture!

Shirley's style is a bit more "traditional" than Göransson's, he uses more orchestral and melodic approaches, which I welcome very much. 

 

The moment when Grogu saved everyone from the fire was so well scored, the music really stands out, I look forward to hearing that again on the album!

The action scoring wasn't too generic either, and I love the new themes he's come up with throughout the season and how he arranged them in this episode.

Several cues from this season will be making their way into my go-to film music playlist, surely more than from Season 1 and 2 combined.

I'm definitely looking forward to Shirley's next projects!

[Knight of Ren 789]

Shirley's music in the finale was fantastic. The first part of the episode had some tracked / reworked material from previous episodes, but once the confrontation with Gideon begins, his new music was awesome. I really like the interplay between Gideon's material, Din's themes, the Mandalorian Culture themes, Bo Katan's new and old material and the presence of the choir thanks to the Praetorian Guards theme. And we even got some great variations on Grogu's theme, and the Din & Grogu theme, which strongly resembled what played in "A Warrior's Death" in the first season.

 

Overall, he has shown what a great composer he can be, on par with Göransson, and I really liked that he was able to incorporate Göransson's material and perfectly blend it with his own new ideas, being my favorite the "Mandalore" theme, and its great emotional journey through the season. I cannot wait to hear volume 2 and I hope the most important tracks are included in the release, just like they did with the first volume.

 

In case anyone's interested, feel free to check out my analysis of the music for the episode in my blog. Feel free to share your thoughts and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing these. Cheers!

Chapter 24: The Return