What Is The Last Score You Listened To From 2022?

[Thor 7,451]

 

God, why am I exposing myself to this crap? An endless string of two-note chords, as if it's a child plunking away at a piano, and then orchestrated with a million dollars. Or low-register rumbles that go nowhere fast. I won't be able to make it through one single listen, but I needed to know what it was about to have the references in order. As for the film, I skipped the press screening earlier this week (I'm all superheroed out), but might give it a go if it hits some streaming service at some point.

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

Cat Burglar - Christopher Willis

 

Willis is quickly becoming one of the best composers in the industry. His mastery of the orchestra is a treat to hear.

This score is an ode, and a very well done one, to the old Disney & Looney Tunes cartoons. It's a lot of Mickey-Mousing but it's so well done, it's not distracting.

He also incorporates some popular songs and classical pieces in a very smart way.

 

After Death Of Stalin, David Copperfield, Schmigadoon! & now this. I can't wait for Willis to get a bigger projects where he can write a lot of themes on a grand scale.

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

Outlander: Season 6 - Bear McCreary

 

The Outlander scores hold a special place with me and this album is such a welcome return to the Outlander world after 2 years. There are a few new themes and the Gaelic versions of the main title are very cool. The voocal work, solo instruments and orchestration on these scores are always a treat. Beautiful work!

 

Big fan of McCreary and it's always a pleasure when a new album comes out.

[Jay 37,249]

Akira Senju - Triangle Strategy (OST)

 

Wow, I liked this way more than I was expecting to!  I heard a rip of the demo that came out last year and heard some good stuff, but a lot of repetitious filler as well.  Now that the real game is out and they cut together a nice OST album for it, everything is way better.  It mostly reminds me of Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler, but later in the album I started hearing some throwbacks to old Final Fantasy music as well.  The ending song however, is laughably bad lol

 

At over 4 hours long I won't listen to this often, but in the right mood it will really hit the spot

[publicist 4,643]

Ludwig Goransson's, shall we say, eclectic pop score for this already controversial new Pixar film rivals 'Mr. Baseball' as far as the authenticity of his Asian idiom is concerned, but otherwise there is a exuberant mood, somewhere between Röyksopp and the Zimmer/Powell cooperations. The pure underscore pieces are rather uninteresting and mainly quiet patchwork. But the kitsch pop is fine!

[Jay 37,249]

Ludwig Goransson - Turning Red

Tried to listen to the score album a few times, and always ending up kinda tuning out.  We watched the film this weekend, so now I'll revisit it.  And I'll definitely be listening to a playlist of just the score with all the boy band tracks removed.....

 

 

Michael Giacchino - The Batman

 

I like this score a lot more than I did before; I listened to the OST album a second time after seeing the film and connected to it a lot more.  The OST album isn't the most eloquantly sequenced release, it should have been either 60 minutes of highlights or all ~130 minute of everything recorded, instead of this in-between 116 minute thing.  I'll whittle it down to my favorites and enjoy that for a while before going back to the whole OST

[Edmilson 7,367]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

 

I like this score a lot more than I did before; I listened to the OST album a second time after seeing the film and connected to it a lot more.

Agreed. Once I watched the movie I could appreciate the score even more.

[Jay 37,249]

Alexandre Desplat - The Outfit

 

Woah!  I liked this one a lot!  Nice little 54 minute album!

[Jay 37,249]

Austin Wintory - Traveler (A Journey Symphony)

 

Wow, this was wonderful!  I had heard Journey before (and played through the game), but I guess for whatever reason the music didn't make a lasting enough impression to stick with me and make me want to check it out again.  This new reimagining of it on the other hand already makes me want to turn around and start it right up again.  Very nice!

 

Why hasn't this guy been asked to score a feature length animated movie?

[publicist 4,643]

 

Good, old-fashioned melos á la Delerue by Philippe Rombi, orchestra with string/piano waltzes and full of woodwind flourishes rarely head in today's film music. 

[crocodile 7,973]

15 hours ago, Jay said:

Austin Wintory - Traveler (A Journey Symphony)

 

Wow, this was wonderful!  I had heard Journey before (and played through the game), but I guess for whatever reason the music didn't make a lasting enough impression to stick with me and make me want to check it out again.  This new reimagining of it on the other hand already makes me want to turn around and start it right up again.  Very nice!

 

Why hasn't this guy been asked to score a feature length animated movie?

I sort of like him where he is. Do you really want him to slavishly follow temp tracks and water down his talents? If it's something more out of the left field then yeah. Have you heard his The Rendezvous, by the way? It's terrific thriller score with a lot of colour and charm. The studio system would never allow a score like this. 

 

I love this action cue:

 

 

Anyway, on my playlist:

 

The Batman (my 77-minute playlist)

How To Train Your Dragon 2

The Orville Seasons 1 & 2

 

Karol

[filmmusic 1,822]

1 hour ago, publicist said:

 

Good, old-fashioned melos á la Delerue by Philippe Rombi, orchestra with string/piano waltzes and full of woodwind flourishes rarely head in today's film music. 

I'm just listening to this. Yes, it's quite good..

[Tom Guernsey 2,277]

16 hours ago, Jay said:

Austin Wintory - Traveler (A Journey Symphony)

 

Wow, this was wonderful!  I had heard Journey before (and played through the game), but I guess for whatever reason the music didn't make a lasting enough impression to stick with me and make me want to check it out again.  This new reimagining of it on the other hand already makes me want to turn around and start it right up again.  Very nice!

 

Why hasn't this guy been asked to score a feature length animated movie?

Annoyingly I can only see this on Amazon, anyone know where you can get it in lossless? (Obviously accessible to a European buyer!). Ta.

[Holko 9,491]

9 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Annoyingly I can only see this on Amazon, anyone know where you can get it in lossless? (Obviously accessible to a European buyer!). Ta.

Bandcamp!

https://austinwintory.bandcamp.com/album/traveler-a-journey-symphony

[Alex 2,833]

Spielberg if JW didn’t score Schindler’s List.

 

(Dreadful music btw)

[Jay 37,249]

11 hours ago, crocodile said:

Have you heard his The Rendezvous, by the way?

 

I've never heard anything this man has done other than Journey and this re-recording of Journey

[crocodile 7,973]

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

I've never heard anything this man has done other than Journey and this re-recording of Journey

Check out The Rendezvous and Abzu. You won't regret it.

 

Karol

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

The Legend Of Vox Machina - Neal Acree

 

This is a really cool score. Big fantasy scoring. Big orchestra & choir. It's a lot like The Dragon Prince, very good.

 

The songs feel a bit weird sometimes on album, but make more sense in the context of the show.

I really like it!

[Thor 7,451]

 

I was hoping and expecting something slightly more interesting from Isham. This is fairly static.

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

For me, this is one of the best scores of both men their careers! Orchestral, classical, very well orchestrated. Right up my alley.
The music on album is superb and becomes even better after seeing the series. The music adds so much to the series, it's insane. Highly reccomended!

[KK 3,307]

Drone Mass by Jóhann Jóhannsson

 

Jóhannsson's last substantial work, while not a score, is a beautiful enigmatic offering. Featuring a nice hybrid of strange colourful vocal textures, shifting microtonal drones and some lovely choral cannons.

 

 

 

Traveler - A Journey by Austin Wintory

 

Absolutely sublime. Although I think it loses a little of its otherworldly magic in the traditional orchestral setting, it gains other new colours and shades. Apparently Wintory is planning to release the conductor's score at some point too, so looking forward to grabbing that at some point.

 

 

[Jay 37,249]

Just now, KK said:

I think it loses a little of its otherworldly magic in the traditional orchestral setting

 

This thought intrigues me, can you elaborate on that?

[KK 3,307]

15 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

This thought intrigues me, can you elaborate on that?

 

Sure. Well, in its studio recording there are all these subtle Tibetan bowls, tanburas, specialty instruments, drones and the musicians are recorded in stems which allows more room to mix in certain reverbs and ambience so the whole thing feels really lush and airy, like it's "out of this world", much like the game.

 

This would be hard to replicate live of course, and the fully orchestral version sounds more grounded and exposed, which isn't a bad thing (it's orchestrated well and Wintory is clearly a pro), but it has a different quality to it.

 

The finale cues are the good examples of this I think. More or less, the same musical material, but the feeling is different imo:

 

 

vs

 

 

 

Again, not a bad thing at all, because they're both doing different things. The latter feels a little closer to "conventional" film music, while the former feels more like its own thing.

[publicist 4,643]

 

Whittled it down to 60 minutes. Doesn't need to be longer, but definitely plays better.

[Jay 37,249]

Michael Giacchino - The Batman

 

Well damn, I can't stop listening to this now.  Who woulda thought after my initial tepid reaction.

 

 

 

 

John Powell and Batu Sener - Ice Age Scrat Tales

 

Pretty fun little 20 minute album.  The highlights are John Powell's 1 crazy track, and Batu's final Quintet track, which is great

 

 

 

 

 

Alexandre Desplat - The Outfit

 

My second listen - well this is easily one of my favorite scores of the year.  What jazzy joy, especially at the beginning of the album.  The ending of the album gets serious and isn't as fun, but it's probably very effective in the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew Margeson - Pam & Tommy

 

We recently finished the show, and I learned an OST album came out. It's a fun mostly synth / samples score with occasional live instruments - reminded me of Flight Attendant a few times, and Mr. Robot at others.  There's also drumo solos by Isaac Carter, and two original Motley Crue pastiche songs too.  But the Margeson score is better than that stuff, especially some fun tracks that use old 90s modem sounds as part of the soundscape.

 

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Pinar Toprak's score for The Lost City is out today, it's a romantic comedy-adventure film hybrid in the style of Romancing the Stone.  From a first listen, I like the tone and feel of a lot of it but I'm not sure the main adventure theme really works.

[Richard Penna 3,664]

Had a bit of a listen to Djawadi's Uncharted just now.

 

I rather like the main theme - simple but memorable. Unfortunately, that's it really. I've put on a handful of tracks and nothing's grabbing me at all - whatever there is that made me love Eternals and Game Of Thrones isn't here at all. I suspect the first track is the only one that will get further play time for me.

 

Also, I saw The Rescue - the film based on the rescue of the kids from the Thailand cave a few years ago. It's one of those scores which works far better in the film than outside, with just a handful of moments that made me mildly curious to hear on album. Although in this case I wouldn't say the film was particularly great either - I don't think either quite live up to the all-round brilliant Free Solo.

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

On 04/03/2022 at 10:47 PM, JNHFan2000 said:

Cat Burglar - Christopher Willis

 

Willis is quickly becoming one of the best composers in the industry. His mastery of the orchestra is a treat to hear.

This score is an ode, and a very well done one, to the old Disney & Looney Tunes cartoons. It's a lot of Mickey-Mousing but it's so well done, it's not distracting.

He also incorporates some popular songs and classical pieces in a very smart way.

 

After Death Of Stalin, David Copperfield, Schmigadoon! & now this. I can't wait for Willis to get a bigger projects where he can write a lot of themes on a grand scale.

I listened to it again today. For me this is a well done technical masterpiece.

The way Willis does 'Mickey Mousing' so well is incredible. Not a lot of people will like it. But for me it's one of the best things we've heard this year

[Jay 37,249]

On 23/03/2022 at 2:56 PM, KK said:

Sure. Well, in its studio recording there are all these subtle Tibetan bowls, tanburas, specialty instruments, drones and the musicians are recorded in stems which allows more room to mix in certain reverbs and ambience so the whole thing feels really lush and airy, like it's "out of this world", much like the game.

 

This would be hard to replicate live of course, and the fully orchestral version sounds more grounded and exposed, which isn't a bad thing (it's orchestrated well and Wintory is clearly a pro), but it has a different quality to it.

 

The finale cues are the good examples of this I think. More or less, the same musical material, but the feeling is different imo:

 

vs

 

Again, not a bad thing at all, because they're both doing different things. The latter feels a little closer to "conventional" film music, while the former feels more like its own thing.

 

Hmmm, I listened to both tracks back to back and just basically like both of them lol.  I guess if I had heard the original versions many many times before the new one came out I'd be able to pick up on differences more but for me the whole score (either recording) is still too new to me

[publicist 4,643]

 

Pemberton does Dreamwork cartoons. Best described as Ocean's 14 it's slick and breezy, but suffers from its cursory nature and the lack of something beyond those slick chords, as it is, that's not enough to leap it above the fray.

[Thor 7,451]

 

Intriguing score. I love Matsumiya's indie synth scores for 37 SEKANZU and partially BETTY, so a hook-up with the one and only Sakamoto has great sales value. Part oddball, whimsical things, part abstract textures on organ, synths etc. Not for everyone, but something to get lost in.

[Thor 7,451]

 

Harry Escott came to my attention with SHAME (like with most other people), despite the obvious THIN RED LINE influences. Despite the title, do not expect a Michael Nyman soundalike here. Instead, it's warping fairly familiar idioms (certain tracks are like Nicola Piovani as heard through a grinder), but it's all fairly listenable. I'm on my second listen now; it's fairly close to getting a spot in my iTunes collection, but not quite there yet. Album is out April 22nd.

[Jay 37,249]

Nami Melumad - The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window

 

Meh.  This show was super fun, and the score is effective in the show, but I found this album boring.

 

 

Daniel Pemberton - The Bad Guys

 

Holy hell, this was awesome!  This is like a cousin to Pemberton's Ocean's 8 score, which I love.  I wish his Enola Holmes and Man from UNCLE scores tickled my fancy as much as this and 08 do.  So much fun!

[KK 3,307]

 

Pachinko by Nico Muhly

 

Muhly is a wonderful composer and his concert music is sophisticated engaging stuff. But I find his writing for film/TV tends to get obscure and even aimless, like a collection of gestures that don't really form a cohesive bigger picture. With that said, the gestures here are lovely, when they get to shine.  It all just starts to become kind of anonymous with over an hour of shimmering winds, piano clusters, strings and cooing vocals...This kind of thing really just needs a strong main theme to anchor all the texture/colour.

 

 

[Thor 7,451]

 

I appreciate what Nitkin tries to do here -- experimenting with oscillating synth textures. The problem is that all the low-register murmurs eventually become static. Some fairly boring sequencers and oddball effects that don't really mesh that well over too long a running time. As if she tries to do Christobal Tapia de Veer, but don't really understand it. So better luck next time!

[Tom Guernsey 2,277]

At the risk of sounding old (I'm 44 since you asked...) I remember when every CGI movie was an event and, by and large, really good. With that, every CGI movie had  score worth waiting for and an exciting mix of composers trying their hand at something new (Newmans R and T, for example) or a composer suddenly thrust into the big time and making a splash (a certain Michael Giacchino). Then I think they made (I dunno) Shark Tale or something and we realised they could be as crap as every other mediocre movie for kids. Which brings me to...

 

Extinct (M Giacchino Jnr) - some fun ideas, but with so many changes in gear and tone, it's never really as engaging as it could be. Curiously doesn't really sound anything at all like M Giacchino Snr, but seems like he has potential as it's certainly fun and technically competent. If Michael is Alfred, will he be Lionel, Thomas, David, Randy, Emil or... Joey?!

 

The Bad Guys (Daniel Pemberton) - basically every track sounds like the "heist" cue from numerous other scores which is fun for a while, but when there's well over 70 minutes of it (plus a couple of songs), it gets pretty repetitive by the end. A few changes of pace, perhaps most effectively in the more haunting Bedtime Story, help, but that is way too much music for what it is.

 

Turning Red (Ludwig Goransson) - I believe Goransson is the composer to already have an Oscar before writing his first Pixar score; indeed those who subsequently won did so for Pixar scores/songs. However, it doesn't really count for much as this kinda just passed me by and is making me reconsider rushing out to by every score for a Pixar movie. At one time that would have seemed unfathomable when you had the composers mentioned above writing some of their finest efforts but now the music just seems as meh as for other studios. Unless it's John Powell, obviously... 

[KK 3,307]

2 hours ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Extinct (M Giacchino Jnr) - some fun ideas, but with so many changes in gear and tone, it's never really as engaging as it could be. Curiously doesn't really sound anything at all like M Giacchino Snr, but seems like he has potential as it's certainly fun and technically competent. If Michael is Alfred, will he be Lionel, Thomas, David, Randy, Emil or... Joey?!

 

Wait...how old is Giacchino's son?

[Jay 37,249]

Which one, Mick or Griffin?

[Will 2,215]

As already noted by other posters above, Philippe Rombi's Le temps des secrets score is gorgeous. Definitely in the competition for my favorite score of the year so far (along with Sener's two excellent Ice Age scores which I complimented in another thread). 

 

I was already gripped by the very first track, which is just magical: 

 

 

You rarely hear sweepingly romantic music like that in modern films. And the exuberance at the start of this cue (among other moments in the score) is beautiful:

 

Spoiler

 

 

Great to hear the woodwinds so prominent, as is rarely heard in modern film music except Williams and perhaps Desplat.

 

Part of the score's appeal is that in general it contains very pleasant harmonies, e.g.:

 

Spoiler

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,277]

8 hours ago, KK said:

 

Wait...how old is Giacchino's son?

I can't find out how old Mick is, but considering his dad is only 54, I guess he's probably not far into his 20s. He must be close to Andre Previn's record for scoring a film at a disgustingly young age (Previn first scored a film while he was still in school)! I guess it does help when your dad is a multi Oscar winning composer... he certainly has potential and it's a lot more interesting and fun than a lot of other scores around, he just needs something with a bit more focus and requiring of more dramatic writing.

[KK 3,307]

Ah nepotism babies…

[publicist 4,643]

 

I will repeat myself here like James Horner on a particular manic day of self-referencing, but it must be said: the release of 110-minute (or even more) albums kills what would have been fair to good 50 minute releases. James Newton Howard struggles on with the Beasts franchise and the third one isn't any better or worse than part II. Don't expect anything on the scale of King Kong, but it's also no Pawn Sacrifice or Michael Clayton. Perfectly middling stuff.

 

It's even eerily similar: full of fleeting moments that never coalesce into musically satisfying cues - the start/stop problem i talked about earlier in Williams' RoS score, which means basically many empty gestures of the big orchestra that fizzle out into nothing, because they are just there to accentuate the usual blockbuster methodology of bluntly demanding attention whenever a character suddenly turns around etc. - it isn't a crushing disappointment but still a chore to sit through. 

 

With all the required editing work laid at my feet, i should get at least a voucher for a free flac download for things like this. Because, you know, that's what you need when you start extensive audio editing. 

[GerateWohl 4,320]

On 04/04/2022 at 5:17 AM, Will said:

As already noted by other posters above, Philippe Rombi's Le temps des secrets score is gorgeous. Definitely in the competition for my favorite score of the year so far (along with Sener's two excellent Ice Age scores which I complimented in another thread). 

 

I was already gripped by the very first track, which is just magical: 

 

 

You rarely hear sweepingly romantic music like that in modern films. And the exuberance at the start of this cue (among other moments in the score) is beautiful:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Great to hear the woodwinds so prominent, as is rarely heard in modern film music except Williams and perhaps Desplat.

 

Part of the score's appeal is that in general it contains very pleasant harmonies, e.g.:

 

  Hide contents

 

Very nice. Sounds a little bit like a Joe Hisaishi Studio Ghibli score to me.

 

 

 

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

I jusy listened to the samples (and haven't seen the film) but it sounds interesting.

A mix of different styles. I want see the film first and then explore the full album.

But I'll have to wait till it's available on digital.

 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-original-motion-picture/1611811456

[Richard Penna 3,664]

4 hours ago, publicist said:

With all the required editing work laid at my feet, i should get at least a voucher for a free flac download for things like this. Because, you know, that's what you need when you start extensive audio editing. 

 

We're back to Thor territory again, demanding the composer remove the bits you don't like... except when they get it wrong, and you then complain about unreleased music.

 

You're making it literally impossible for any album producer to make something that pleases you. Spotify couldn't make it easier for you to select the bits you like.

[publicist 4,643]

18 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

We're back to Thor territory again, demanding the composer remove the bits you don't like... except when they get it wrong, and you then complain about unreleased music.

 

You're making it literally impossible for any album producer to make something that pleases you. Spotify couldn't make it easier for you to select the bits you like.

 

Dude, it's you who makes these claims (repeatedly). It's not a damned if you/damned if you don't scenario for me, i always expect the MUSIC to come first and i expect a good editorialization that makes sense musically. I certainly never have criticized an effort to produce a good album that stands on its own.

[Richard Penna 3,664]

16 minutes ago, publicist said:

I certainly never have criticized an effort to produce a good album that stands on its own.

 

That indeed may be true; however I struggle to think of a case where a more curated album was discussed here and didn't contain some degree of disappointment over missing or truncated cues. Especially for a long score for a big film.

 

And yes, I repeatedly make this case because I truly believe more comprehensive releases solve more problems than they cause,.

[publicist 4,643]

2 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

And yes, I repeatedly make this case because I truly believe more comprehensive releases solve more problems than they cause,.

 

It's a purely academic discussion anyway: the consumer gets what the consumer wants, in this case a load of music that has little value apart from its place in the movie. But since i see a dwindling number of people who actually understand what this medium could offer in its best days, i still repeat my point. Just because. 

[JNHFan2000 2,938]

1 hour ago, publicist said:

 

in this case a load of music that has little value apart from its place in the movie.

According to you. I don't agree with that statement. All I'll say

[publicist 4,643]

19 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

According to you. I don't agree with that statement. All I'll say

 

And why should you? I mean, i'm all for enjoyment of something instead of dreading it. But be that as it may, a composer of Newton Howard's stature deserves more than lame franchises like this and if we are really honest about it, who's seriously satisfied with this compared with his King Kong or Lady in the Water career phase? It's more of that i want, not 110 minutes of stuffing.