First Impressions: The SCORES of 2023

[filmmusic 1,836]

On 07/07/2023 at 4:28 PM, KK said:

Strange Way of Life by Alberto Iglesias

Oh, I didn't know that this was a short. I thought it was a full feature film.

Quite good score.

 

On 07/07/2023 at 4:28 PM, KK said:

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny by John Williams

Helena's Theme is a nice addition to the franchise's musical canon and the rest is more or less inconsequential. But it's hard not to find it all endearing. It very much serves as functional orchestral film music, barely rising above archetypal music gestures or offering anything truly distinct or remarkable and yet you can't deny this is still very well-written film music, the caliber of which we will not really see again for some time.

 

 

I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. Well, I haven't seen the film yet of course, and don't know if it is functional film music, but it surely sounds so.

[Thor 7,512]

 

This is lovely. Never heard of the composer before. Proper orchestral sweep. Some electronic colours too, to spice it up. Might do with a little whittling, though.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Not sure where all this music of Johannsson keeps coming from, but I really enjoyed this album.

This is just 22 minutes. I was kinda in the mood for some sombre music, and this was exactly that. It's mostly piano, strings and some synths. I thought it was really beautiful.

 

 

[Edmilson 7,466]

 

I tried, I really did, but yeah, this is not for me nor for anyone who doesn't like Inception/The Dark Knight rip-offs.

 

For the good side, at least you can say this was performed by an orchestra, unlike most Balfe scores. It doesn't sound as electronically processed as his other works.

 

On the other hand, this is literally 2 hours of Inception BAAAAAUUUUMS, TDK ostinatos and a lot of percussion (thankfully not the Junkie XL kind). Also a few suspense tracks that are just tense strings perfoming Schifrin's themes. You can tell that Balfe is not good neither at subtle underscore neither the bombastic music. At least Inception is a decent listen both on OST and complete score formats, but this gets really tiresome really quickly.

 

And to think there are a lot of brilliant composers out there who don't get a chance in Hollywood. Maybe if they say to the producers that they will stick to the Zimmer temp track they may get some jobs.

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

4 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

And to think there are a lot of brilliant composers out there who don't get a chance in Hollywood. Maybe if they say to the producers that they will stick to the Zimmer temp track they may get some jobs.

 

Perhaps Balfe is one of these brilliant composers, but he's forced to stick to the RCP sound.

 

Nah.

[Knight of Ren 789]

The thing is, Balfe is not a bad composer by any means. I really like his work for animated films like Home or The Lego Batman Movie, and this year he showed he is a good composer in the realm of fantasy / action-adventure with Dungeons and Dragons, which was quite fun. Also, some of his work for His Dark Materials, especially the Anthology albums is quite great.

 

But he seems like the go-to guy when you want this kind of bombastic, epic, loud scores that usually work great in the film, but are heavily inspired from all those Zimmer scores, which has already become boring and, for me, not as interesting and exciting...

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

His Black Widow is great. And I like large parts of the HDM Anthology albums, Bad Boys For Life and the 2 scores for Genius.

And Lego Batman is a lot of fun. 

[Under-Terrestrial 51]

https://music.apple.com/nz/album/oppenheimer-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1697599270

 

[Toillion 215]

21 minutes ago, Under-Terrestrial said:

https://music.apple.com/nz/album/oppenheimer-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1697599270

 

Is it possible to listen to this in the US early with a vpn? 

[Under-Terrestrial 51]

2 minutes ago, Toillion said:

Is it possible to listen to this in the US early with a vpn? 

 

Unsure.

[Jay 37,369]

37 minutes ago, Under-Terrestrial said:

https://music.apple.com/nz/album/oppenheimer-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1697599270

 

 

This is not a first impression.  Tell us what you think of the music!

[Under-Terrestrial 51]

42 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

This is not a first impression.  Tell us what you think of the music!

 

So my impression will naturally morph once I've listened to the score in-context (got tickets for next weekend!)

 

My exposure to Ludwig Goransson is TENET, the first CREED, TURNING RED, and BLACK PANTHER (I haven't seen THE MANDALORIAN). Even though he doesn't hail the Remote Control mold [to my knowledge], I hear some shades of that sonic influence here, so it's tricky for me to disassociate his input on TENET and OPPENHEIMER from the Zimmer Nolan contributions.

 

But even though the Nolan-Goransson relationship is young, I might prefer it to the Nolan-Zimmer relationship. Goransson's electronic palette is consistently lively. Tracks like "What Have We Done" and the second half of "Gravity Swallows Light" have a clear sense of storytelling in their harmonic progressions. The feeling in the performance of the symphonic instruments doesn't sound diluted (folks on here probably know already that Nolan expressly wanted prominent violin to represent the character of Oppenheimer). My favorite track is "Quantum Mechanics", the ebullience and lift in the string writing is my kind of minimalism.

 

(my apologies if the above paragraph comes across as a low-key diss of Zimmer. He's hit and miss for me (though INTERSTELLAR is 100% hit, has that aforementioned "lift" across the board .)

 

In summation, I'm all about it! The symphonic and electronic ingredients sound harmonious. Look forward to the full album!

[Jay 37,369]

Now that's more like it!

[Laserschwert 475]

So, I just received the soundtrack CD for Lorne Balfe's "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves", which I really, REALLY love - both the film and the score.

 

But what struck me is the fact, that it is over 90 minutes of music, on a single CD! How is this possible? Are there other releases like this? Why isn't it done more often?

[Jay 37,369]

Magic

[Jurassic Shark 12,079]

1 hour ago, Laserschwert said:

But what struck me is the fact, that it is over 90 minutes of music, on a single CD! How is this possible? Are there other releases like this? Why isn't it done more often?

 

The data is encoded a bit more densely in the radial direction, therefore breaking the redbook standard, so it's not guaranteed to play in all CD players. 

[Jay 37,369]

Exactly right.

[DeltaPupJux 47]

The term 'overburning' used to be what it was called...with respect to those pressed bootlegs with 90+ mins on a single disc.  But as someone said, they sometimes cause issues on various players.

[Thor 7,512]

 

I love D&L's electronic music and scores; here she brances out with prominent acoustic additions (primarily cello and strings), but it's perhaps a bit too much on the droney side for my taste. Appropriate for the film, no doubt, but I had hoped for something a little more melodic or texturally interesting, given her track record.

 

 

I give (almost) every new nature documentary a chance, but the days of George Fenton are clearly gone. More often, they now subscribe to RC or trailer tropes with little dynamic range. This is another one of those, even if it has a couple of highlight cues.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

2 hours ago, Thor said:

 

 

I give (almost) every new nature documentary a chance, but the days of George Fenton are clearly gone. More often, they now subscribe to RC or trailer tropes with little dynamic range. This is another one of those, even if it has a couple of highlight cues.

 

Steven Price's new nature score for Blue Whales: Return Of The Giants is much much better.

And because the film is only 45 minutes, the album runs for 39. I'd give it a listen

[Matt C 454]

On 15/07/2023 at 12:23 PM, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Perhaps Balfe is one of these brilliant composers, but he's forced to stick to the RCP sound.

 

Nah.

 

I still don't understand why McQuarrie gave Kraemer the knife after Rogue Nation. He could've asked for Balfe at the start.

 

Balfe's MI scores are serviceable at best. Kraemer did far more in one MI score than Balfe will do with three.

[HyenaBoy 29]

On 20/07/2023 at 2:46 PM, Under-Terrestrial said:

 

So my impression will naturally morph once I've listened to the score in-context (got tickets for next weekend!)

 

My exposure to Ludwig Goransson is TENET, the first CREED, TURNING RED, and BLACK PANTHER (I haven't seen THE MANDALORIAN). Even though he doesn't hail the Remote Control mold [to my knowledge], I hear some shades of that sonic influence here, so it's tricky for me to disassociate his input on TENET and OPPENHEIMER from the Zimmer Nolan contributions.

 

But even though the Nolan-Goransson relationship is young, I might prefer it to the Nolan-Zimmer relationship. Goransson's electronic palette is consistently lively. Tracks like "What Have We Done" and the second half of "Gravity Swallows Light" have a clear sense of storytelling in their harmonic progressions. The feeling in the performance of the symphonic instruments doesn't sound diluted (folks on here probably know already that Nolan expressly wanted prominent violin to represent the character of Oppenheimer). My favorite track is "Quantum Mechanics", the ebullience and lift in the string writing is my kind of minimalism.

 

(my apologies if the above paragraph comes across as a low-key diss of Zimmer. He's hit and miss for me (though INTERSTELLAR is 100% hit, has that aforementioned "lift" across the board .)

 

In summation, I'm all about it! The symphonic and electronic ingredients sound harmonious. Look forward to the full album!

At the moment, the only Goransson soundtrack I've listened to in full is Turning Red.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Some very beautiful string work.

It's just 20 minutes, but I really enjoyed it.

 

[Fargo 297]

I never finished the movie itself, but I've listen to the score for Balfe's D&D a few times and really enjoy it. Looks like he's released a companion album with "concert arrangements". I'm going through it now and think it's pretty great.

 

 

1. Holga Kilgore (5:08)
2. Edgin’s Journey (2:15)
3. Xenk Yendar (2:19)
4. Doric’s Theme (3:29)
5. Friendship Forged (5:18)
6. The Red Wizard (4:07)
7. The Gang (3:44)
8. Homelands (2:24)
9. Kira’s Theme (1:49)
10. Holga’s Pride (2:39)

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

I enjoy both the length and the music from this more than the original album.

[Edmilson 7,466]

A Jon Broxton recommendation, this is a fine pastiche of 60s European. And, at less than 30 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome.

 

Now that I've seen the movie, the score is a lot better in context. It's much less annoying to listen than the last two Nolan scores. But some of the "epicness" could be dialed down.

[thestat 348]

Wallfisch's Flash is still the score of the year, no doubt. Oppenheimer's too restricted, like Glass and Mansell were told to score a film but not sound like themselves. Balfe's MI is obviously terrible, a trailer music fest.

 

I have some questions over the mastering of The Flash but this video is a very encouraging sign to show how Wallfisch records everything in the room, including choral and orchestral. There are much more dynamic tracks in the score but this was chosen as the set piece. Just very impressive work with a melodic emphasis and orchestrational finesse beyond the RCP crowd

 

[KK 3,307]

I haven't heard the score, but that is some very Marianelli-esque harmony. I dig it.

[crocodile 8,017]

 Final Symphony II: Music from Final Fantasy V, VIII, IX and XIII. Lovely.

 

 

Karol

[Under-Terrestrial 51]

Given that this album's release date was purportedly August 9th - which it is in Japan - I thought the entire album would be available to preview on Japanese sites by now. Aw well, this little snippet will have to suffice

 

My first impression will be even more out of context than usual given that no one knows what this movie is except A) people who have read the book, and B) Japanese audiences (btw, Japanese audiences must regulate in-cinema pirating like crazy, one thinks there would've been a footage leak by now!).

 

I wonder if I'll feel about this score the way I feel about John Williams' score for The Fabelmans: both feature stripped down melodies with simple harmonies that are hella bittersweet, as if a farewell to a life-long creative partnership between director-and-composer has imbued into the music. I like it so far, look forward to samples with more symphonic ingredients

 

(also, that poster is entrancing. Does the heron have two sets of eyes?!)

 

 

[Edmilson 7,466]

The Miracle Club by Edmund Butt

 

 

Pretty, with a few genuinely touching moments, but overall a little forgettable. Pretty much all the highlights are concentrated on the first few tracks, after that it becomes boring.

 

Still, I think a partnership between Edmund Butt and Nathan Wang could be really interesting.

 

(and yes, the only reason I listened to this score was to make a sexual joke involving his name, )

[Thor 7,512]

 

I'm not familiar with Sebastian, but nice to hear another Frenchman keep the French electronica tradition of Jarre and Daft Punk (with whom he's worked) moving along nicely. A score very much up my alley.

[Thor 7,512]

 

Really good score! Partly retro softpop, partly funky synths, partly old-school light drama score in the vein of something like Michael Gore's DEFENDING YOUR LIFE. The Zarathustra/2001 references are cute. The film premiered after I went on summer holiday, so I haven't seen it yet, but the score will be a contender regardless.

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

The Winning Time Sessions - Season 1 - Nicholas Britell & Robert Glasper

 

It's a shame that Jeff Beal has taken over for S2 because I'm really enjoying it.

Jazz, hip-hop infused with some orchestral stuff.

Besides Andor, Britell has been on a roll for me. Succession, Cruella, Don't Look Up. All great stuff.

 

[Mr. Who 919]

2 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

The Winning Time Sessions - Season 1 - Nicholas Britell & Robert Glasper

 

It's a shame that Jeff Beal has taken over for S2 because I'm really enjoying it.

Jazz, hip-hop infused with some orchestral stuff.

Besides Andor, Britell has been on a roll for me. Succession, Cruella, Don't Look Up. All great stuff.

 

I haven’t seen the show but enjoyed the OST! I’m a big fan of Jeff Beal though so I’m happy to see him taking over S2,

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Never really been able to connect with anything Beal has written in the past.

[Thor 7,512]

56 minutes ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Never really been able to connect with anything Beal has written in the past.

 

He's been hit and miss to me too, but I love WILD SALOMÉ.

[Mr. Who 919]

3 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Never really been able to connect with anything Beal has written in the past.

I love his House of Cards scores, brilliant music! I can hear quite some influence from those scores in Vice and some of Britell’s work actually. 

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

@ThorNew Drum & Lace score. I know you like her music.

It's a bit more in the realm of the romantic/comedy sound. But she still makes it her own and there are some good cues.

 

 

[Thor 7,512]

Yes, I sampled it the other day. It's D&L doing her best Thomas Newman pastiche, and it's not terribly exciting, IMO. I prefer her when she's closer to her electronica roots, but I can't fault her for experimenting and exploring, I suppose.

[LewWho95 14]

Kris Bowers - Haunted Mansion (2023)

 

I like this score so far. It isn't anything particularly standout, but it really captures the tone and mood of the film incredibly well and the ride's ambience well. My only major criticism is that outside of 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', there aren't many identifiable or memorable themes, with the best parts of the score being those that rely on 'Grim Grinning Ghosts'. There's a brief leitmotif that is clearly meant to represent the Hatbox Ghost, but it is seemingly used interchangeably with 'Grim Grinning Ghosts'. But it is a fun score, even if it is one I feel I won't return to in full that often but there are some tracks I really like. 

 

[Richard Penna 3,694]

McCreary - The Last Voyage of the Demeter

 

FIrst impressions are that this is a surprisingly emotional score, but with disappointingly generic action/drama material when things get going - not really any conscious decision or effort to recognise whatever period this is. There are a lot of moments that bring RoP to mind which I guess may not be surprising if he's going to be restarting work on that soon. Having said that, the lower key/emotional moments are actually rather good. Given the release is only 35 minutes you have to wonder whether this film didn't need a lot of score, and Bear and team quickly scored in between their myriad other projects. If it's longer, then Bear has done a very uncharacteristically concise job of making a brief 'tone poem' of their work - Thor would be very proud.

[Thor 7,512]

 

BIG disappointment to me, as a Rahman & Ratnam fan. I mean, I appreciate his effort to stay 'up-to-date', but this is just a wall of annoying RC-isms, all with sampled orchestra bits. Like second-rate trailer music. The more downkey elements are better. If you want to hear Rahman in epic orchestral mode, with proper acoustic elements, listen to ENTHIRAN or WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH instead.

[Knight of Ren 789]

 

 

As I already mentioned on the McCreary thread, it's a bit reminiscent of some of his other scores. The darker aspects of the score are interesting in the use of nice instrumental touches like voices, fiddle or hurdy-gurdy, but I very much prefer the lyrical and emotional side of the score much more, especially in the lovely theme for Anna during the second half of the title cue, and all the different variations across the score. It's quite enjoyable overall even if a bit by the numbers, and the short length doesn't allow it to outstay its welcome.

 

 

Nice main theme,even if it reminded me a bit of Giacchino's Zurg theme from Lightyear. It's overall a fun score and I like some cues that veer into electronic territory, but the action bits fall into the rather generic category, and for all the supposedly different composers and musicians involved in the project, it feels very much like a standard modern RCP action score with ostinatos and loud brass and not a lot more going on. Perhaps I will enjoy it more in context but overall it feels like a lesser brother of Zimmer's Rush, which I like a lot more than this.

[Edmilson 7,466]

39 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

It's quite enjoyable overall even if a bit by the numbers

My opinion as well. An okay horror score with some parts similar to God of War or TROP. 

 

But is is my impression or does the orchestra sound a little thin? I wonder if McCreary couldn't use a larger ensemble so he complemented the orchestra with electronics?

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

1 hour ago, Knight of Ren said:

 

 

As I already mentioned on the McCreary thread, it's a bit reminiscent of some of his other scores. The darker aspects of the score are interesting in the use of nice instrumental touches like voices, fiddle or hurdy-gurdy, but I very much prefer the lyrical and emotional side of the score much more, especially in the lovely theme for Anna during the second half of the title cue, and all the different 

 

Nice main theme,even if it reminded me a bit of Giacchino's Zurg theme from Lightyear. It's overall a fun score and I like some cues that veer into electronic territory, but the action bits fall into the rather generic category, and for all the supposedly different composers and musicians involved in the project, it feels very much like a standard modern RCP action score with ostinatos and loud brass and not a lot more going on. Perhaps I will enjoy it more in context but overall it feels like a lesser brother of Zimmer's Rush, which I like a lot more than this.

 

Gran Turismo is basically Chappie 2.0

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Elemental - Thomas Newman

 

I liked the score when it first was released, but I didn't see the film until Tuesday.

 

I have to say, after seeing the film, the score just clicked. I'm really loving it!

The album's still a bit too long, but there is no one who creates a sound world just like this.

Yes, it's maybe a bit to familiar to what Newman does, but we know by now what his style is, so it doesn't bother me anymore. I love the mood he creates with the score. The vocals, the soloist and the string. It gives me a really warm feeling and it gets me into a good mood. And sometimes that's all I need from a score.

 

My favorite score of Newman since Tolkien and maybe even Bridge Of Spies.

[Knight of Ren 789]

 

 

It's one of those rare cases where songs and score both feel essential to the movie, whatever you think about them. I like the fact that they are quite connected with each other, making it overall quite cohesive. There are some fun bits with the parody cues like the Strauss music, or the military-march arrangement of Dua Lipa's song for Mattel, which are quite effective in context, but there's also quite a bit of filler and meandering stuff which doesn't do much for me. The best parts are some of the more upbeat/fuky bits that adapt Dua Lipa's song (I particularly like the appearance of the 'hand clap' in many places), as well as the introspective cues referencing Billie Eilish's gorgeous song, my favorite being the whimsical and even vintage arrangement in Meeting Ruth.

 

Even if it's a nice score, and fits the movie quite well for what it is, I wonder what kind of music Desplat would have brought to the table with this one!

[iamleyeti 114]

 

I was disappointed to not see the usual suspects on a Soderbergh project… and I was wrong. Zack Ryan's score for FULL CIRCLE is a subtle and dark take on Hermann with haunting strings. I loved it.

[Thor 7,512]

1 hour ago, iamleyeti said:

I was disappointed to not see the usual suspects on a Soderbergh project… and I was wrong. Zack Ryan's score for FULL CIRCLE is a subtle and dark take on Hermann with haunting strings. I loved it.

 

I miss Martinez & co., but I agree -- it isn't bad. Still, the best FULL CIRCLE score remains Colin Towns'.