Category Archives: Soundtracks

Soundtrack Review: Midway (2019)

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The soundtrack to Roland Emmerich’s epic film Midway is now available digitally and will be available on CD November 22nd. The highly anticipated action drama, starring Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, and Mandy Moore, premiered in US theaters via Lionsgate, alongside the soundtrack release. The film centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy, which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds.

The soundtrack for Midway was composed by Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser. Regarding the soundtrack, they had this to say:

“We agreed that the music for Midway should not be a traditional wall-to-wall orchestral score, with sweeping action cues where every change in mood and sentiment will be followed musically. We also set ourselves the goal that the orchestral pieces should be limited to the emotional moments of the film. Early on we asked our long-time collaborator Tommy Schobel to create some sort of musically driven sound design, using synth-based versions of sounds old war planes would make, but in a way so they make sense within the bigger picture of the score. When you hear these cues in the film, married with all the sound effects, it all becomes — quoting our re-recording mixer Greg P. Russel — ‘A Thing.’”

The soundtrack also features two contributions by singer Annie Trousseau. Here’s what she had to say about working on the soundtrack for Midway:

“I was asked by Harald and Roland if I had any big band songs recorded and would I be interested in performing a song in Midway. This was all happening last minute because they had just added a scene with a singer. Of course, I said yes immediately! Harald had pretty early on decided that “Jersey Bounce” would be the instrumental. “All or Nothing at All” was my top pick for the vocal track because it was the most fitting lyrically and emotionally for the film, and I just fell in love with the melody and Frank Sinatra’s 1939 version with the Harry James orchestra. What an honor to be the one singer asked to do this. We purposely did only two or three live takes of each song so we could keep the live feel. I’m very happy with the outcome. In preparation, I studied the enunciation of the era and did my best to give it that extra 1940s vintage sensibility. I was in heaven in a musical world and setting that allowed me to shine in a genre that I adore and respect so much. It’s been the best experience to work beside such amazing talents. Almost everyone in the film is also a musician! Such a dream come true for me.”

While it’s true, after listening to the score, that this is definitely not a wall-to-wall orchestral score such as what you might normally find for an epic film of this magnitude, I think movie audiences will appreciate the music just as much. It oozes with tension in various places, which makes sense given how pivotal the Battle of Midway proved to be. Everything hinged on this one fight going exactly right, and it feels like that is reflected somewhat in the musical score.

TRACK LISTING
1. Nobody Wants A War
2. Midway Main Theme
3. See You In China
4. Morgue
5. Getting Some Fun Out Of Life – Performed By Annie Trousseau
6. Pearl Harbour
7. This Is It
8. Bombing Six
9. What’s Their Target
10. Attack On Midway
11. Good Luck Sir
12. Jersey Bounce – Performed by Annie Trousseau (Instrumental)
13. They’ll Follow You Anywhere
14. Still Night Submarine
15. Above The Clouds
16. Dogfight
17. The Last Dive
18. This Is For Pearl
19. Victory Lap
20. Best Returns
21. Abandon Ship
22. Midway End Titles
23. All Or Nothing At All – Performed by Annie Trousseau

Let me know what you think of Midway (and its soundtrack) in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Film Soundtracks A-W

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

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Soundtrack Review: Death Stranding (2019)

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From Sony Music, the soundtrack for the video game Death Stranding is available now. The soundtrack for Death Stranding was composed by Swedish composer Ludvig Forssell and Joel Corelitz. Forssell’s previous contributions to video game soundtracks include composing the music for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

The summary of Death Stranding is as follows:

After the collapse of civilization, Sam Bridges must journey across a ravaged landscape crawling with otherworldly threats to save mankind from the brink of extinction.  In the near future, mysterious explosions have rocked the planet, setting off a series of supernatural events known as the Death Stranding. With spectral creatures plaguing the landscape, and the planet on the verge of a mass extinction, it’s up to Bridges to journey across the ravaged wasteland and save mankind from impending annihilation. 


Corelitz, according to this interview with Paste Magazine, had several contributions of his own to make to the soundtrack:

My contribution was broken up into chunks that were similar to sprints. Initially I created 10 one-minute tracks using all original sounds (both synth patches and sampled material mostly created from found objects) that were edited down into their components and turned into sample libraries. So the tracks themselves weren’t designed to be used or heard as music, just to house the raw materials that Ludvig could then use in his own compositions.

This took maybe three to four months. It went well, particularly the found object samples so we decided to dedicate three days just to sampling, with all of us (including Sony’s audio department) in the same room. That’s when we did the piano. Then, I was asked to create 40 more minutes of additional music to accompany the rest of the score, so I actually got to use the instruments we created on my own cues. That was a huge surprise and a lot of fun. This part took maybe five months total.

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Having sampled the soundtrack, I can say that it is hauntingly beautiful, not at all what I expected for a game like Death Stranding. The music puts me in mind of a number of science-fiction epics, but it particularly reminded me of the scores for both Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 (and that’s a good thing). In some places, I was even reminded of the music for God of War (the most recent game) in a few places. If you get a chance to listen to the soundtrack, I would especially recommend listening to “The Face of Our New Hope,” that track is especially beautiful.  I know music doesn’t really indicate the quality of a video game overall, but if Death Stranding does have any problems, the soundtrack is definitely not one of them.

Track Listing

1 Once, There Was an Explosion

2. Alone We Have No Future

3. BRIDGES

4. Soulless Meat Puppet

5. Beached Things

6. Chiral Carcass Culling

7. The Face of Our New Hope

8. John

9. An Endless Beach

10. Heartman

11. The Severed Bond

12. Claws of the Dead

13. Fragile

14. Stick vs Rope

15. A Final Waltz

16. Strands

17. Lou

18. BB’s Theme (From Death Stranding)-Jenny Plant

19. Flower of Fingers

20. Cargo High- Joel Corelitz

21. Demens- Joel Corelitz

22. Decentralized by Nature

23. Mules

24. Porter Syndrome

25. Chiralium

26. Spatial Awareness

27. Stepping Stones

28. Frozen Space

29. The Timefall

Let me know what you think about Death Stranding (and its soundtrack) in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Video Game Soundtracks

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Soundtrack Review: Countdown (2019)

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The original motion picture soundtrack for Countdown is available now, with music composed by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans (Ozark, Chef’s Table, Fear The Walking Dead). Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans are two award-winning film composers. They have been playing music together for over twenty years. In the last eight years, they have completed well over 100 acclaimed film and TV scores. As a duo, they are known for bold unpredictability, uniqueness, and their ability to interpret a wide range of genres for their scores. Drawing from an array of modern classical styles and beyond, their compositions are filled with atypical orchestrations, sensuous melodies, and visceral soundscapes.

Regarding the film, which features a seemingly deadly app, the composers had this to say:

“We had a great time scoring Countdown full of moody analog synths, atonal string orchestras and piercing jump scares.  We tried to stay true to a traditional horror score but added some of our own unique twists and unpredictability!”

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In Countdown, when a nurse downloads an app that claims to predict the moment a person will die, it tells her she only has three days to live. With the clock ticking and a figure haunting her, she must find a way to save her life before time runs out.

This soundtrack, in a nutshell, is terrifying. I haven’t been this freaked out by a film score since I listened to the soundtrack for It: Chapter Two. There’s just something about horror soundtracks that pushes all of my anxiety buttons, and the soundtrack for Countdown is no exception. Bensi and Jurriaan make sure that you now where each and every jump scare is located, which makes sense since music is integral to making these jump scares work. Even though I expected this, it still scared me every time one leapt out of the music.

That being said, there’s a bit of range in this soundtrack. Here and there the music slips into a more relaxed mode, though these moments never last long and are usually just a precursor to another jump scare. One moment in particular jumped out at me: late in the soundtrack, the composers included what sounds like an old music box, and it’s sudden appearance sent chills down my spine. I don’t know why the music box sound can feel so terrifying in the setting of a horror film, but it does.

If the actual film is as scary as the soundtrack, then Countdown will surely be a film to watch out for (I personally have no plans to watch it as I am a bona fide scaredy cat when it comes to this genre). However, as much as it scared me, I did enjoy listening to the soundtrack.

Let me know what you think about Countdown (and its soundtrack) in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Film Soundtracks A-W

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook 🙂

 

Soundtrack Review: Motherless Brooklyn (2019)

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The soundtrack for Motherless Brooklyn, a film written, directed, and produced by Edward Norton, is available now. The first part of the soundtrack album features, among other things, arrangements of the song “Daily Battles” by Thom Yorke and Wynton Marsalis respectively.

Edward Norton discussed these musical icons. Regarding Yorke, he proclaimed, “No writer of songs from my generation has ever equaled Thom’s capacity for expressing the longing in the heart and the terror in the head at the same time; or for creating gorgeous melody within fracture and dissonance.” When describing Marsalis, he asserted, “A long essay would be needed to encompass the breadth of this man’s musical prowess, let alone what he has done to solidify jazz as America’s classical music.”

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The score album (the second album of the soundtrack) features 20 tracks of new music from highly respected Golden Globe-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton (Steve Jobs, All the Money in the World, Ocean’s 8), who Norton hand-picked to compose the Motherless Brooklyn score.

The director heaped tremendous praise on Pemberton, “If there’s a more exuberantly protean talent than Daniel Pemberton working in film music today, I haven’t heard their stuff.” The director further enthusiastically described Pemberton’s capacity, output, and abilities.  “With a quarter of the time he should have had for a score this big, he wrote like a possessed savant and then turned into an absolute boss and produced, in one week of recording, not only what I’ll declare one of the best film scores of the last decade but within it pieces that all the players who recorded them called ‘straight up classics.” 

Norton further described how the film’s music came together. “There’s a certain risk entailed in working with people you love and admire because, let’s face it, collaboration can get messy for all kinds of reasons” explained the Motherless Brooklyn director/writer/producer/star. “The safer choice is to stay a fan or a friend, protect the mystery of your favorite artists and keep marveling at the magic they make from a seat in the audience.  But if you’re lucky enough to get to direct your own film, the allure of ringing up people whose work thrills you, well…. it’s irresistible. And if you’re really lucky…it all goes brilliantly, and you make some magic together. This is the bet I made when it came to dreaming up the music for Motherless Brooklyn. And what you’ll hear on these records is a mashup of the geniuses I rang up: Thom Yorke, Wynton Marsalis and Daniel Pemberton.”

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For my review, I focused on Daniel Pemberton’s score album, and a few things jumped out to me right away. The first thing I noticed is that many of the tracks are composed in a jazz-style, which is fitting given the setting is 1950s Brooklyn. The jazz portions are very easy to listen to, and immediately put me back in that time and place. In fact, these tracks reminded me very much of the jazz scores found in older films from the 1950s and early 60s. And I enjoyed listening to it, even though jazz isn’t something I listen to all that often.

The other main portion of the score is what really caught my attention though. The best way to describe this portion, which recurs several times among a number of instruments, is that it just oozes menace. This portion is centered around a five note motif (I’m not sure of the specific tempo being used, but I worked out the pitches) that I partially recreated below:

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It’s very simple, but quite effective. Given the many times this motif recurs in the soundtrack, I think that this represents whatever threat is facing Edward Norton’s character in the film. Or it could be symbolic of the situation in general, I’m honestly not sure. But I do know it’s important in some way. If you listen carefully, this motif does appear in a lot of places, but sometimes it’s disguised with different instruments (a technique that I really like in film soundtracks).

Motherless Brooklyn has an interesting soundtrack for sure; Daniel Pemberton left his unique mark on every piece. I hadn’t planned on seeing this film, but after listening to the soundtrack, I might have to put it on my “to watch” list in the future. You don’t often hear jazz-based scores anymore, so that’s a big reason why I’m recommending you check out this soundtrack.

Once it comes out, let me know what you think about Motherless Brooklyn (and its soundtrack) in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Film Soundtracks A-W

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

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The Nightmare Before Christmas “Jack’s Obsession” (1993)

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I found “Jack’s Obsession” to be delightfully charming. It’s set after the Town Hall Meeting, when Jack has locked himself away to puzzle over Christmas in solitude. While Sally and the other inhabitants wait expectantly outside, the Pumpkin King turns the idea of Christmas over and over inside his head, hilariously missing the point all the while.

 Something’s up with Jack, something’s up with Jack
Don’t know if we’re ever going to get him back
He’s all alone up there locked away inside
Never says a word
Hope he hasn’t died
Something’s up with Jack, something’s up with Jack

Christmas time is buzzing in my skull
Will it let me be? I cannot tell
There are some many things I cannot grasp
When I think I’ve got, and then at last
Through my bony fingers, it does slip
Like a snowflake in a fiery grip

Something here I’m not quite getting
Though I try, I keep forgetting
Like a memory long since past
Here in an instant gone in a flash
What does it mean?
What does it mean?

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In these little bric-a-brac
A secret’s waiting to be cracked
These dolls and toys confuse me so
Confound it all, I love it though

Simple objects, nothing more
Bout something’s hidden through a door
Though I do not have the key
Something’s there I cannot see
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
What does it mean?

Hmm… hmm…

I’ve read these Christmas books so many times
I know the stories and I know the rhymes
I know the Christmas carols all by heart
My skull’s so full, it’s tearing me apart

As often as I’ve read them, something’s wrong
So hard to put my bony finger on
Or perhaps it’s really not as deep as I’ve been led to think
Am I trying much too hard?

Of course! I’ve been too close to see
The answer’s right in front of me
Right in front of me

It’s simple really, very clear
Like music drifting in the air
Invisible, but everywhere
Just because I cannot see it doesn’t mean I can’t believe it

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You know, I think this Christmas thing is not as tricky as it seems
And why should they have all the fun?
It should belong to anyone

Not anyone, in fact, but me
Why, I could make a Christmas tree
And there’s no reason I can find
I couldn’t handle Christmas time

I bet I could improve it too
And that’s exactly what I’ll do!

Hee, hee, hee

Eureka! This year, Christmas will be ours!

As I said before, Jack is completely missing the point at the beginning, during, and throughout this entire song. He’s hit the point (correctly) that there’s something not quite right about this situation. However, he’s not understanding that the problem is that he (Jack Skellington) was not made to work with Christmas. His task is, and always has been, Halloween and all things spooky. But Jack simply doesn’t get that yet, and so he’s happily plunging headlong toward taking over Christmas, despite all the signs indicating that this will go catastrophically wrong.

It’s also, as I mentioned, a charming song. Compared to the horror of “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” “Jack’s Obsession” is almost gentle in comparison. It’s a nice change of pace from some of the more hectic songs I’ve seen thus far in making my way through this film’s soundtrack.

Let me know what you think about “Jack’s Obsession” in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

The Nightmare Before Christmas “This is Halloween” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “What’s This?” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Town Meeting Song” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” (1993)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

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The Nightmare Before Christmas “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” (1993)

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I have to imagine that when Jack Skellington finished summarizing Christmas Town and “Sandy Claws” to his fellow residents of Halloween Town, that he never imagined it would come to this, and yet, here we are. Having whipped the citizens into a frenzy over Christmas, Jack comes up with the idea of replacing Santa and taking over his job in a few months time. To that end, he tasks Lock, Shock, and Barrel with kidnapping “Sandy Claws” so Jack can take his place. With Jack’s reaction to Christmas Town in mind, just listening to “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” leads me to believe that the trio are taking this plan in a completely different direction from what Jack intended.

Kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws?
 I wanna do it!
Let’s draw straws!
Jack said we should work together

Three of a kind
Birds of a feather
Now and forever!

La, la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la-la-la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la-la-la

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, lock him up real tight
Throw away the key and then turn off all the lights

First, we’re going to set some bait inside a nasty trap and wait
When he comes a-sniffing, we will snap the trap and close the gate
Wait! I’ve got a better plan to catch this big red lobster man
Let’s pop him in a boiling pot
And when he’s done, we’ll butter him up!

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, throw him in a box
Bury him for 90 years, then see if he talks
Then Mr. Oogie Boogie Man…
can take the whole thing over then
He’ll be so pleased, I do declare
That he will cook him rare
Wheeee!

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I say that we take a cannon, aim it at his door and then
Knock three times and when he answers, Sandy Claws will be no more!
You’re so stupid! Think now
If we blow him up to smithereens, we may lose some pieces
And then Jack will beat us black and green

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, tie him in a bag
Throw him in the ocean, then see if he is sad
Because Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around
If I were on his boogie list, I’d get out of town

 He’ll be so pleased by our success
That he’ll reward us too, I bet
Perhaps he’ll make his special brew
Of snake and spider stew (Mmmm!)

We’re his little henchmen and we take our job with pride
We do our best to please him and stay on his good side

I wish my cohorts weren’t so dumb
I’m not the dumb one
You’re no fun
Shut up!
Make me!

I’ve got something, listen now! This one is real good, you’ll see
We’ll send a present to his door
Upon there’ll be a note to read
Now, in the box we’ll wait and hide until his curiosity
Entices him to look inside
And then we’ll have him! One, two, three!

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, beat him with a stick
Lock him up for 90 years, see what makes him tick
Kidnap the Sandy Claws, chop him into bits
Mr. Oogie Boogie is sure to get his kicks
Kidnap the Sandy Claws, see what we will see
Lock him in a cage and then throw away the key…!

Ahhhhh, there IS something amiss here, isn’t there? While it was Jack who ordered the kidnapping, note that Lock, Shock, and Barrel seem more interested in pleasing Oogie-Boogie, something that foreshadows the plot that is to come. I have to say, Lock, Shock, and Barrel creep me out quite a bit. Of all the characters I’ve seen thus far, I think I like them the least (and I’m quite aware I haven’t seen Oogie-Boogie yet). At this point, given how these three look, I admit to feeling a bit scared about being properly introduced to Oogie-Boogie.

I found “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” to be a very creepy song, and clear evidence that Jack’s plans to take over Christmas are already spiraling out of control. Let me know what you think about “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

The Nightmare Before Christmas “This is Halloween” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “What’s This?” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Town Meeting Song” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Jack’s Obsession” (1993)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

Become a patron of the blog at: patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Town Meeting Song” (1993)

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“Town Meeting Song” comes after Jack Skellington returns to Halloween Town, full to bursting with what he’s seen in Christmas Town (and echoes of “What’s This?” in the background as he returns). Eager to share what he’s seen, he has the Mayor call a town meeting, and the song follows Jack’s attempts to share what he has seen, though it doesn’t exactly go over well with the residents of Halloween Town, at least not until Jack resignedly puts a Halloween-spin on his description of Santa Claus:

There were objects so peculiar
They were not to be believed
All around, things to tantalize my brain

It’s a world unlike anything I’ve ever seen
And as hard as I try, I can’t seem to describe
Like a most improbable dream

But you must believe when I tell you this: it’s as real as my skull and it does exist…

(spoken) Here, let me show you!
This is a thing called a present – the whole thing starts with a box…

A box?
Is it steel?
Are there locks?
Is it filled with a pox?
A pox. How delightful, a pox..,

(spoken) If you please…
Just a box with bright-colored paper – and the whole thing’s topped with a bow

A bow?
But why?
How ugly!
What’s in it? What’s in it?

That’s the point of the thing, not to know!

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It’s a bat!
Will it bend?
It’s a rat!
Will it break?
Perhaps, it’s the head that I found in the lake…

Listen now, you don’t understand. That’s not the point of Christmas Land!

(spoken) Now, pay attention.
We pick up an over-sized sock, and hang it like this on the wall

Oh, yes! Does it still have a foot?
Let me see, let me look!
Is it rotted and covered with gook?

(spoken) Um, let me explain.
There’s no foot inside, but there’s candy. Or sometimes, it’s filled with small toys,,,

Small toys? Do they bite?
Do they snap?
Or explode in a sack?
Or perhaps they just spring out and scare girls and boys!
What a splendid idea – this Christmas sounds fun
Why, I fully endorse it, let’s try it at once!

Everyone, please now, not so fast!
There’s something here that you don’t quite grasp

(spoken) Well, I may as well give them what they want.

And the best, I must confess
I have saved for the last for the ruler of this Christmas Land
Is a fearsome king with a deep mighty voice
Least, that’s what I’ve come to understand…

And I’ve also heard it told that he’s something to behold
Like a lobster, huge and red…
And he sets out to slay with his rain gear on
Carting bulging sacks with his big great arms
That is, so I’ve heard it said

And on a dark, cold night under full moonlight
He flies into a fog like a vulture in the sky…
And they call him “Sandy Claws”…!

Poor Jack…he wants to much for everyone to understand what he likes about Christmas Town, but as he himself said, he’s not very good at describing what he saw, and since all anyone knows in Halloween Town is all things spooky and scary, everything Jack shows them, no matter how innocent (like presents), is warped through that lens. I think it would’ve been easier if Jack had just taken everyone to Christmas Town and shown them in person, but then the ensuing story likely wouldn’t have developed. Still, even knowing that, it’s just so sad to see Jack try so hard and the others just don’t understand (except for Sally, I think she got it, because she looked sad when Jack got all scary at the end).

Let me know what you think about “Town Meeting Song” in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

The Nightmare Before Christmas “This is Halloween” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “What’s This?” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Jack’s Obsession” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” (1993)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

Become a patron of the blog at: patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook