Category Archives: Soundtracks

Soundtrack News: Varese Sarabande Releasing ‘The Matrix’ (The Complete Edition) on CD

Varèse Sarabande Records is thrilled to announce one of its June 2021 CD Club titles: The Matrix (The Complete Edition) by Don Davis. This title is available as of June 11, exclusively on VareseSarabande.com and internationally on Intl.VareseSarabande.com.

Few blockbusters can claim to be as influential as The Matrix (1999), written and directed by the Wachowskis. From its super high concept that has wormed its way into the public’s imagination (what if we’re all just living in a computer simulation?), to Keanu Reeves’ iconic hero Neo, to the brilliant, jaw-dropping and story-based visual effects, The Matrix delivered on all fronts. Its three films grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide, and a fourth is on the way.

The Matrix demanded a score that was as unique, sophisticated and imaginative as its concept and action—and that’s exactly what composer Don Davis delivered. Davis, who scored the Wachowskis’ Bound (1996), reinvented the symphonic language of the action blockbuster by drawing on cutting-edge concert-hall minimalism and his own background as an avant-garde composer, while maintaining the energy, pace and density required of a studio action film.

From the clashing-brass “reflections,” to the racing strings, pounding percussion and flittering, repeating musical “cells,” the Matrix score fits hand-in-glove with the film’s concept of a computer-controlled reality—and offers a unique musical thumbprint that is recognizable sometimes only from a single note or chord. It is the rare commercial triumph that is also an artistic landmark.

“One thing the Wachowskis did want was something new and different. Every director will tell you they want that something new and different until they actually hear it. But I took that to heart, and it was clear that a unique approach really was right for that film. I’ve kept my hand in composing concert music from the beginning, so I was aware of what was going on in that arena. [We] were working in a style that some were calling ‘postmodern,’ which seemed to be fitting for a postmodern film like The Matrix. And I saw this as an opportunity to take it in a stylistic direction that wouldn’t work in other films but specifically did work in this film,” says composer Don Davis.

The Matrix was released by Varèse Sarabande at the time of the film, and then in a Deluxe Edition that fit as much of the score as possible on one CD. By popular demand, this new 2-CD set presents the complete score. This version is also available through Record Store Day 2021 as a 3-LP set releasing on July 17. Visit RecordStoreDay.com to find a participating retailer. Liner notes feature a new interview with Don Davis conducted by Kaya Savas.

*Standard CD limited to 2,000 copies *SACD limited to 1,000 copiesPURCHASE

U.S. 2-CD – https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/don-davis-the-matrix-the-complete-score-2-cd

U.S. 2-SACD – https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/don-davis-matrix-the-the-complete-score-2-sacd

Int’l 2-CD – https://intl.varesesarabande.com/products/don-davis-the-matrix-the-complete-score-2-cd?currency=USD

Int’l 2-SACD – https://intl.varesesarabande.com/products/don-davis-matrix-the-the-complete-score-2-sacd

The Matrix: The Complete Edition (Regular and SACD): Original Motion Picture Score Music Composed, Orchestrated & Conducted by Don Davis

Disc One:
Logos / The Matrix Main Title (0:55)
Trinity Infinity (6:00)
Neo Con Brio (0:32)
Follow The White Rabbit (0:15)
Neo On The Edge (3:24)
Through The Surveillance Monitor (0:59)
Unable To Speak (1:14)
Bait And Switch (3:16)
Switched For Life (3:36)
Switched At Birth (2:43)
Switches Brew (2:27)
Cold Hearted Switch (1:40)
Nascent Nauseous Neo (4:00)
A Morpheus Moment (1:39)
Bow Whisk Orchestra (1:23)
Domo Showdown (1:13)
Switch Or Break Show (1:05)
Shake, Borrow, Switch (0:39)
Switch Works Her Boa (0:56)
Bring Me Dinner (0:39)
The System (0:37)
Freeze Face (1:52)
Switch Woks Her Boar (2:07)
Cypher Cybernetic (0:59)
Ignorance Is Bliss / Cyber Cyphernetic (1:51)
See Who? (0:26)

Disc Two:
Switch Out (3:01)
Boon Spoy (1:08)
Oracle Cookies (1:30)
Threat Mix (6:05)
Exit Mr. Hat (2:57)
On Your Knees, Switch (4:43)
Mix The Art (2:10)
Whoa, Switch Brokers (4:01)
The Cure (1:35)
It’s The Smell (1:57)
The Lobby (0:27)
No More Spoons (1:02)
Dodge This (1:08)
Fast Learning (0:44)
Ontological Shock (4:16)
That’s Gotta Hurt (5:17)
Surprise (4:06)
He’s The One Alright (6:56)

Enjoy experiencing the complete score of The Matrix courtesy of Varese Sarabande Records!

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Soundtrack News: ‘Occupation Rainfall’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Now Available on iTunes

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Kaleido Sound is excited to announce the release of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for the Lionsgate action sci-fi film, Occupation Rainfall, composed by Frederik Wiedmann (The Dragon Prince, Acts of Vengeance).

Wiedmann has been inspired by film composition since he first heard John Barry’s score to Dances With Wolves at the age of 12. Wiedmann is the composer behind the hit Disney Junior show Miles from Tomorrowland, as well as the critically acclaimed Netflix animated fantasy series The Dragon Prince, which is from the writers of the popular series: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Wiedmann has been a main stay in the DC cinematic universe, starting with his work on Green Lantern: The Animated Series, for which he earned two consecutive Annie Awards nominations. His success on the series led to further popular Warner Bros’ DC projects such as, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Son of Batman, Death of Superman, Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight among others.

Directed by Luke Sparke, Occupation Rainfall takes place two years into an intergalactic invasion of earth. Survivors in Sydney, Australia, fight back in a desperate ground war. As casualties mount by the day, the resistance and their unexpected allies, uncover a plot that could see the war come to a decisive end. With the Alien invaders hell-bent on making earth their new home, the race is on to save mankind.

Regarding the soundtrack for Occupation Rainfall, composer Frederik Wiedmann had the following to say:

“This project was a huge musical canvas with a lot of room for creativity left for the composer, which made my heart race with excitement. From the first moment I saw a few snippets of it, I knew that this was going to be one epic ride.

Luke Sparke, the director, and I spotted about 117 minutes for this 2-hour Sci-fi film, for which we both agreed that we’d need a big orchestra. It wasn’t an easy task to organize an orchestra of this scale due to COVID-19, but we managed to record in London at AIR studios, as well as in Macedonia at the FAMES scoring stage to create the sound we both wanted.

The movie is certainly action-packed, with stunning visual effects and performances by the actors. But underneath the blood-pumping, adrenalin-spewing blockbuster facade of the film, lies a bigger, more philosophical question of “how far would you go for the greater good?”. I did my musical best to accompany the depth of this theme, using an array of thematic material, to underline the difficult choices that our characters inevitably face, as well as their emotional journey throughout the film.”

TRACK LISTING

The Worst Is Yet To Come (2:10)
Taking Fire (2:13)
You’re Our Last Chance (2:42)
Freed (2:09)
Sydney (3:19)
Gearing Up (2:46)
Hail Of Fire (4:07)
Ambushed (3:04)
Sydney Destroyed (1:21)
In The Outback (2:31)
Hit Them With The Crossfire (2:16)
Alien Pursuit (3:25)
Red Sky (3:01)
Apex Predator (4:18)
The Village (1:53)
Restricted Area (4:32)
The Mob (3:15)
The Command Ships (2:37)
They Are Here (3:02)
An Evolutionary Accident (4:19)
Project Rainfall (2:09)
Overrun (2:47)
Avoiding Disaster (2:50)
Guns And Blades (2:05)
Kal’i Attack (1:35)
The Standoff (1:38)
Wing Commander Heyes (2:56)
Behind Closed Doors (2:11)
The Ascend (2:24)
For Humanity (2:27)
Reunited (3:10)

Check out the soundtrack for Occupation Rainfall, available on iTunes, and have a great day!

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Soundtrack Review: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021)

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Milan Records has released Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Original Soundtrack) with music by Mark Mothersbaugh and Wataru Hokoyama. Available everywhere now, the album features music written by Mothersbaugh and Hokoyama for the latest installment in the PlayStation® video game franchise that released on June 11, 2021.

Of the soundtrack, composer Mark Mothersbaugh says:

“It takes an army to create a soundtrack for a video game these days, and there are a number of writers, arrangers, orchestrators, players, synth programmers that were involved. For games in general, you have to be aware that a particular level and the music embedded in it will sometimes be around for a long time, so you want to make sure your themes and melodies are iconic. The video game genre is very satisfying because of the craftsmanship involved and the attention to detail. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is probably the best game score I ever got to work on.”

Of the soundtrack, composer Wataru Hokoyama says:

“It was just so much fun working on such an epic game like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The depth of the worlds that the game took place in allowed us to write in so many varieties of style. Working with the teams at Insomniac Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment was so amazing. They’re full of great people who love and enjoy what they do, and they welcomed us as members of their big family throughout the project. The feeling of ‘Let’s have so much fun co-creating the world of Ratchet & Clanksound together’ felt so special, and it became one of the most memorable video game projects for me. It’s important for me to mention that it was Mark Mothersbaugh who brought me on board with this game project. Mark has been like a fatherly figure to me in my music career. We’ve done multiple blockbuster films together, and it’s such an honor to have my name credited next to the DEVO legend. I look forward to our future collaborations.”

Built from the ground up for the PS5™ console by acclaimed studio Insomniac Games, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a brand new, interdimensional adventure. Go dimension-hopping with Ratchet and Clank and help them stop a robotic emperor intent on conquering cross-dimensional worlds, with their own universe next in the firing line. Jump between action-packed worlds and beyond at mind-blowing speeds – complete with dazzling visuals and an insane arsenal as the intergalactic adventurers blast onto the PS5™ console. Join a cast of familiar faces and some new allies – including Rivet, a mysterious new playable female Lombax resistance fighter who is just as determined to take out the robotic scourge.

After listening to this soundtrack, I think I owe the Ratchet & Clank video game series a big apology. Now, to be fair, I don’t know what the earlier games sound like, but I do know I wasn’t expecting anything as epic and glorious as what I hear in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Mothersbaugh and Hokoyama have created some genuinely special music that instantly grabs your attention and pulls you into the story. And it must be quite the story, because this music really does feel epic, perhaps not to the same degree as, say, God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn, but it’s definitely attempting to push the boundaries of where the story can go.

One thing I really like in the music for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the musical continuity. There’s a distinctive main theme that recurs throughout the soundtrack, and it’s used to pull everything together. In that way, the music for this game is almost like a symphony in some places, as this main theme opens the soundtrack, appears throughout, and comes back in at the end in climactic fashion. For those reasons, I have to call out “Rift Apart” and “Culmination at Corson V” as two of my favorite tracks on the entire soundtrack. Both feature what is unquestionably the score’s main theme and they’re a lot of fun to sit and listen to (I can only imagine what hearing this music in the game will be like, as the game is a PS5 exclusive and I only have a PS4).

But it’s not all grand and epic sounds in this score either, which is another detail I like. For instance, in “Cascading Enropic Fissure” there’s a musical moment in there that sounds very retro, in fact it almost sounds like the composers are quoting music from an older Ratchet & Clank game (which may very well be the case). I like how this particular track seems to highlight the past. It’s a nice change of pace from the rest of the soundtrack.

And then, I absolutely have to highlight “Join Me At the Top”, the final track on this soundtrack. I’m not sure who all is participating in this piece but it sounds like a musical number that is being sung by the game’s villain and it is absolutely DELIGHTFUL. This is seriously like something out of a Broadway musical. I don’t know why this song is part of the soundtrack or how it fits into the game but after listening to it, I could honestly listen to a whole album of songs just like this one. What a fantastic way to bring the soundtrack album to a close.

I highly recommend checking out the soundtrack to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. It’s beautiful and one of the best video game soundtracks I’ve heard so far this year.

RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK)
TRACKLISTING –

Rift Apart
Festival of Heroes
A Most Nefarious City
Sweet Home Sargasso
Ride Through the Omniverse
Ode to Nefarious
Meet me at Zurkie’s
Urfdah Mesa Major
Blizar Prime’d and Ready
Molonoth Means Paradise
Cascading Entropic Fissure
A Tale of Two Cordelions
Glitch in the System
A Late Arrival
The Battle for Sargasso
Urfdah Mesa Minor
Y’Ardolis
Zordoom and Gloom
Culmination at Corson V
Join Me at the Top

Let me know what you think of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and its soundtrack in the comments below and have a great day!

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Soundrack News: ‘The Water Man’ Original Soundtrack Available Now

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Last month, Lakeshore Records released the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for the RLJE Films family adventure film The Water Man—acclaimed actor David Oyelowo’s directorial debut. The album is comprised of an ethereal original score from Belgian composer Peter Baert, also making a debut with his first composition for a major Hollywood feature. The soundtrack also features two original songs written and performed by Jessica Oyelowo, including the end credits song “My Son.” The Water Man soundtrack is available digitally alongside the film’s U.S. theatrical release.

The music of The Water Man is a mix of classical orchestra, piano, percussion, and electronics. Peter felt the score should follow the journey of the main character Gunner, going on quest into the woods to save his ill mother. He processed the Water Man’s screams and sighs through long delays, modular tools, and tape echoes to create “The Water Man Synth.” When David proposed a motherly energy to be present in the music, Peter worked with a vocalist, who has a similar timbre of the mother (Rosario Dawson), and created “The Mother Synth.”

David Oyelowo says, “Music and sound in film has always been important to me, which is why I consider myself lucky to have met composer Peter Baert when I did. We first crossed paths when he was the sound engineer on another project I was working on in Belgium, and he had previously shared a music demo of his compositions that I just couldn’t shake. While in post-production on The Water Man, I was working with another composer and had initially cut Peter’s music in as an experiment, and it all just worked perfectly. Within a week, he flew over, sat next to me in the edit, and that’s how he became my composer. He’d never done an English-speaking film before, and he totally nailed the tone. We recorded and mixed at Galaxy, and did all the sound design and mixing at Sony and re-recording at Deluxe Hollywood.”

Peter Baert on his collaboration experience: “David Oyelowo is such a wonderful human being and a gifted storyteller. He took a giant leap in choosing me as a composer and I felt his trust and guidance throughout the time we worked together. Being present for a short time in the editing room with David and editor Blu Murray was such a wonderful experience—I felt part of something bigger.”

Of his musical inspirations, Baert says: “The heartfelt story of The Water Man took me back to two periods in my life. The first reminded me of being in my early teens, always playing in the neighborhood with my friends and going on adventures in a nearby forest. The second transported me back to a day in 2008 when my mom and I found out the diagnosis of her pancreatic cancer. She would be gone in 6 months. At some moment during the composing process the music found me, and it glued to the screen. This beautiful story reflects what I experienced in real life—that it is sometimes better to let go and cherish the time we have, than to hold on at all costs.”

TRACK LIST

Gunner’s Theme
Mary’s Lullaby
Mother’s Medicine
Finding Jo
Question
The Water Man Story
Runaway
Come into My Office
Enter the Forest
First Night
Night Watch
Candy
The Howling Wild Horses
Snow in July
Second Night
A Lot of Beetles
Morning
Amos’s Search
Crossing the River
A Bunch of Crap
Coming Closer – “The Water Man Rhyme” (feat. Amiah Miller)
The Hut
Hope is a Powerful Force
Getting Out
Prayer
My Son – Jessica Oyelowo
What Love Does – Jessica Oyelowo

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Soundtrack News: Hikaru Utada Releases New Single “Pink Blood”, Featured as Theme Song for ‘To Your Eternity’

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Milan Records has released Hikaru Utada’s new single “Pink Blood” and its accompanying music video – listen to the track HERE.

Featured as the theme song for the anime television series To Your Eternity, “Pink Blood” marks Hikaru Utada’s first time providing the main theme song to an anime television series. The music video for “Pink Blood” was directed by 谷川英司/Eiji Tanigawa of Creative Lab.TOKYO, and features a more imaginative, conceptual look

“Pink Blood” follows the hugely successful release of “One Last Kiss,” which served as the main theme song to the film Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME – listen HERE. Released on March 10, “One Last Kiss” made Hikaru Utada the first-ever solo artist to keep the top spot for three consecutive weeks simultaneously in two of the Oricon chart digital categories. The track also hit the very top in the multi-genre JAPAN HOT 100 chart of Billboard JAPAN, the first time in 10 years for the artist, and it also beat her own record by charting in 33 countries and regions worldwide! The limited edition 12-inch vinyl sold nearly 50,000 units in Japan, making it the top selling vinyl in Japan this year.

The vinyl is available for preorder now in the United States via Milan Records.

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Soundtrack Review: Horizon Forbidden West- The Isle of Spires EP (2021)

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Sony Music Masterworks has released Horizon Forbidden West (The Isle Of Spires EP), an EP of music featured in the forthcoming PlayStation® game.

Available everywhere now, the EP includes music from the highly-anticipated sequel to 2017’s PS4™ release Horizon Zero Dawn. With songs by Joris De Man, The Flight, Oleksa Lozowchuk and Niels van der Leest, the four-track EP reunites the original team of composers and musicians who developed the tribal soundscape of the game’s post-apocalyptic setting,

All of the music on this EP is, quite frankly, gorgeous. It feels like I’m back in the world of Horizon, only it’s bigger and more exotic than ever. If you’re going to make a sequel to one of the best video games ever made (in this case Horizon Zero Dawn) then it only makes sense to include the same team of composers and musicians who worked on that first game, which is exactly what Horizon Forbidden West has done and I’m glad for it.

Just from listening to this EP, it sounds like we’re getting a decent sample of music from different points in the upcoming game. There’s not a whole not here, it’s only four tracks after all, but it’s just enough to whet our appetites for what’s to come. I especially like the music in ‘Riddles in Ruins’ and ‘Eyes Open’, the latter in particular uses strings in a way that leaves me wanting to see and hear more. If you loved the music of Horizon Zero Dawn, then this EP is a must-listen.

ABOUT HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST

Join Aloy as she braves the Forbidden West – a majestic but dangerous frontier that conceals mysterious new threats. Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon.

The land is dying. Vicious storms and an unstoppable blight ravage the scattered remnants of humanity, while fearsome new machines prowl their borders. Life on Earth is hurtling towards another extinction, and no one knows why. It’s up to Aloy to uncover the secrets behind these threats and restore order and balance to the world. Along the way, she must reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring new factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past – all the while trying to stay one step ahead of a seemingly undefeatable new enemy.

Track List

1. A Steady Breath – Joris de Man feat. Julie Elven
2. Riddles in Ruins – The Flight
3. Eyes Open – Oleksa Lozowchuk
4. To Find What Was Lost – Niels van der Leest

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Soundtrack News: ‘The Longest Road on Earth’ Original Soundtrack Available Now

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Sony Music Masterworks has released The Longest Road On Earth (Original Soundtrack), an album of music from the new PC and mobile indie video game. Available everywhere now, the album includes twenty-four original songs written and performed by game developer & artist Beícoli, marking her first-ever album release. Beícoli (Beatriz Ruiz-Castillo) is a Spanish songwriter and videogame developer based in Madrid, Spain. She has been creating music on her own and for games for the past five years, but The Longest Road on Earth is her first full album-length endeavor.

Created by Brainwash Gang and published by Raw Fury,The Longest Road on Earth is available now on PC and mobile. The Longest Road on Earth is a deeply personal and meditative narrative title. Play in the songs of four short stories featuring stripped down mechanics and no words. Each story is up for interpretation – what story lives inside you for each character and the world around them?

Of the soundtrack, Beícoli says:

”The Longest Road on Earth has turned out to be something I needed and didn’t even know it. It was a blank slate on which I have learned to use music as a journal. To me it is a long road — One of self-discovery and self-acceptance that I hope to keep walking for the rest of my life.”

THE LONGEST ROAD ON EARTH (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK)

TRACKLISTING –

The Hill
It is
On my own
I can’t see you
BB
Trip to the Lake
The Picture
The Bird
The Dreamer
The Human
The Goodbye
The train that goes Nowhere
The Remedy
Highway
Healing
100 Miles
Waves
Let it go
Feels like home
Play Pretend
The Shape of Clouds
Break and Make
Forever and More
The Longest Road on Earth

You can check out the soundtrack for The Longest Road on Earth now!

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Soundtrack Review: Eden (2021)

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Milan Records has released EDEN (Music From the Netflix Original Anime Series) by composer Kevin Penkin (Tower of God, Made in Abyss, Florence). Available for preorder now, the album features music written by Penkin for Netflix’s latest original anime series, which follows the last remaining human girl as she navigates an unfamiliar robot-inhabited world. Created by Justin Leach (Ghost in the Shell 2) and directed by legendary Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood director Yasuhiro Irie, Eden debuted on Netflix on Thursday, May 27.

Kevin Penkin, based in Melbourne, is a BAFTA-nominated composer for Japanese animation and video games. He is best known for composing the award-winning score to Made in Abyss, and the music to the BAFTA award-winning game Florence. Kevin moved to London in 2013 to complete a Masters degree in Composition for Screen at the Royal College of Music. During this time, Kevin collaborated with legendary video game composer Nobuo Uematsu on a number of Japanese video game titles, which eventually led him to break into the Anime industry. After releasing his breakthrough score for Made in Abyss, Penkin continued to compose music for Japanese animation, with scores for both The Rising of the Shield Hero and Tower of God.

Thousands of years in the future, a city known as “Eden 3” is inhabited solely by robots whose former masters vanished a long time ago. On a routine assignment, two farming robots accidentally awaken a human baby girl from stasis questioning all they were taught to believe — that humans were nothing more than a forbidden ancient myth. Together, the two robots secretly raise the child in a safe haven outside Eden.

Of the soundtrack for EDEN, composer Kevin Penkin had the following to say:

“Eden is one of those projects that I will cherish forever. The love put into this project not only from the team, but also the musicians, is humbling. Being able to work with people who gave so much trust in the direction of the music is something I will forever cherish. Please enjoy the unique world of Eden, as we combine the unique worlds of a 3D-printed 6-string violin, female voices and electro-acoustic sound-sources. We have tried to put our best foot forward to honor the amazing work of this team.”

The music for Eden is intensely beautiful and not at all what I imagined it would sound like. Though that may be my fault as I saw the story’s premise of two robots caring for a human child and immediately imagined that the music would focus on all of the robots and be more mechanical in nature. However, judging by what I’ve heard, Kevin Penkin went in the opposite direction entirely. The music for Eden is highly reminiscent of the countryside and nature, which makes sense since a) the name of the series references the Garden of Eden and b) the robots in question are programmed to do farm work so they would be out among nature anyway.

Another detail I noticed, and I really need to start asking composers about this is, a lot of these tracks are really short, like 30-45 seconds. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a track that is less than a minute long doesn’t give you a whole lot of time to get into it. By the time the music really gets going…it’s over. I really need to start asking why some tracks are so short, as these can contain some of my favorite musical ideas, but they stop short when it feels like they could go on much longer.

I also love how the strings come together in this soundtrack. The strings I’m hearing sound so beautiful and unique, this has to be the 3-D printed six-string violin that the composer references. The music this instrument creates is unbelievable: it sounds like a perfect fusion of East and West in that the strings sound like a traditional Western instrument but the music itself is in an Eastern mode. The blending of musical styles creates such a treat for the ears that I literally can’t stop listening to this music.

I highly recommend checking out the music for Eden and I hope you enjoy it.

EDEN (MUSIC FROM THE NETFLIX ORIGINAL ANIME SERIES)

TRACKLISTING –

The Garden of EDEN
Genesis
The Capsule Under the Tree
Recharge
Ocean Way
Reprogram
Sunrise Over the Cube
Uncle John
Sara
VR
Valhalla
EDEN 3
Dreams
Chasey
Return to Base
EDEN.Waltz
Sunset
Liz Projections
ZERO
Appledrop
Penrose Steps, A.I. Bloom
Password:
Truth Is
EDEN ZERO
Archive
Mama & Papa
Detonation
Removal
4
Dr. Fields
Memory Fields
The Place Where Everyone Laughs
SARA GRACE
Rain
Demolition
Red vs Blue
Strawberry Blonde
The Girl in the Field
The Robotic Code of Ethics

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

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TV Soundtracks

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Soundtrack Review: Army of the Dead (2021)

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Milan Records has released Army of the Dead (Music From the Netflix Film) by multi-platinum producer, musician, composer and educator Tom Holkenborg aka JUNKIE XL.

Available everywhere now, the album features music written by Holkenborg for director Zack Snyder’s zombie heist film. The project is the latest in a longstanding creative partnership between Snyder and Holkenborg, who most recently collaborated on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but started their relationship in 2014 with the Snyder-written and produced 300: Rise Of An Empire. The duo have also worked together on Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. 2021 has already been a major year for Holkenborg, whose epic score for Zack Snyder’s Justice League was one of the longest ever recorded, and was swiftly followed by him scoring the record-breaking Godzilla vs Kong blockbuster. Army of the Dead is now available to watch in select theaters and to stream on Netflix.

Of the soundtrack, composer Tom Holkenborg says:

“A zombie heist movie in Vegas with Zack and Netflix, how could I say no? Army of the Dead was a chance to start something very new and fresh, which is certainly ironic for a movie about the undead! It was such a fun project as we got to rip up the rule book, and really re-examine what a zombie movie could sound like. It’s a LOT of fun!”

From filmmaker Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Zack Snyder’s Justice League), Army of the Dead takes place following a zombie outbreak that has left Las Vegas in ruins and walled off from the rest of the world. When Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), a former zombie war hero who’s now flipping burgers on the outskirts of the town he now calls home, is approached by casino boss Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada), it’s with the ultimate proposition: break into the zombie-infested quarantine zone to retrieve $200 million sitting in a vault beneath the strip before the city is nuked by the government in 32 hours. With little left to lose, Ward takes on the challenge, assembling a ragtag team of experts for the heist. With a ticking clock, a notoriously impenetrable vault, and a smarter, faster horde of Alpha zombies closing in, only one thing’s for certain in the greatest heist ever attempted: survivors take all.

Now while I found the film itself to be quite underwhelming, I was still willing to give the soundtrack on its own a chance. However I really should have known better because the soundtrack for Army of the Dead did absolutely nothing for me. Except for one moment in ‘Not Here’ where I like how the music comes together, the soundtrack for Army of the Dead is dull, dead, downright boring, and so on. The biggest crime of them all is how boring most of this music is. I’ve said many times that it’s hard to screw film music up, and in a zombie heist film, the process should be fairly simple: all you need is an action-y score to back up what’s happening on the screen.

Um, clearly someone missed that idea because most of this soundtrack does the complete opposite. Most of this music is ploddingly slow and thoughtful which is not what you need for a zombie heist film. I get that Holkenborg wanted to re-examine what a zombie movie sounds like but….they’re really not supposed to sound like this. Put more simply: if the music in a film soundtrack bores me, then something has gone terribly wrong.

I can now definitely chalk up Army of the Dead as one of my biggest disappointments of the year, because not only was the film bad, but the soundtrack is equally as bad. Though, as I mentioned before, there is the one bright spot of ‘Not Here.’ In THAT track at least, I like how the music crashes together in a rising crescendo that, if it takes place in the moment I think it does, is the one moment in the film where music and picture work together perfectly.

In good conscience, I can’t recommend the Army of the Dead soundtrack, but if you check it out and happen to like it, then I am happy for you. For me personally, it doesn’t work and is one of the worst soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time.

ARMY OF THE DEAD (MUSIC FROM THE NETFLIX FILM)

TRACKLISTING –

Viva Las Vegas
Scott and Kate Part 1
Scott and Kate Part 2
Scott and Kate Part 3
Toten Hosen
Swimming Pool
Not Here
3 Flares
Battle Hallway Part 1
Battle Hallway Part 2
Zeus and Athena Part 1
Zeus and Athena Part 2

Let me know what you think about Army of the Dead and its soundtrack in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

My Thoughts on: Army of the Dead (2021)

Film Soundtracks A-W

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Music from the Netflix Original Anime Series ‘EDEN’ Out Today!

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Milan Records today released the EDEN (Music From the Netflix Original Anime Series) by composer Kevn Penkin (Tower of God, Made in Abyss, Florence). Available for preorder now, the album features music written by Penkin for Netflix’s latest original anime series, which follows the last remaining human girl as she navigates an unfamiliar robot-inhabited world. Created by Justin Leach (Ghost in the Shell 2) and directed by legendary Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood director Yasuhiro Irie, Eden debuted on Netflix on Thursday, May 27.