The King of all Kongs - Special Triple Review

Just posted...

Here is a special review-treat for all of you kong-alongs out there. Tracksounds is proud to present Steve Townsley's insightful retrospective on the three, best known-scores for KING KONG: Max Steiner's original 1933 score, JOHN BARRY's 1976 effort, and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD's most recent rendition.

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A Skull Island Retrospective
Written by Steve Townsley

Without a doubt, KING KONG is one of the most iconic figures in film history. The evolutionary anomaly created by Meriam Cooper and Edgar Wallace has inspired hundreds of re-creations in various media, not the least of which are the high-profile, big budget films that attempt to capture the spirit and the wonder of the original. True, that any recreation must be made with some acknowledgement of RKO Pictures’ 1933 film, though throughout the years, the attempt is made to improve the product, often with varying degrees of success. For many viewers there is no true improvement upon what many consider to be the premiere adventure/fantasy/monster movie, however, that has not kept pioneering filmmakers from taking the opportunity to depict Kong for a new generation. In each version to grace the silver screen, a unique and original score was provided to enhance the filmmakers’ individual interpretations of Kong’s majesty.

Read the entire triple review here

New official site for composer Mark McKenzie

Composer MARK MCKENZIE has just announced his new website featuring clips from some of his latest projects!

THE ULTIMATE GIFT
IN FROM THE NIGHT
SILVER BELLS

There are also some extended clips from past projects as well.

The fresh, clean design is worth a look.

www.markmckenzie.org

Danny Elfman's first concert work Serenada Schizophrana

So what has composer DANNY ELFMAN been up to? Well, apparently he has been working on something outside of the world of film music with his first concert work! Read Sony's official press release below.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DANNY ELFMAN’S FIRST CONCERT WORK SERENADA SCHIZOPHRANA
IN STORES OCTOBER 3rd ON SONY CLASSICAL

Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated composer of music for over 100 films and tv series – Batman, Spiderman, Beetle Juice, “The Simpsons” Work premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2005, with American Composers Orchestra conducted by Steven Sloane – music later featured in IMAX’s Deep Sea 3D

Adding another facet to an already brilliant life in music, Danny Elfman steps out from his career-defining role as a Grammy Award-winning, Oscar-nominated composer of original music for film (Batman, Spiderman, Beetle Juice, The Nightmare Before Christmas) and television (“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” “The Simpsons,” “Desperate Housewives”) with the release of Serenada Schizophrana, his first orchestral compo­sition written specifically for the concert hall.

The world premiere of Serenada Schizophrana at Carnegie Hall on February 23, 2005 drew ecstatic reviews across-the-board from both classical music and pop culture critics. It subsequently received worldwide expo­­sure as the featured music in the soundtrack to the IMAX film Deep Sea 3D which was narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. The Sony Classical recording is conducted by John Mauceri, best known for his sixteen years as conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

The genesis of Serenada Schizophrana was a commission from the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), a new honor for Elfman and a challenge that he welcomed. Without the usual visuals to drive his orchestral music, he writes, “I began composing several dozen short improvisational compositions, none of them related. Slowly, some of them began to develop themselves until I had six separate movements that, in some abstract, absurd way, felt connected.”

Serenada Szhizophrana was scored for large orchestra, electronics, two pianos, and female voices, with Steven Sloane conducting the ACO, joined by the ACO Singers, directed by Judith Clurman. “With six movements, rolling piano solos … and the charming hoots and chirps of eight female voices,” wrote Bernard Holland in the New York Times, “Mr. Elfman gave us music comfortable in its own world and highly professional in its execution … The composer of this piece has an ear for symphonic colors and how to balance them.”

“In keeping with the piece’s title,” Mac Randall also noted at the time in the New York Observer, “the music veered madly from Ellingtonian whimsy to Bernard Herrmannesque agitation … The tortured swing of the third movement conjured up the image of a jazz band on a storm-tossed raft, with trash-can cymbals acting as the crashing waves. And the furious horn-stoked climax and surprising last-second resolution of the closing movement made for a rousing finish.”

For Elfman, a self-taught musician who had never heard any of his orchestral music performed live on stage, it was a “thrilling experience.” Highly influenced by the work of such mid-20th century film composers Bernard Herrmann, Nino Rota, Dimitri Tiomkin, Max Steiner and Erich Korngold, among many others, Elfman’s music is also tempered by Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Orff and Bartók, as well as early Duke Ellington. “I am forever attached to the music of the early 20th century,” Elfman writes. To this mix, he adds his recent discoveries of Harry Partch, Philip Glass and Lou Harrison.

Serenada Schizophrana is a ‘gumbo’ of all these styles and influences, as conjured up by the imaginative and often surreal pen of Danny Elfman. A prolific composer for more than a quarter-century, Elfman has written music for over a hundred films and TV series. He is well-known for his collaborations with equally eccentric director Tim Burton on a partnership that began in 1985 with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, and went on to include Big Top Pee-Wee (1988), Beetle Juice (1988), Batman (1989, whose theme won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition), Edward Scissor­hands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), TV’s “Family Dog” (1993), Mars Attacks! (1996), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Planet Of the Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (2005), and Corpse Bride (2005).

For most of this time (until about a decade ago) Elfman was a mainstay of the beloved Los Angeles-based group Oingo Boingo, which was originally assembled in the late-’70s by his older brother, writer-director Richard Elfman, to provide the music for his first movie Forbidden Zone (1980). The group flourished (over the course of eight albums) but also became ubiquitous on movie soundtracks through the ’80s: Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982), Bachelor Party (1984), Weird Science (whose title song became a pop hit, 1985), Something Wild (1986), Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), Teen Wolf Too (1987), and Ghostbusters 2 (1989), to name a few.

Meanwhile, as his working friendship with Burton grew in the ’90s (and Oingo Boingo eventually disbanded), Elfman focused on what turned into a string of some 50 signature movie soundtracks, among them: Dick Tracy (1990), Sommersby (1993), Dolores Claiborne, Dead Presidents, and To Die For (all 1995), Mission Impossible (1996), the Men In Black franchise (1997, 2002), Good Will Hunting (1997), Spy Kids (2001), Chicago (2002), Hulk (2003), and Nacho Libre (2006). Upcoming projects include Disney’s animated Meet the Robinsons, Paramount's adaptation of Charlotte's Web, and a reunion with his brother Richard on The Sixth Element.

Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal and deutsche harmonia mundi are labels of SONY BMG MASTERWORKS. For e-mail updates and information regarding Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal and deutsche harmonia mundi artists, promotions, tours and repertoire, please visit http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com/

Lady in the Water (Soundtrack) by James Newton Howard - Review

Sink of Swim
Review by Christopher Coleman

JAMES NEWTON HOWARD remains one of the few A-List composers who refuses to be pigeon-holed into a certain genre. He is able to morph his sound into music that is fits a wide range of film types from: WYATT EARP, to THE PRINCE OF TIDES, to DINOSAUR, to RESTORATION, to BATMAN BEGINS. As versatile as the composer remains, there is a distinct and consistent quality to Howard's work for Shyamalan and, at the risk of going to the well one too many times, LADY IN THE WATER continues that tradition.

As one might guess, JAMES NEWTON HOWARD has delivered a pretty solid score once again. It has been few years since this composer has even approached a "true dud." Still, with another chapter in his collaboration with the infamous director, expectations are just a little bit higher. And with that said, comes the cloud for this solid-effort's silver lining. While LADY IN THE WATER is a consistent listen from start to finish (of the actual score tracks presented), the score just never delivers anything to truly distinguish it from his other work with Shyamalan.


Read the full review here

What score are you most anxious for? (New Poll)

Just posted a new visitors poll.

What Fall-score are you most looking forward to? There are quite a few upcoming and we present five for you to choose from including:

Eragon
The Fountain
The Prestige
Flags of our Fathers
Flyboys

GO AND CAST YOUR VOTE!

Abominable by Lalo Schifrin Reviewed

Listen-able!
Review by Christopher Coleman

In a stroke of creative and negotiating genius, Ryan Schifrin was able to land one of Hollywood's most accomplished composers - LALO SCHIFRIN. (The world may never know just how such a deal was made to secure a composer with near legendary status for his first feature gig.) With all the familiar elements of the film, surprisingly, the score doesn't purely go off into the realm of B-grade, horror-flicks. There's much more here than unending of doses wandering dissonance with occasional interruptions of the pluck and romp of strings and percussion - and certainly more than the isolated-saxophone-accompanied-love-scene or token heroic-theme.

Read the full review here

ALEX WURMAN SCORES TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY

Composer ALEX WURMAN who has made a name for himself with his work for the Oscar winning documentary, MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, will score Will Ferrell's new comedy, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY.

Read the full press release below:

(Hollywood, CA) -Alex Wurman reunited with director Adam McKay for Sony's Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby starring Will Ferrell. The composer previously collaborated with the director on another Ferrell box-office hit, Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Wurman recently received critical acclaim as well as Oscar buzz for his evocative score for Warner Independent's March of the Penguins. The film opens August 4th. Alex Wurman is recording with an 80-piece orchestra and will combine both orchestral motifs as well as jazz into his score.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby tells the story of NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby (Ferrell), a national hero because of his "win at all costs" approach. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly), are a fearless duo -- "Shake" and "Bake" by their fans for their ability to finish so many races in the #1 and #2 positions, with Cal always in second place. When flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) challenges "Shake" and "Bake" for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight Girard for the right to be known as racing's top driver.

After studying music at the American Conservatory of music in Chicago, Alex Wurman moved to Los Angeles to pursue film music scoring. Independent films started coming his way, and soon he was working with directors such as John August, Doug Liman and Ron Shelton. Wurman's resume reflects the quality and diversity of his talent, boasting films such as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, Hollywood Homicide, Anchorman and Play It to the Bone.

SOUL OF THE ULTIMATE NATION (GAME SOUNDTRACK) BY HOWARD SHORE

Howard Shore's New Soul
Review by Christopher Coleman

In the the 3 years since the last LORD OF THE RINGS film was released, there has been somewhat of a void in the collective hearts of the film music appreciation community. Sure, there have been good scores released since then, but nothing with the scope or depth of HOWARD SHORE's masterwork for Peter Jackson trilogy.

Further disappointment was dealt to Shore fans with his departure from the KING KONG project. His work, however satisfying, for A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, still didn't quite feed the musical hunger he, himself created with his music for THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

The video game genre to the rescue!

The MMORPG (that's MASSIVE ONLINE ROLE PLAYING GAME) SUN: SOUL OF THE ULTIMATE NATION has caused a stir in the gaming world. The producers of the game, having been clearly influenced by Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, were somehow able to land the Rings composer himself, Howard Shore. Filled with Lord of the Ring-like camera angles, set pieces, and character-types, who would be a better choice to compose the game's score?

Read the full review

CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ EARNS EMMY NOMINMATION

Composer CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ of MEDAL OF HONOR fame, earns his first Emmy nomination for his work for the WB series, SUPERNATURAL. It's great to see more recognition for one of the industry's most talented up-and-comers.

Read the full press release below.



"SUPERNATURAL COMPOSER"
CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ
EARNS EMMY NOMINATION
58th Primetime Emmy Awards live August 27th

(Hollywood, CA) Film and television composer Christopher Lennertz receives
an Emmy nomination for his score for the WB series "Supernatural." The cult
science fiction show, created by Eric Kripke, follows two brothers who
repeatedly meet with the paranormal as they search for their missing father
and the cause of their mother's mysterious death. Lennertz's eerie and
rousing score for the pilot episode earned him his nomination for
Outstanding Music Composition for a Series. The 58th Primetime Emmy Awards
air live on August 27th. Lennertz and Kripke were students together in the
USC film program

Lennertz began his musical education at the early age of nine and quickly
developed what director Joshua Butler ("Saint Sinner") calls "an incredible
gift for melody." After learning to play the trumpet and guitar, he ventured
out of performance to study composition, jazz arranging, and theory in high
school. Soon, he made his way to the University of Southern California where
his relationship with "Supernatural" creator and executive producer Kripke
began. With Kripke directing and Lennertz composing, they collaborated on
two short films, "Truly Committed," which won the Audience Award at the
Slamdance Film Festival, and "Battle of the Sexes," starring Sasha
Alexander.

Lennertz has since expanded his repertoire as a composer for all types of
media, from film to television and even to videogames. Among his film scores
are several notable independent films, including the jazz-based gangster
drama "Baby Face Nelson" featuring Academy Award winner F. Murry Abraham,
the seductive thriller "Lured Innocence" starring Dennis Hopper, and the
film festival favorite, "Art House." His television credits include Fox's
"Brimstone," the WB's "The Strip," and the theme song for the MTV series
"Tough Enough," which appeared on the album for the show and put him on the
Billboard top 100 charts for weeks. His powerful, full orchestral score for
the Stephen Spielberg-created videogame "Medal of Honor: Rising Sun" earned
an award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and led him to
score two more "Medal of Honor" games.

Most recently, Lennertz scored the thriller "The Deal," starring Christian
Slater and Selma Blair, "Sledge: The Untold Story," a mockumentary featuring
Angelina Jolie, and the latin comedy "Tortilla Heaven."

WORLD TRADE CENTER to be scored by CRAIG ARMSTRONG

CRAIG ARMSTRONG SCORES OLIVER STONE'S CONTROVERSIAL WORLD TRADE CENTER

Soundtrack release from Sony Classical August 8th

(Hollywood, CA) Golden Globe winning film composer Craig Armstrong delivers a haunting score to Paramount Pictures' "World Trade Center." Oliver Stone directs the true story of John McLoughlin and William Jimeno, two police officers who became trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena star as the two officers. The film opens August 11th, and Sony Classical releases the score August 8th. Stone has won several Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards for his films, which include "Natural Born Killers," "JFK," "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Midnight Express." This is the first time Stone and Armstrong have worked together.

Craig Armstrong, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, has composed, arranged, produced, and performed a multitude of respected works. He began his professional music career with the group The Big Dish, performing on keyboard, writing, and arranging; this led to arranging assignments for artists including Massive Attack, U2, and Madonna. Later, Armstrong became composer in residence at Glasgow's Tron Theatre Company, writing commissioned pieces for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

In the last ten years, Armstrong has composed extensively for film. He won a Golden Globe and was named AFI's Composer of the Year for his score to Baz Luhrman's musical "Moulin Rouge," starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. His work on the Ray Charles biographical film, "Ray," earned him a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack Album. His other credits include "The Quiet American," "Plunkett and Maclean," and "Love Actually."

In addition to his film scores, Armstrong has released three solo albums: "The Space Between Us," "As If To Nothing," and "Piano Works." Most recently, his new musical trio "The Dolls" released its first self-titled album. Currently, his music can be heard as part of an exhibit at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. He will perform with a full orchestra October 19th in Belgium at the 33rd Flanders International Film Festival, incorporating several of his popular film scores.

Track Listing:

1. World Trade Center Cello Theme
2. World Trade Center Piano Theme
3. New York Awakes
4. The Drive Downtown
5. Rise Above The Towers
6. World Trade Center Choral Piece
7. John & Donna Talk About Their Family
8. Ethereal
9. John’s Woodshed
10. Marine Arrives At Ground Zero
11. Will And Allison In The Hospital
12. Allison At The Stoplight
13. Jimeno Sees Jesus
14. John And Will Found/Will Ascends
15. John’s Apparition
16. John Rescued/Resolution
17. Elegy
18. Ethereal Piano Coda

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST by HANS ZIMMER

Just as it predecessor, DEAD MAN'S CHEST may not make you feel like dawning your favorite peg-leg and eye-patch or mounting a fake parrot on your shoulder, but as a stand alone music experience its one of the Summer's most fun.

Read the full review here

WIN 1 OF 3 SUPERMAN RETURNS SOUNDTRACKS!

The X-Men are dead....

Well not really. The X-Men contest is over anyway. Voting for the winner is underway. Look for an winning announcement soon!

In the meantime, delight yourself in the possibility of winning 1 of 3 SUPERMAN RETURNS soundtracks from Rhino Records! Simply enter the latest contest...and you just might bag one of the better scores of the first half of 2006.

Enter now!

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER SCORE

The Tracksounds' Poll is back!

It's been a while, but a number of you have been asking, "What happened to those cool film music polls at Tracksounds?" Well, rather than go into a long, bloated answer....they're baaaaAAAaaack!

To kick things off, our first poll gets right into the meat of things. "What is your favorite score of the Summer of 2006?"

Superman Returns
X-Men: The Last Stand
The Da Vinci Code
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Mission: Impossible 3

Cast your vote now!

TRANSFORMER TEASER TRAILER ONLINE

Well, 'bout this time next year will see if director Michael Bay's effort to bring a classic, animated franchise to the live-action, big screen was a success or unmitigated disaster.

The date: 7 . 4 . 7

The film: TRANSFORMERS

The trailer is actually a little intriguing...but I'm just not sold that these CGI Transformers are really gonna work in "real-world" environments. I'd have to guess that there will be quite a bit of 360 degree blue-screen stuff and the efforts to get these 3-D models to sit nicely in actual live-action film will be minimal. A few really well done shots will probably be produced to "sell" the idea. The name of STEVE JABLONSKY appears in the trailer credits, so that's some good news.

Check out Dreamworks/ Paramount's teaser trailer for TRANSFORMERS here.