300 Soundtrack by Tyler Bates Coming soon!

One of the most anticipated films of early 2007 is the adaptation of Frank Miller's popular 300. Just prior to the release of the film, the soundtrack featuring composer TYLER BATE'S original score will be released by Warner Bros/ WEA in two editions: the original soundtrack and special edition soundtrack. The release date in March 6, 2007.


Read the full press release below:



For Immediate Release
WARNER BROS. RECORDS TO RELEASE 300 ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK ON MARCH 6TH

Soundtrack To Epic Film Features Score Composed By Noted Writer/Producer Tyler Bates

January 19th, 2007 - Burbank, CA - 300 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - the innovative score to the upcoming feature film 300 - will be released by Warner Bros. Records on March 6th, three days before the movie, also distributed by Warner Bros., opens nationwide. The film, which stars Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, and Rodrigo Santoro, is based on the acclaimed graphic novel by beloved comic book writer and artist Frank Miller.

The film’s score was written and produced by Tyler Bates, a composer best known for his work on the zombie horror films The Devil’s Rejects (directed by Rob Zombie) and 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, directed by Zack Snyder, who also wrote and directed 300.

For the film, which recounts the epic Battle of Thermopylae that pitted 300 Greeks against the massive Persian Army in 480 BC, Snyder asked Bates to develop a compelling overall sound that would heighten the audience’s emotional reaction to the Spartans’ heroism and sacrifice. To do that, Bates created a sweeping orchestral and choral soundscape, recorded at the Beatles’ famed Abbey Road Studios, that embraced a tonal palette unusual for studio films. Iranian-born singer Azam Ali - whose haunting, exotic vocals have also graced various television and film soundtracks, including, most recently, The Nativity Story - supplies the voice of Sparta and the Persian threat.

“My intent was to stay true to the inspiration of the film and that of the Spartans’ freedom and will,” Bates says. “The greatest challenge was to bead a musical thread throughout the film’s ever-changing landscape of visual art, while sustaining its epic and emotional qualities. I had to approach it in a style as inventive as the film itself.”

Snyder has nothing but praise for Tyler’s score. “It moves the film into mythology,” he says, “cauterizing the images as you view them, making them something they could never be alone.”

In addition to the 25-track CD, Warner Bros. Records will release a special edition deluxe-version Digipak, which includes a 16-page booklet as well as three two-sided trading cards.

Eragon by Patrick Doyle

To Eragon is Human, but the Score is Divine
Review by Christopher Coleman

Composer Patrick Doyle brought himself back to the forefront of film music - a place he has earned the right to occupy - through, what was one of 2005's best scores, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, and likewise one the best of his distinguished career. Yet even before delving into yet another new, big-budget, fantasy-franchise, Patrick Doyle delivered a surprisingly entertaining score for NANNY MCPHEE in early 2006. The quality of these two major projects gave little cause for intrepidation when it was announced that Patrick Doyle would be providing the musical magic for the highly anticipated film adaptation of author Christopher Paolini's first book, ERAGON. In fact, there was quite a bit of jubilation over it. . .

How strange the fates of the film music composer. From one of 2005's most highly rated films, Harry Potter, to one of 2006's most highly hated, ERAGON - composer Patrick Doyle manages to provide one of the few saving graces for a film that clearly should have stayed in the oven of originality a while longer. That yeast clearly didn't finish making its way through the script. Still, even the lead weight of ERAGON, the film, could not keep it's score from mounting up on lofty dragon's wings and blaring the praises of composer Patrick Doyle.

Read the full Review here

Letters from Iwo Jima by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens

Notes for Iwo Jima
Review by Christopher Coleman

Following up the somewhat disappointing FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS comes the highly touted film - much more of a "co-film" than a chronological-sequel, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. If you didn't have any foreknowledge regarding Clint Eastwood's FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, you might have been disappointed by, among other things, the almost total disregard for the Japanese side of the battle of Iwo Jima. Then again you might have been among those who knew that simulatenously filming with FLAGS was LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA and that the other side of story was forthcoming. Released in Japan in December 2006, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA qualified for consideration for the Golden Globes, from which it walked away with the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. Now, it also stands poised to possibly take home two Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture.

For Flags, Clint Eastwood and Lennie Niehaus collaborate for the bulk of the score while son, Kyle Eastwood, is credited with one track, "Knock Knock." Moving on to LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA director Eastwood promotes his son, Kyle, and adds Michael Stevens to provide the totality of film's score. This was a somewhat surprising move on at least two counts: one, entrusting a film of this nature to a relative newcomer to the film music world and two, to someone who's noted musical interests and talents lay in other genres than film scoring.

Read the full review here

Christopher Young scores GHOST RIDER

Composer Christopher Young scores the upcoming film, GHOST RIDER. Long time veteran of the score du spook, Christopher Young dives into the comic/film realm for Ghost Rider. Check out the official press release:

CHRISTOPHER YOUNG SCARES UP A SCORE GHOST RIDER
COLUMBIA PICTURES RELEASE FEBRUARY 16
VARESE SARABANDE HAS SCORE CD

(Los Angeles, CA) Composer Christopher Young has scared up a killer score for "Ghost Rider," the Columbia Pictures released based on the popular Marvel comic character. Starring Nicholas Cage, Eva Mendes and Peter Fonda, this dark Super Hero actioner follows stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze who gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself. The film opens February 16, the same day Varese Sarabande has the score CD in stores.

Young explains. "What is unique is that unlike Superman, Spiderman or Batman, who are Super Heroes that do their work in the city, here we're talking about a character that rides around on a motorcycle. So the location had to be worked in to the score, and it had to have gothic in it because it's just a very dark storyline." Young used drums, choir, a "gigantic orchestra" and electric guitars played by two members of Nine Inch Nails. In the end, the score ended up more industrial than Western, though acoustic guitars do give a flavor of the latter. "It's an exciting score," he says. "It was unlike anything I've done."

Young's distinctive and imaginative approaches to several unusual projects have made him a highly sought-after commodity on films with unusual subject matter. He wrote an ingenious score incorporating breathing effects for the offbeat film "The Vagrant"; provided a darkly dramatic score to the Christian Slater/Kevin Bacon prison drama "Murder in the First"; and tuned in perfectly to the offbeat sensibility of the Bill Murray comedy "The Man Who Knew Too Little." His long list of works include the scores for "Hellraiser" and its sequel "Hellbound: Hellraiser II"; Norman Jewison's "Hurricane," starring Denzel Washington; plus such hits as "Runaway Jury," "The Shipping News," "The Core" and "The Grudge."

One of the most skilled of a new generation of film composers who are able to move effortlessly between hardcore melodrama and off-the-wall satire and comedy, Young next turns his attention to "Lucky You," a drama with Robert Duvall and Drew Barrymore that marks the second time Young has worked with director Curtis Hanson following their previous collaboration on "Wonder Boys." The film opens March 16.

Later in 2007, Young returns to the world of the Super Hero as he scores the much-anticipated "Spider-Man 3," once again starring Tobey Maquire and Kristen Dunst.

Interview with Lost Planet's Composer Jamie Christopherson

LOST PLANET: EXTREME CONDITION has been one of the most highly anticipated releases for the XBOX 360 since the game console's release. Game producer, Capcom, brought back composer JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON, to provide the score for the first-person-shooter. Tracksounds was able to catch up with Jamie to talk about LOST PLANET, some of his other projects and the growing industry of game music.

Check out the full interview here!

And THE OSCAR might go to....

The 2006 Oscar Nominations have been released.

In the category of - Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) the nominees are:

“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Gustavo Santaolalla “The Good German” (Warner Bros.) Thomas Newman
“Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight) Philip Glass
“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Javier Navarrete
“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Alexandre Desplat

Check the rest of the Oscar Noms here !

Congrats are due to all of the nominees without a doubt; however, the list is somewhat dubious again. With that said, be on the look out for the 2006 CUE AWARDS presented by Tracksounds, where the category "Best Score Missed by Oscar" will surely populate a nominees list more to the liking of some!

Look for this year's CUE AWARDS on February 11th!

Golden Globes - Alexander Desplat Wins for Best Score

In somewhat of a surprise, composer ALEXANDER DESPLAT wins the Golden Globe for Best Score. Winning over a diverse field of entries for this category including: Hans Zimmer's THE DA VINCI CODE and Clint Mansell's THE FOUNTAIN, Desplat takes home the little gold globe for 2006. Congrats!

In other interesting wins -


Best Song = "THE SONG OF THE HEART" by Prince
Best Picture = BABEL
Best Director = MARTIN SCORCESE.
Best Musical or Comedy = DREAMGIRLS
Best Animated Film = CARS (the inaugural award)
Best Foreign Film = LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

For all the nominees and awards check the official site here


Congrats to all the winners. Be on the lookout for the 2006 CUE AWARDS- Presented by Tracksounds in February 2006!

Inteview with composer MYCHAEL DANNA

Tracksounds was able to interrupt composer MYCHAEL DANNA's busy schedule to talk about his popular work for THE NATIVITY STORY. He shares openly about his unique approach to scoring this epic, yet intimate story and how this film tapped into some reservoirs of talent that Hollywood rarely taps into.


Check out the interview here!

Win THE PAINTED VEIL Soundtrack!

Participate in this month’s contest for a chance to win a copy of the soundtrack "The Painted Veil" by Alexandre Desplat.

Check out the contest rules here. Enter the contest here.