Star Wars: Corellian Edition Contest Winners Announced

The moment you've all been waiting over a month for has arrived. The FIVE forceful winners of the STAR WARS: THE CORELLIAN EDITION SOUNDTRACK CONTEST have been announced! The winners are:

David Siegel - James Miller - Linda Knotts - Joshua Brentano - Miguel Langarica

Congrats to each and thanks to all who particpated! Be on the lookout for new contests to win more cool movie stuff!

RETURN OF THE KING: COMPLETE RECORDINGS DELAYED

If you haven't already heard...I shall bear the tidings of great un-joy to you today. While the recent fires of Southern California have had far more tragic effects upon the lives of thousands of people, another sad consequence is that the fires have delayed the release of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING - THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS.

As it stands now, it is scheduled for release on 11/20/07, so hold steady fine hobbitses for you shall hold your precious soon!

In the meantime, say a prayer, make a donation, or lend a hand to those in that part of the country who have lost so much.

Music 2.0 and the Future of the CD

Has the era of the compact disc come to an end? That's what some have said in recent years and a year or so ago I might have agreed with them. In many of my recent blog posts and even reviews, I've felt quite comfortable in expressing my growing dissatisfaction with the quality of downloadable music. Has the quality gotten worse? No...on the contrary, the major outlets have actually increased the quality of the music offered. Be that as it may, most of the downloadable formats are still lacking when compared to their physical iterations.

For that spry demographic locked down to a parentally-distributed-weekly-allowance, it makes perfect sense to try to get as much of their favorite music as cheaply as possible. Downloading music is perfect for them and, of course, it's super-convenient and tailors well to our tendency for impulse purchases. For the iPod-generation, iTunes, Yahoo music, Wal Mart, Amazon and the gobs of other outlets, have become their primary means of getting the music they want...and however much I'd like to lump myself into that "younger" generation in any way possible, I have to face the fact that (perhaps) I'm not just not. Wait let me say that properly, "I am so not."

I don't even own a pure mp3 player. I listen to music in my car, on my PC, from my laptop, or on my home theater. Ok...so my blackberry plays music as does my PSP, but that isn't the primary reason for owning either of them. When I listen to music...I want CD quality, at the very least. Now my journey to dissatisfaction began, the first time I burned a CD compiled from mp3s and then played it my car or home theater.

The sound quality of downloaded music, more often than not, just doesn't hold up, especially if I have just listened to a proper compact disc just prior to this newly-created-one. While it isn't as irritating like the old days of going from listening to music on FM radio stations to AM (for you kids out there...those are two different bandwiths on this thing called a "radio" pronounced ray-dee-oh) but I start to experience the same feelings of general disgust and revulsion that the FM/AM transition used to cause in me.

I know the question popping into your brain right now, "So what's the big deal?" The big deal is that if I pay $7.00 or $10.00 for my music, regardless whether its a digital-download or physical product...I want to be able play as loudly as I like on whatever over-priced piece of electronics I so choose...sans the drop outs and other fidelity faux pas inherent to digitally crushing the music down to as few megabytes as possible. Such quality might suffice for the teen with subpar, earbuds plugged into his tiny little player hidden somewhere in his backpack or jacket pocket, but for those of us who listen to music on those big, noise-canceling, mongo earmuffs or through our 7.1 surround sound setups, 192 kbps just isn't going to fly.

So, I say that the future of the CD isn't as bleak as some, or even you, might believe. I see a world full of possibilities for the good old digital compact disc. Perhaps dvd-audio will thrive or perhaps hd-dvd-audio is on the horizon. Or maybe the bog standard compact disc will see a resurgence. If you are a fan of film or game music or a collector, then rejoice because that is where some of the most fertile ground still resides for discs. Just take the LORD OF THE RINGS COMPLETE RECORDINGS series as an example. In that series we get great packaging, great liner notes, high resolution audio...oh and tons of previously unreleased music! Well worth the $60. Grabbing a hold of this potential market we now have a STAR WARS: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN COLLECTORS EDITION on the horizon. Each with heftier-than-average price tags...but again, probably well worth it for hardcore fans and collectors.

This is the future of the CD. Adding premium value into compact disc releases is how I see the CD remaining viable in terms of sales. Not only will we be able to get higher sound quality, but we can expect more interesting packaging, additional facts and information regarding the music, and other digitally collectible items. Sure. For the iPod-generation, all of this may seem worthless, if not completely out of their price range. The CD still has life left in it...perhaps not as prevelant as it was at the turn of the century, but there is still a gleam of hope reflecting off of these little shiny discs.

Long live the CD!

Christopher Coleman

James Michael Dooley Interview (Pushing Daisies)

On a late Saturday afternoon, Tracksounds was able to catch a few moments with composer JAMES MICHAEL DOOLEY who is deep into writing a ton of music for the new, hit television series, PUSHING DAISIES. He shares his feelings about his work being compared to Danny Elfman and the creative challenges he faces in writing for such a unique show and the sheer volume of work he must produce every six days! Check out the interview here, but don't miss the exclusive Pushing Daisies Suite by James Dooley below.

Exclusive!
PUSHING DAISIES SUITE


Used by Permission.

ALAN SILVESTRI conducting BEOWULF!

Recently came across a few YouTube videos from Soncinemad 2007, which was held this Summer in Madrid. Perhaps the most mouth-watering is ALAN SILVESTRI giving us a peak at his upcoming score BEOWULF. Listen for yourself, but I say this is very, very promising! If you're one of those who was thrilled with Debney's LAIR, then I think Silvestri has something to offer you! (Update: Apparently there will be an official soundtrack release as Amazon.com is listing a release date of 12/4/07 from Warner) Merry Christmas.

High Score! The New Era of Video Game Music - Relaunched

Just relaunched the feature HIGH SCORE: THE NEW ERA OF VIDEO GAME MUSIC. Included in the relaunch is a total redesign of the feature page, but more importantly a couple new additions:

First - a new interview with COMPOSER JESPER KYD centering around his work for the upcoming game, ASSASSIN'S CREED (the game looks incredibly engaging and Jesper Kyd's score is fascinating.)

Second - a full review of JOHN DEBNEY'S epic score for LAIR. If you thought I gushed over the 5-track promo then wait 'til you read the review of the soundtrack as released by iTunes!

More cool game-music-stuff on the way, but don't wait...

CHECK OUT HIGH SCORE! HERE

Maurice Jarre - A Tribute to David Lean Released

Just got this great news on an upcoming release from Milan. Just a couple of days ago, Milan released a great DVD/CD combo in tribute to the late, great director DAVID LEAN, who would have just turned 100 years old. The duo of Lean and Jarre is legendary and from the description of this special release, it appears that fans can get a wonderful glimpse into the relationship Lean and Jarre fostered. Beside that...we get a live concert recording of MAURICE JARRE leading a performance of some of his best known collaborations with DAVID LEAN including: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (two of my all-time favs.)

You can read the official press release below:

SPECIAL EDITION DVD&CD TO BE RELEASED ON OCTOBER 23, 2007
MILAN ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS YOU“MAURICE JARRE – A TRIBUTE TO DAVID LEAN” IN COMMEMORATION OF DAVID LEAN’S 100TH BIRTHDAY

Almost 100 years ago, David Lean was born in Croydon, Greater London. Over the span of his successful career, David Lean would become one of the most influential and respected filmmakers of the 20th century, winning praise from directors such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. To this day, his films LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962), DOCTOR ZHIVAGO(1965), RYAN’S DAUGHTER (1970) and A PASSAGE TO INDIA (1984) still play in art house theaters all over the world.

The scores to these four films were written and composed by David Lean’s close friend Maurice Jarre. For his work in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and A PASSAGE TOINDIA, Mr. Jarre won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. A few weeks after David Lean’s death, during the tribute concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the composer’s emotional state was obvious, and could be felt in the audience’s fervor and enthusiasm.

Milan Records is proud to present MAURICE JARRE – A TRIBUTE TO DAVID LEAN, a Special Edition DVD/CD Combo of the concert recorded live at the Barbican Center in London (1992).This edition includes a full audio commentary of the concert by conductor / composer Maurice Jarre himself. Mr. Jarre shares many anecdotes about the different films he worked on withDavid Lean. He mentions his experience on LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, having to replace the original composer and deliver a film score within a very short period of time. On DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, he had to conduct 35 balalaika players who couldn’t read musical scores, in addition to a full orchestra.

Mr. Jarre also explains the complex techniques of synchronizing the music of a full orchestra with film footage. During the concert itself, excerpts of the films were projected on a screen behind the orchestra. While conducting, Mr. Jarre had to keep an eye on the orchestra, the chronometer in front of him, and the projected film excerpts in order for the music to match the image.

On a more humorous note, he also mentions a recording session in Los Angeles where his entire orchestra slowed down and eventually stopped playing after having spotted Sophia Loren in the technician’s booth. During the hour-long audio commentary, Maurice Jarre shares these and many more stories and insights about his career, his work with Sir David Lean, and his tribute concert to the filmmaker.

In addition to the full concert and the audio commentary, the DVD also contains an exclusive 35-minute interview of Maurice Jarre, extensive filmographies and biographies of Mr. Jarre and Mr. Lean as well as an essay by film critic Christian Lauliac on the lives and works of the two artists.


DVD Content:

(Full Concert Video)
1. Remembrance
2. Ryan’s Daughter Suite
3. A Passage to India
4. Doctor Zhivago
5. Offering
6. A Passage to India (Garden of Statues)
7. Lawrence of Arabia Suite


Get more info at the official site

New I AM LEGEND trailer

A new, much more interesting trailer for Will Smith's upcoming flick, I AM LEGEND was recently released. It offers quite a bit more than the first teaser trailer. I actually am intrigued by this film now. A major departure from the book seems to be that the "ghoulies" are not necessarily vampires. I, for one, don't mind this departure one "bloody" bit. I'd be quite content to see the vampire-genre bathed in perpetual light - ie. I'm quite sick of them and wouldn't mind if another one was ever made again..but as long as audiences keep emptying their pockets to watch them...they'll keep coming. Personal kudos to the filmmakers for showing a little creativity.

Anyway, I AM LEGEND appears as if it wants to give some rationale (an infection) behind the exisitence of Robert Neville's (Will Smith) ghoulie friends. I guess I can go with that. The big thing is...I love German Shepherd's so...that there dog better survive!...but I have a bad feeling.

Anyway, check out the trailer - I haven't identified the music used in it, but the climactic piece bares resemblence to Clint Mansell's oft-used trailer piece. The original score is to be provided by JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, so there good reason for hope in that regard. Perhaps you recognize it. Feel free to enlighten us with your comment.

Check out the trailer at the film's Myspace page.

La-La Land Records Celebrates 5th Anniversary

Congrats to LA-LA LAND RECORDS as they celebrate their 5th Anniversary! They have helped to bring the music community some great music in those 5 years. Two of their newest releases are: SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON 3.

They are also celebrating by having a great special. Lots for only $5.00 each! Check out the list below and then their site for more details.





5th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL!!!

What better way to celebrate 5 years of La-La Land than to offer some great $5 CDs!
The following titles are $5.00 EACH, for a limited time:
MONTE WALSH,
CREEPSHOW,
CABIN FEVER,
TEXAS CHAINSAW,
POINT OF ORIGIN,
BUTTERFLY EFFECT,
FANTASY FILM MUSIC OF GEORGE PAL,
BEST OF LONE WOLF AND CUB,
STEALING TIME,
LAWS OF ATTRACTION,
TERROR TRACT,
HEADHUNTER: REDEMPTION,
KING OF THE ANTS,
MERCENARIES,
SEED OF CHUCKY,
UNDEAD,
DEVILS REJECTS,
BOOK OF STARS,
THE BIG EMPTY,
KISS KISS BANG BANG,
EFFECTS,
KING KONG VS GODZILLA,
THE TRIANGLE,
BASIC INSTINCT 2,
THE DOGS MASTER,
ROCK AND ROLL NIGHTMARE,
A NAME FOR EVIL


Check them out here

(Updated) New project from Jeff Rona - SHARKWATER

It's nice to be able to post about a new project from JEFF RONA. It's been quite a while. Jeff Rona returns to the water (most recall his great score for WHITE SQUALL from way back in 1996) with his score for this highly-praised eco-centric documentary.

The official website has all the info you'll need about the film including 23 streaming tracks of JEFF RONA'S score. If you're in need a quick chill-out break...I recommend you check out the site. Below is JEFF RONA's official press release. The soundtrack is said to be readily available on iTunes, Amazon's MP3 store (available by Nov. 8) and other online retailers.

For Immediate Release (edited)

On November 2, "Sharkwater", a poetic and moving feature documentary film by Canadian director Rob Stewart, with a score by composer Jeff Rona, will be released. The film has already won over a dozen prestigious international awards and has been featured in countless magazine and newspaper articles as well as national TV coverage. It has received accolades around the world and will be in theaters throughout the US. It will also be released in Europe in early spring 2008.

The award-winning score for Sharkwater features singers Azam Ali, Louise Fraser and Lisbeth Scott. It is available through iTunes, Amazon mp3 and all download stores.

(Updated) WhereHawk? No Warhawk on iTunes . . .Yet.

UPDATE 10/24/07 - Warhawk is no longer M.I.A!

Thanks to Jan for posting the comment below. WARHAWK is now available on iTunes! (search for "Warhawk")

Enjoy

-----------------------------

Several have inquired about the release of the WARHAWK soundtrack on iTunes and so this post is for you.

A couple of weeks ago there was a bit of buzz regarding Christopher Lennertz and Timothy Wynn's collaborative score for the PS3 game WARHAWK coming to iTunes, but thus far nothing has appeared in the iTunes catalog. I have yet to get any official response indicating what the hold-up is and when the score might finally be available through iTunes or for sale through any other outlet.

The moment I find something out something, I will post it here. In the meantime, there's plenty of other great game music to enjoy. My full review of JOHN DEBNEY's LAIR could be up as early as today. Or you can go VOTE for your favorite video game score thus far here.

(Updated) Full Track from Jesper Kyd's ASSASSIN'S CREED

Greg O'Connor-Read over at Topdollar PR, Jesper Kyd and Ubisoft were cool enough to make this full track, from the upcoming game ASSASSIN'S CREED, available for our listening pleasure! From the sound of things there's going to be more than some great gameplay here. The musical experience is going to be something to savor.

Jesper Kyd recorded over 3 hours of music for the game, but no official soundtrack has been announced yet. Keep your daggers crossed! Also, I hope to have an interview with JESPER KYD posted soon. Keep checking in.

Below you can feast your ears on the track "CITY OF JERUSALEM."

So what do you think of it and what your expectations of the game and the full score?

Halo 3 (Soundtrack) by Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori

More video game soundtrack news for you today. As I posted some days ago, the launch of HALO 3 was reported as the most successful launch ever. In just about one month the HALO 3 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK with music composed by MARTIN O'DONNELL and MICHAEL SALVATORI will be released by SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS and SUMTHING DIGITAL.

Below you can check the full press release:

SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE HALO 3ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK FROM THE BLOCKBUSTER XBOX 360 VIDEO GAME FROM THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCH IN HISTORY,COMES THE MOST ANTICIPATED VIDEO GAME SOUNDTRACK OF THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

New York - October 17th, 2007 -

Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo® 3 Original Soundtrack. The highly anticipated original soundtrack comes in a 2-CD set featuring the game’s original music score and will be released on November 20th to US retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works label

http://www.sumthing.com/ and via digital download at Sumthing Digital http://www.sumthingdigital.com/.

Halo 3 is the conclusion to the epic trilogy and picks up where Halo 2 left off, answering questions about the fates of the beloved protagonist Master Chief™ and his artificial intelligence sidekick Cortana as they struggle to save humankind from destruction at the hands of the alien coalition known as the Covenant.

The official Halo 3 Original Soundtrack features the new symphonic compositions by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, the award-winning composers behind the best-selling Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 Volume One and Halo 2 Volume Two soundtracks. In addition to new original tracks written for the Halo 3 video game, the Halo 3 Original Soundtrack also includes new arrangements of the game’s musical themes that Bungie’s audio director and composer Martin O’Donnell recorded with a full live orchestra and chorus. The 2-CD set amounts to two hours of original music from the game Halo 3.

Developed by Bungie Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, the critically acclaimed Xbox 360® exclusive, which was released worldwide on Tuesday, Sept. 25, is the fastest-selling video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment properties in history. The Xbox 360 title beat previous U.S. sales records set by blockbuster openings for entertainment events such as the release of “Spider-Man 3” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Halo 3 was released in 37 countries and 17 languages. To date, more than 20 million copies of the games in the Halo trilogy have been sold worldwide. For more information visit

http://www.halo3.com/.

About Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc.

Nile Rodgers started Sumthing Else Music Works (SEMW) as a nationwide record label and creative outlet for independent artists and unique musical projects. Through its affiliated company, Sumthing Distribution, SEMW prides itself on its ability to rapidly and effectively deliver to the marketplace many innovative products. In view of the successes of its previous game soundtrack releases, the company is now recognized as the leader in this newly emerging musical genre. Accordingly, SEMW has bolstered its commitment to enhancing gamers’ overall experience by acquiring many new titles to complement its current catalog of releases. For more information visit

http://www.sumthing.com/ and http://www.sumthingdigital.com/.

Sumthing Else Music Works and Sumthing Distribution logos are copyright of their respective companies. All other names of products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Assassin's Creed (Soundtrack) by Jesper Kyd

The year of 2007 has already turned out to be one of the best in terms of solid game score releases. That trend continues with composer JESPER KYD's original music for the highly anticipated game ASSASSIN'S CREED.

I have to admit that I've been hooked on the potential of this game since I saw one of the E3 trailers which featured the music of UNKLE, "Lonely Soul." Simply one of the most engaging game trailers I've seen to date.

The game itself certainly looks like another entry into the genre of "playable cinema" and I looking forward to "playing this flick." No word on whether there will be an official soundtrack release yet. If I get word, one way or another, I'll definitely post here on it. Below is the official ASSASSIN'S CREED press release.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UBISOFT ANNOUNCES ASSASSIN'S CREED™ VIDEO GAME SCORE
COMPOSED BY AWARD-WINNING JESPER KYD

San Francisco – October 16th, 2007 – Today Ubisoft, one of the largest video game publishers, announced the score for the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed™ video game is being composed by British Academy Award winner Jesper Kyd. Players will become truly immersed into the mindset of Altair, the game's main character, and the rich environments of the game through Jesper's thematic score. The combination of epic orchestral compositions with acoustic, percussion and vocal performances delivers a deeply spiritual aesthetic with Hollywood flair. The rich and melodic palette, created exclusively for Assassin's Creed, will be discovered by players worldwide this November.

"We listened to many composers before finding the right person for Assassin's Creed. Jesper Kyd turned out to be the perfect match for the title because he is able to create epic historical pieces fused with both traditional medieval instruments and modern synth sounds," shared Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin's Creed. "For Assassin's Creed we wanted the score to capture the gruesome atmosphere of medieval warfare but also be edgy and contemporary. Jesper not only achieved this balance but also underlined the changes in gameplay and pacing in a way that immerses the player even further into the Assassin's Creed experience."

While the graphical beauty and detail of Assassin's Creed is quite evident visually, the music takes on the same level of precision and attention. Each setting within the game has its own theme and distinct musical identity, ranging from the tragedy-stricken city of Acre to the proud stoic stronghold of Damascus to the powerfully spiritual and multicultural capital of Jerusalem.
"I was inspired by the deep and engaging world of Assassin's Creed and working with the visionary team at Ubisoft Montreal was a fantastic experience," said Jesper Kyd. "It was truly refreshing to be given so much creative freedom for such a high profile blockbuster title and I believe we took it to the max."

In such instances as the surreal and hypnotic compositions that accentuate the Assassin's approach to his target, Kyd instilled his immersive style and film scoring techniques in Altair's meditation and stealth modes, while also capturing the action, combat and escape sequences with measured tone that crescendos into a fast-paced fervor.

About Assassin’s Creed

The game is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and truly experience the art of a master assassin.

In 2006, Assassin’s Creed received the Game Critics Award: Best of E3 2006 for “Best Action-Adventure Game” and swept the “Best PS3 Game” category across numerous video game websites.*

Assassin’s Creed will be available in North America at the MSRP of $59.99 with the Limited Edition priced at $69.99 – Assassin’s Creed is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB. For more information, please visit http://www.assassinscreed.com/.

*1UP “Best PS3 Game,” GameSpot “Best PLAYSTATION 3 Editors’ Choice Winner,” GameSpy “Best of E3 PS3 Game of the Show,” Games Radar “Best of E3 PLAYSTATION 3,” GameTrailers “Best of Show,” IGN “Best PS3 Game of the Show”

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified lineup of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated sales of 680 million Euros for the 2006-07 fiscal year. To learn more, please visit http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/.

© 2007 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Transformers (Score) by Steven Jablonsky

“Transformers” Rolls Out!
Review by Steve Townsley

I was thinking of titling this piece “Jablonsky Lights Our Darkest Hour”, but the heavy-handed esoteric reference combined with the implications on the state of film entertainment seemed a little too much (especially when it refers to a Michael Bay film.) But even that trumped my other title, “Film Score is the Right of All Sentient Beings”….even if it feels true, from time to time.

Well, as a giant-robot loving kid, growing up, you never thought it would happen, but here it is: “TRANSFORMERS” – the live-action movie. And was it everything you dreamed it would be? Hmm…well, maybe not *entirely*, but HOLY FREAKIN’ COW, it was pretty cool regardless. Ok, so our human hero is “Sam” and not “Spike”, his girlfriend is “Mikaela” and not “Carly”…and it’s now the “All-Spark”, and not “The Matrix” (lest we wonder why Laurence Fishburne doesn’t put in an appearance.)

The animated version killed Optimus Prime, and it’s a little hard to not get nostalgic when listening to Vince DiCola’s “Death of Optimus Prime” on the 1985 soundtrack album. The 2007 version brought him back to life, though, and that’s evident from the first knock-out track. The goosebumps will rise when you hear the power anthem for “Autobots” building. Chilling, also, is the almost anti-demonic choir of “Decepticons”, which is appropriate in its relentless ominous pulse!

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Favorite Recent Game Score

There have been quite a few good-to-great games and game scores released lately and there are more on the way! Too bad we just can't wait any longer to post the question to you. Whether you play the games or not, what is your favorite recent game score? BIOSHOCK? MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE, HALO 3, HEAVENLY SWORD, LAIR or something else?

VOTE IN THE NEW POLL HERE

The Golden Compass Theatrical Trailer

The full, theatrical trailer for one of the holiday seasons most anticipated films, THE GOLDEN COMPASS, was recently released by New Line. The trailer is over 3 minutes long and contains some nice visuals (even beyond Ms. Kidman). The trailer contains music from Blank in the Blank by Blank Blankton Blankward (you know exactly what and who). The music for the climactic portion of the trailer, I'm not able to easily identify. If you recognize it, please post a comment here! And finally it concludes with Lisa Gerrard vocals from Gladiator. Overall...a pretty meaty trailer.

I dont' peg the prolific minimalist, ALEXANDER DESPLAT, as one for the fantasy genre, so I'm more than a little intrigued to hear his work. Definitely can't be a minimalist score for a film with visuals this big.

It seems that New Line is hoping this to be their next Lord of the Rings franchise. I have my doubts that it will be that big, but we'll see. The CG animals leave a little to be desired for starters, but good voice-actors may overcome that.


You can check it out at Yahoo Movies in both standard and high resolution versions.

Christopher Lennertz's Warhawk Coming to iTunes

In our last interview with composer CHRISTOPHER LENNERTZ, he hinted at some projects he was working on and how excited he was about them. One of those projects, I'm sure, was WARHAWK for the Sony Playstation 3 and this week the soundtrack will see its first official release on...you guessed it...iTunes. (Hopefully, Amazon will expand its soundtrack releases soon.)

Lennertz collaborated with another veteran game composer TIMOTHY WYNN on the adventurous score and from early tracks found around the net (like here at 1up.com) things seem very promising!

My guess is that a good search on Tuesday should return some rewarding results. 2007 is shaping up as an all-timer in terms of high quality video game scores.

Wall-E is Coming

A few days ago the theatrical trailer for Disney/Pixar's next animated feature was released. In June 2008, we will get to meet Wall-E. Turns out "the last machine on earth...is not alone."

Maybe I'm getting my upcoming flix mixed. Anyway, the trailer features some beautiful visuals, so I recommend you download it in as high res as your computer will go. (really ticks me off that Disney is Blu-Ray only, so now high def Wall-E...or Ratatouille...or Incredibles for me.) The trailer features interesting use of Michael Kamen's wonderful samba theme from BRAZIL. I would have never paired these together, but it works pretty well.

Since Wall-E is written and directed by ANDREW STANTON (A Bugs Life, Finding Nemo), would seem a good be that THOMAS NEWMAN ends up doing this one (so says the IMDB anyway).

For now...enjoy the trailer!

Medal of Honor: Airborne by Michael Giacchino

After the success of Infiniti Ward's CALL OF DUTY 2 and 3 for the XBOX 360, the hope and expectations placed on EA's MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE were high. AIRBORNE would be EA's first WWII shooter release for the a next-gen console and with the increased processing speeds, storage capacity, an even more immersive gaming experience was the expectation of gamers. While there was little worry that composer Michael Giacchino would deliver, it turns out the game itself was not as well received as EA would have hoped - especially from the PC community. For whatever bugs the game might have, it has to be admitted that parachuting into a war zone is quite a different experience than any other WWII shooter has provided until now - thus hopefully providing some virgin territory for the Giacchino to jump into. So we endured a pretty big build-up for the game, then somewhat of a let down, but what of the score?

Read the full review here

Lair Soundtrack Available on iTunes

In case you've been sleeping in a cave, composer JOHN DEBNEY's score crept onto iTunes a few days ago. My personal cave was the Adobe conference in Chicago, hence the tardiness of this post.

Anyway - to my shigrin the initial release of Debney's epic score has ended up being iTunes...but based on the tracks released on the promo (reviewed here) I personally can't wait for a physical release on CD. A work like this is deserving of a nicely packaged release though. Let's hope for one.

The iTunes release sports 26 tracks containing 70 minutes of musical goodness. And it's worth every penny of that $9.99. Still...if "the powers that be are listening" please give us a higher fidelity recording on CD, SACD, DVD-AUDIO!

For now, on this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend...we give thanks that we have what we have.

Go to iTunes now (and search for "John Debney")

Jesper Kyd to score Assassin's Creed

Another game of note...another game-score to be on the lookout for...

JESPER KYD (Hitman, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Unreal Tournament 3, Kane & Lynch) composes the score for yet another compelling upcoming game from Ubisoft - ASSASSIN'S CREED.

Set in the turmoil of the crusades, you play as the prince assassin, ALTAIR, in an environment rarely explored in the video game world. The exotic locale and menacing storyline should lend itself perfectly to JESPER KYD'S talents.

The game is scheduled for release on November 13, 2007 for both PS3 and Xbox360...and later on the Nintendo DS. About a year ago, there was some talk about a limited edition which might include, among other things, a soundtrack release, but it appears that isn't going to be the case.

Doesn't mean there won't be any sort of release, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Not sure but the official game site just might offer a few audio-glimpses of Kyd's upcoming score. If nothing else, check out the mesmerizing trailer.