A Music Tribute to Composer John Barry

As the worldwide film and film music community mourn the passing of one of the truly great composers, JOHN BARRY, Tracksounds offers this small musical glimpse into the some of our favorite pieces from some of his most well-known films.

John Barry, while a part of him will live on through the volumes of music he blessed us with, will be greatly missed.

Feel free to post your thoughts about John Barry below.

More on the passing of John Barry

The Rite (Soundtrack) by Alex Heffes - Review

“All the Rite Stuff”
By: Marius Masalar

Like many other good films before it, THE RITE is based on a book. But director Mikael Håfström read more than just Matt Baglio’s The Making Of A Modern Exorcist to prepare for the film’s production, attending several exorcisms and working alongside one of the book’s actual characters, Father Gary Thomas, who served as a consultant for the film. Some of this may seem unusual for your average horror flick, and that is where many viewers might find their first surprise with THE RITE: it’s really not a horror film at all.

The story is more about a young man finding his way, and the exorcisms and supernatural subject matter are treated with dignity and restraint, never straying into the needlessly showy. Which is just what one would expect from a film from the same producers as The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Rest assured though: THE RITE may not be a straight-up horror film, but it has chills to deliver.

The film’s sophisticated tone is due in no small part to ALEX HEFFES, a critically lauded UK film composer best known for his work on such award winning films as The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void. For THE RITE, HEFFES has prepared a score that treats its subject delicately and beautifully, not resorting to excessive scare tactics. The effect is one of glorious poignancy and restraint, and it serves to elevate the film from generic thriller to thought-provoking supernatural drama.

Read the full review

Medal of Honor - 8 Disc Limited Edition Soundtrack Collection Coming

If you have loved the music of the MEDAL OF HONOR video game franchise, then this press release is going to make you very, very happy!  Read on...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LA-LA LAND RECORDS IN CONJUNCTION WITH
ELECTRONIC ARTS TO RELEASE 8 DISC LIMITED EDITION
MEDAL OF HONOR SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION

Includes original scores from Michael Giacchino, Christopher Lennertz, and Ramin Djawadi

LOS ANGELES, CA – Electronic Arts (EA) continues to make new strides in video game music with the release of the MEDAL OF HONOR SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION. The limited edition eight disc collection includes original scores from the 14 MEDAL OF HONOR titles, previously unreleased material from the award-winning composers Michael Giacchino, Christopher Lennertz and Ramin Djawadi, a 40-page booklet with complete track information, and an introduction by game creator, Director Steven Spielberg. According to Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA, “the box set representing the 12-year-old franchise is an absolute milestone for video game scores. The millions of MEDAL OF HONOR fans around the world deserve nothing less. We are honored to partner with LA-LA Land Records.” The limited edition box set will be released March 1st.

In choosing an appropriate composer to convey the mood of the first MEDAL OF HONOR, legendary director Steven Spielberg was introduced to and impressed with young unknown composer, Michael Giacchino. “I did what anybody in their right mind would do,” said Spielberg. “I signed him up to score MEDAL OF HONOR—and the rest of Giacchino’s history belongs to him.” Giacchino’s video game score pioneered live orchestral recordings of videogame music.

After four highly successful video game scores, the baton was passed to Christopher Lennertz, who also composed the score for the Quantum of Solace game. Lennertz recorded MOH European Assault and Pacific Assault with the Hollywood Studio Symphony, which has recorded for legendary composers such as John Williams.

Last year the game was reinvented and for the first time in its 12-year history, MEDAL OF HONOR left World War II and entered the modern day warfare in Afghanistan. The most recent disc of the collection demanded an intense score that could bring the game into this brand new era, and Ramin Djawadi was brought on for the challenge. Known for his score for Iron Man and the Prison Break television series, Djawadi’s score matches the intensity of the soldier’s story and Tier 1 experience in 2010’s MEDAL OF HONOR.

The increasing demand of the MEDAL OF HONOR scores by soundtrack aficionados led to EA's musical compendium of the MOH music. The rising popularity of videogame music has created an outcry to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) to create a GRAMMY category honoring "Best Videogame Score." Currently, the Grammys recognizes video game music as part of the category “Best Score Soundtrack for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.”


Search Amazon.com for "Medal of Honor soundtrack"

Francis Lai: The Essential Film Music Collection - Review

A Collection of Broken Hearts
Review by Richard Buxton

For a composer with over one hundred composing credits to his name it is perhaps strange that FRANCIS LAI is not talked about more often in the film industry course, this can partly be attributed to his relative inactivity in recent years, and while the likes of Zimmer & co dominate the scoring stage these days, the music of FRANCIS LAI will nevertheless be something is forever be looked upon fondly in cinematic history

After winning the hearts of the Academy and the music-listening population of the United States in 1970 with his score for LOVE STORY and its theme-turned-song “Where Do I Begin”, FRANCIS LAI cemented his place as one of the greats of film scoring So it is fitting after a career spanning over 45 years that LAI and his fans are rewarded with such a collection as this. However, despite all of the acclaim, THE ESSENTIAL MUSIC COLLECTION is somewhat of a divisive listening experience. A single listen-through makes it abundantly clear that a number of the tracks are the kind that will either be loved or hated by the listener, such is their nature.

Read the full review here

Doctor Who: Series 5 (Soundtrack) by Murray Gold - Review

Good as Gold
Review by Richard Buxton

As the holder of the Guinness World record for the “longest running science fiction series”, Doctor Who has understandably undergone a number of changes across the board. Actors portraying the fabled Doctor have come and gone, each bringing their own unique talents and personality to the role, as have the actors playing his regular sidekicks, while numerous directors have lent their visions to the countless adventures of the Doctor. Inevitably, through such frequent change, the series has seen varying levels of quality in terms of direction, writing and acting. Just when the pinnacle of the series took place is a subjective matter, but with the appointment of MURRAY GOLD for the long-awaited return of the series in 2005, it can be argued that DOCTOR WHO has never before had a musical landscape as strong as it does today.

The strength of MURRAY’S score for the fifth season of DOCTOR WHO is abundantly clear in the opening tracks. For such an iconic theme, heard in “Doctor Who XI”, to be so easily surpassed by the tracks that it precedes exemplifies the outstanding musical quality GOLD has provided the show with. The long-enduring theme of DOCTOR WHO is universally loved among fans of the series and it may come as a surprise for it to be completely overshadowed by the various other pieces heard in the score. GOLD’S mastery of the orchestra is heard straight-off-the-bat in “Down To Earth” as the sheer adventure in the track captivates throughout its running time.

Read the full review here

Mark Isham and The Mechanic Soundtrack (The Assassin's Edition)

Composer Mark Isham has written the original score for the upcoming film, THE MECHANIC. You can check out a new video interview below and also his brand new website!  Looks as though the official soundtrack will be eventually available at his site.  Sounds like it'll be "killer!"  (Heyoooo).

Check out Mark Isham's new official site here.

The Rite Soundtrack by Alex Heffes - Track Listing

On 8th February, Silva Screen Records is releasing THE RITE.  THE RITE is a new score from ALEX HEFFES, boundary-defying composer of The Last King Of Scotland, Touching The Void and State Of Play. The supernatural thriller is directed by Mikael Håfström and stars Anthony Hopkins.


1. The Farewell (7:13)
2. The Procedure (2:00)
3. Going to Rome (3:10)
4. The Accident (2:46)
5. The First Exorcism (3:07)
6. God's Fingernail (2:27)
7. Rosaria Coughs up the Nails (4:34)
8. Michael Remembers/The Hospital (7:12)
9. Angeline's Story (3:02)
10. Phone call to Father (2:02)
11. The Terror is Real (4:24)
12. Exorcism of Lucas Part 1 (7:33)
13. The Final Exorcism (6:41)

You can pre-order and listen to soundclips at AmazonMP3.

Tron Legacy (Soundtrack) by Daft Punk - Review

Arcade Punk
Review by Christopher Coleman

TRON LEGACY - the film has been on our minds since the Summer of 2008, when we were given our first of many teasers. By December 2010, expectations could hardly be any higher. Fans of the original film, TRON, from 1982 were joined by those dazzled by the amazing visuals painstakingly dispensed to the public over those two years. In 1982, TRON, took audiences into the inner-world of the computer; one that most folk had hardly any understanding of. Credit has to be given to the visionary writers and directors for producing a film that was visually stunning by the day's standards, but conceptually a bit before it's time. WENDY CARLOS' original score for TRON was only appreciated, like the film, much later than in its original release. Now, TRON LEGACY returns to that world,...but in 2010 it's a different audience with different expectations.

Accompanying first time director, Joseph Kosinski, are first time film-score composers, DAFT PUNK. In the world of electronica and dance music the enigmatic duo reign like mysterious luminaries. Even if you don't think you've heard their music you probably have if you watch any amount of TV; as their music ("Musique", "Around the World", "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and "Technologic") has been utilized in several major commercial campaigns. There was little doubt that Kosinski's design and architectural background would result in a visually stunning film. Similarly, there was little doubt that DAFT PUNK could bring a decidedly modern, electronic edge to the film's score. Even with veteran screenwriters Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis (LOST) and the star power of actors Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde on-board, the big question still remained. Would all this come together to make for a successful film?

Read the full review

16th Annual - Critics Choice Award Winners

In case you missed it last night, The Broadcast Film Critics Association's annual film awards were handed out last night at the CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS aired on VH1.  The big winners, as one might have guessed, were THE FIGHTER, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and INCEPTION.

While INCEPTION bagged six total awards, glaringly missing from them was the Best Score award, which most devastatingly went to TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS for THE SOCIAL NETWORK.

While I offer up congrats to the duo, I am starting to tremble all the more as wins like this will only hasten the trend of more artists from other genres coming into the original score genre and delivering disappointing, albeit unique, experiences like THE SOCIAL NETWORK.  Of course, this movement is well under way with this same duo being linked to the remake of THE GIRL WITH DRAGON TATOO (the original film taking home the Critics Choice Award for Best Foreign Film), with DAFT PUNK in TRON LEGACY, and with THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS doing the upcoming HANNA.

While you rejoice in or mourn that winner, below we've listed all of this years winners:



BEST PICTURE: The Social Network

BEST ACTOR: Colin Firth – The King’s Speech

BEST ACTRESS: Natalie Portman – Black Swan

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christian Bale – The Fighter

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Melissa Leo – The Fighter

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS: Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE: The Fighter

BEST DIRECTOR: David Fincher – The Social Network

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The King’s Speech – David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Inception – Wally Pfister

BEST ART DIRECTION: Inception – Guy Hendrix Dyas and Larry Dias & Doug Mowat

BEST EDITING: Inception – Lee Smith

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood

BEST MAKEUP: Alice in Wonderland

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception

BEST SOUND: Inception

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Toy Story 3

BEST ACTION MOVIE: Inception

BEST COMEDY: Easy A

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: The Pacific

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Waiting for Superman

BEST SONG: “If I Rise” – performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman/music by A.R. Rahman/lyrics by Dido Armstrong and Rollo Armstrong – 127 Hours

BEST SCORE: The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross


You can visit the official site here.

SoundCast Episode 19: 2011 - Year in Preview

Ep. #19 - 2010: Year in Preview

Recorded January 13, 2011
Published January 14, 2011

Peering into the future, Christopher, Marius and Tom
discuss what soundtracks to look out for in the coming year!

Episode Highlights

00:34 - Introduction
04:00 - Top 3 Most Anticipated Film Scores for 2011
18:00 - Top 3 "Beware of the Over-hype" scores of 2011
29:53 - Top 3 Most Anticipated Video Game Scores for 2011
37:30 - Top 3 Potential Suprisde Scores of 2011
43:44 - Tweets - "What are you most looking forward to in 2011?"
45:20 - Predicting the Future of Soundtracks in 2011

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

04:50 - "At Wit's End" (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) by Hans Zimmer
11:11 - "Irina's Theme" (Indian Jones and the Kingdom/Crytal Skull) by John Williams
11:38 - "Life is Incredible Again" (The Incredibles) by Michael Giacchino
13:06 - "First Crop Circles" (Signs) by James Newton Howard
13:33 - "Michelle's House" (Stop Loss) by John Powell
14:50 - "Code Blue" (Ice Age 3) by John Powell
15:47 - "Griets Theme" (Girl with the Pearl Earring) by Alexandre Desplat
16:34 - "Drag Me to Hell" (Drag Me to Hell) by Christopher Young
18:42 - "Autobots" (Transformers) by Steve Jablonsky
19:24 - "The Sands of Time" (Prince of Persia) by Harry Gregson-Williams
20:51 - "Only The Beginning of the Adventure" (Narnia: Lion, Witch, Wardrobe) by Harry Gregson-williams
21:55 - "A Familiar Taste" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
23:49 - "Sacred Pentangle" (The Last Legion) by Patrick Doyle
28:58 - "Another World" (Further) by The Chemical Brothers
29:53 - "Jinnouchi Ke No Danketsu" (Summer Wars) by Akihito Matsumoto
34:40 - "March" (Knights of the Old Republic) by Mark Griskey
35:30 - "Icarus" (Deus Ex: Human Revolution Trailer) by Michael McCann
42:40 - "Two Figures by a Fountain" (Atonement) by Dario Marianelli
52:29 - "Anvil of Crom" (Conan: The Barbarian) by Basil Poledouris
53:16 - "Main Title & Mountian Visions" (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) by John Williams

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Let Me In (Soundtrack) by Michael Giacchino - Review

Fit Me In
Review by Richard Buxton

Following an Academy Award for UP and then his final duties for the long running LOST series, MICHAEL GIACCHINO makes his first foray into the horror genre in LET ME IN. GIACCHINO is fast becoming one of the Hollywood film scoring giants with an aura of reliability in his composing abilities. Therefore seeing him attached to a remake of a universally lauded Swedish horror comes as no surprise.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN was released in 2008 to critical acclaim across the world. A fresh approach to the vampire genre and outstanding performances from the cast meant that the Swedish production was a sure-fire hit. Following recent trends of film remakes, Hollywood studios felt the need to reinterpret LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, and so LET ME IN was born. Telling the story of a twelve-year-old boy's friendship with a vampire, LET ME IN manages to elevate itself above the wealth of hashed out remakes in recent memory, perhaps largely due to the shot-by-shot following of the original. A fine score from Swedish composer JOHAN SÖDERQVIST accompanied the original. SÖDERQVIST’S compositions interspersed a distinctive optimism among the terror, while GIACCHINO’S interpretation of the story has taken a somewhat more formulaic path into horror territory.

Read the full review

Skyline (Soundtrack) by Matthew Margeson - Review

The Sky's Limited
Review by Richard Buxton

As a film score fan, one of the more comforting aspects of film is the fact that no matter the quality of the film, the score can be the saving grace. One can take solace in the idea that a score can be treated as an almost entirely separate entity to a disappointing film. The epitome of this is SKYLINE. The various trailers shown before release suggested a generic but nonetheless exciting alien invasion thriller. The reality of SKYLINE was a disaster from start to finish in all areas apart from the visual effects and score. From the script, to the acting to the direction, SKYLINE offered nothing to general audiences. Thankfully, MATTHEW MARGESON was seemingly detached enough in order to produce an engaging listening experience despite it being made up of largely formulaic ideas.

Despite the efforts of the composers, SKYLINE as a film fails to achieve almost anything it sets out to. Directed by visual effects artists COLIN and GREG STRAUSE, SKYLINE follows the struggles of a group stuck in an apartment in the midst of an alien invasion. What stands out the most is how little actually happens in the film. Rarely do the generic characters venture out of the apartment, and once they do it is only a matter of minutes before they return to the confines of the high-rise. A small budget clearly hinders the use of expansive locations, but with such sparse action providing few thrills, the all-important dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. Films set in such confined circumstances live and die by the writing, and SKYLINE dies a long and painful death from start to finish. Thankfully MARGESON’S compositions generally prove strong enough to be a diversion from the travesty that unfolds onscreen.

Read the full review

SoundCast Episode 18: 2010 - Year in Review

SoundCast Episode 18:  2010 - Year in Review

Recorded January 6, 2011
Published January 7, 2011

The SoundCast crew shares their soundtrack picks for 2010 in three categories:  Surprise of the Year, Disappointment of the Year, and Favorite Score of the Year.

Episode Highlights

00:48 - Introduction
04:20 - Surprise Scores of 2010
16:22 - Disappointments of 2010
29:51 - Favorites of 2010


Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 - "Mount Olympus" (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Christophe Beck
09:55 - "Theme from Human Target" (Human Target) by Bear McCreary
10:30 - "The Son of Flynn" (Tron Legacy) by Daft Punk
11:10 - "End Credits" (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Christophe Beck
14:40 - "Final Confrontation" (Castlevania: Lord of Shadows) by Oscar Araujo
23:48 - "Frankfurt" (The A-Team) by Alan Silvestri
24:34 - "Dream is Collapsing" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer
28:51 - "Dragon Age Origins" (Dragon Age Origins) by Inon zur
34:30 - "Half Remembered Dream" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer
36:37 - "Hidden In The Closet" (Doctor Who: Special Series) by Murray Gold
37:14 - "Romantic Flight" (How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell
38:29 - "Half Remembered Dream" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer
38:49 - "Dragon Training" (How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell
41:01 - "Final Confrontation" (Castlevania: Lord of Shadows) by Oscar Araujo
41:36 - "Hyrkanian Raiders Attack" (Age of Conan:  Rise of the Godslayer) by Knut Avenstroup Haugen
43:11 - "Overture" (Tron Legacy) by Daft Punk

Download the episode here

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Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Video Game) by Winifred Phillips - Review

With Notes Sublime
Review by Marius Masalar

Though she may not be a common household name just yet, WINIFRED PHILLIPS is no stranger to critical acclaim. And this year, she’s finally walking away from the Hollywood Music in Media Awards with a win. In 2008 and 2009 she was a finalist for Best Original Score in a Video Game, and now she’s just taken home Best Song in a Video Game for one of the tunes in her score for LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE. Based, of course, on the film, the game earned mediocre reviews from critics (as one unfortunately comes to expect from these quick tie-in titles), though the score at least has managed to attract more attention after a generous 53 minute release on iTunes.

Following PHILLIPS “Into the Darkness” (1), we learn that the score follows only lightly in the footsteps of David Hirschfelder’s score for the film, tending more toward a percussive, punchier orchestral writing that’s common to the modern media music landscape. No catchy theme is introduced in this first track, but a strong sound palette is established. “With Hearts Sublime” (2) is the award-winning track of the album, and it is certainly a very attractive piece of music with swirling harp arpeggios and soft strings beneath the haunting vocals. It reminds of the music of Enya and some of the songs from the Lord of the Rings, though it tends a bit more toward the generic.

Read the full review

The Social Network (Soundtrack) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Review

Like This?
Review by Christopher Coleman

The story of Facebook, or rather the story of the man behind Facebook, certainly wasn't a tale that one might expect to be made into a feature film as early as 2010. The social site itself is only a few years old and there likely remains a lot of story left to be told about both it and it's founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Made-for-tv not withstanding, a feature film about IT titans Steve Jobs or Bill Gates hasn't even been exploi...err made yet. Now, if a feature film of about one or both of these icons was to be done, I could see the likes of director David Fincher taking the reigns. Instead, Fincher chose to adapt the book, THE ACCIDENTAL BILLIONAIRES (Ben Mezrich), which tells the tale of the young Mark Zuckerberg and the inception of the global phenomenon, Facebook. THE SOCIAL NETWORK provides us with a measure of insight into what took place in those formative years; deep within the academic bowels of the Harvard campus. Fincher's film paints Zuckerberg as a driven, yet slyly vindictive young man, who also happens to be brilliant. The drive to develop something that will truly set himself apart leads him down a digitally dark path; a path which also happens to lead to great financial gains and pains. As one might expect, THE SOCIAL NETWORK became one of the most talked about films on the internet. No small part of that conversation has been the somewhat surprising inclusion of Nine Inch Nail leader, TRENT REZNOR, and composer ATTICUS ROSS' as creators of the film's original score.

Coming off of the languishing and melancholy score from THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, aptly provided by Alexander Desplat, it was initially no small surprise when it was announced that Reznor and Ross would be composing the film's score. Reznor's band, NINE INCH NAILS, was hardly known for being melancholy and ATTICUS ROSS' most recent effort THE BOOK OF ELI was anything but languishing. If nothing else, it was a clever bit of marketing to attach the name of "Trent Reznor" to the project, but the most natural question to ask would be "What sort of original score were we in for?"

Read the full review