Snitch (Soundtrack) by Antonio Pinto - Review

Perhaps Snitch Has A Niche?

Review by Thomas Midena

SNITCH is a fast-paced action thriller, but you wouldn’t know that from the soundtrack. Composer ANTONIO PINTO has put together a score which is slow and ethereal, blending a diverse stable of sounds and instruments to create music which does little more than lurk shyly in the shadows. Welcome to a melancholy soundscape of uncomfortable, grating strings and tracks so dark that you might need to re-light your metaphorical fireplace.

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Music from The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings (Silva Screen) - Review

There is only one Score of the Rings…and it does not share power!

Review by Edmund Meinerts

The latest compilation/rerecording work from Silva Screen sees them slipping into the MovieScore Media role, trying to bring some exposure to the scores from a little-known series of low-budget fantasy films based on the all-but-forgotten novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. Yes, well, all joking aside, one can see why they would be tempted to release this album, which is a compilation of cues from the four ridiculously successful Peter Jackson-directed Middle-earth related fantasy eposes (…epi?). Does this mean they will release another such album in a year’s time when THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG hits theaters? Only time will tell, but meanwhile, the City of Prague Orchestra has offered up their renditions of some of the highlights of HOWARD SHORE’s music for the concept.

It goes without saying, naturally, that this album, like Silva’s yearly film music roundup series, is aimed firmly at the very casual moviegoer. More dedicated score collectors, especially those with any sort of affinity for this particular series, will likely not have any use for it. To put this hour-long single-disc release in perspective, the full extent of SHORE’s music for the series on album, combining the special edition of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY with the Complete Recordings of the three LORD OF THE RINGS scores, clocks in at about twelve hours. That’s not to say that this album is poorly made, of course; for one thing, their selection of highlights is solid, especially considering just how enormous and thematically rich this series is. Pretty much all of the more prominent themes from the series, the ones that the aforementioned casual moviegoer might have a chance of recognizing, are covered.

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Upcoming Game, RAIN, Features Debussy's Clair de Lune

So 2013 has started off pretty well in the world of video games.  TOMB RAIDER and BIOSHOCK INFINITE has certainly gotten people active on their consoles and PCs in the first quarter of the year, but this first gameplay footage from the upcoming game, RAIN from SCE Studios, looks amazing in its own right.

If the sound of ever-falling rain isn't enough to soothe you, then the music contained therein should do the trick.  There are a few little piano stingers heard at first, but then, to my great surprise, we get wonderful piano-performance of CLAUDE DEBUSSY's "Clair de Lune."  When was the last time you heard this classic in a video game?  Ummm...never?  Ok...so it was used in GRAN TURISMO 4, so I'll amend my question to "...heard this classic in a video game PROPERLY?"

Following this perfectly matching, musical moment, we get a couple of minutes of rather pensive string music and sound effects.  We return to, what sounds to be an original piano piece, that clearly exudes that identifiable, Japanese structure - making me want to know just who's written this music all the more. It's brief but beautiful.  Finally, this bit of gameplay concludes with a return to the darker, more threatening tone delivered by strings once again.

While not as colorful as he would likely make a game, while watching this, I couldn't help but think of director Makoto Shinkai (5 Centimeters Per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below) and his often, musical collaborator, Tenmon.  The tone of this footage and even the design style reflected in the setting certainly feels like something that could come from his imagination.  It also just so happens that Shinkai-san's upcoming feature Kotonoha no Niwa features the element of rain quite significantly; however, for the first time ever, he isn't collaborating with Tenmon on this one.

In any event, this game footage looks and sounds quite compelling and I look forward to diving in.  Unfortunately, no release date has been published. At least we know it is this year sometime.

Want more?  Below is the first trailer released by Sony Computer Entertainment last year. 

So what do you think of what you see and hear here?

Interview: Jason Graves Talks Tomb Raider

Marius Masalar interviews composer Jason Graves on one of his latest scores, TOMB RAIDER.  The two dive deep into just what went into the unique sound created for Lara Croft's return!

Music:

0:00 - Adventure Found Me

7:18 - First Blood

13:33 - The Scavenger's Den

18:08 - The Scavenger's Camp

21:26 - Reaching Roth

23:09 - Scaling the Ziggurat

36:30 - Infiltrating the Bunker

44:06 - The Tomb Raider

Conversation:

0:00 - Intro

0:45 - The new studio

1:40 - Jason's first encounter with Tomb Raider

3:00 - Musical goals for the new Lara

5:35 - What makes Lara iconic, why we care about her, and what her new iteration is like

10:32 - Building "The Instrument"; the voice of the island

16:18 - Matt's other sculpting work

17:25 - Creative freedom and collaboration

19:37 - Traditional thematic elements; Lara's piano theme

22:27 - Exotic percussion, recording live

26:00 - Tomb Raider and Uncharted: inspiration?

27:53 - A thematic coincidence and inspiration from within

29:05 - Tomb Raider's audio implementation story

35:50 - Jason samples his own orchestra

39:28 - Hints about future titles, and scheduling multiple projects

40:57 - The single best piece of advice Jason has ever received as a composer

43:56 - Conclusion and contact info

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SoundCast Ep. 59 - 2013 Year in Preview (Animation Edition)

Morgan Stradling and Chelsea Robson (The Rotoscopers) hosts of The Animation Addicts podcast, join in to look ahead at 2013's original score offerings in the world of animation!  They talk everything from Studio Ghibli releases to Blue Sky to Dreamworks and Disney/Pixar.  You'll also find a full dose of #WHYBLT which includes X-Men, Stoker and ... Sparkle?

Episode Highlights


00:00 Afro-cisco, we love them.
00:28 Welcome and Intros:  The Rotoscopers
09:04 WHYBLT. The Adventures of Tin Tin and John Williams "sameness?"
15:28 WHYBLT, Sparkle, The Princess and the Frog
19:01 WHYBLT, Dead Space 3, Stoker, Oz: The Great and Powerful
27:36 WHYBLT, The Call, Bitrip Runner 2, God of War: Ascension, X-Men: First Class
26:27 WHYBLT, Christopher?  Company of Heroes (Frederick Wiedmann)
34:52 2013 Year in Preview: Studio Ghibli
34:38 2013 Year in Preview: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Smurfs 2, Dogakobo
47:05 2013 Year in Preview: Epic, Stardriver, Despicable Me 2
54:58 2013 Year in Preview: The Croods, Turbo
67:44 2013 Year in Preview: Frozen, Planes
76:23 2013 Year in Preview: Monsters University
79:40 2013 better than 2012?
84:36 Wrapping it up


Music Selections


00:09 "Agnes - The Unicorn Song" Despicable Me by Pharrell
09:26 "The Adventures of Tintin" (The Adventures of Tintin) by John Williams
09:37 "Jack and Isabelle" (Jack the Giant Slayer)) by John Ottman
16:49 "Fairy Tale-Going Home" (The Princess and the Frog) by Randy Newman
19:09 "200 Years Ago On An Icy Planet" (Dead Space 3) by James Hannigan
21:35 "Oz The Great and Powerful" (Oz The Great and Powerful) by Danny Elfman
31:45 "Frankenstein's Monster" (X-Men First Class) by Henry Jackman
33:40 "Smash and Grab" (The Croods) by Alan Silvestri
41:33 "Swallow Falls" (Cloud with a Chance of Meatballs) by Mark Mothersbaugh
51:08 "Despicable Me" (Despicable Me) by Pharrell
69:57 "Paperman" (Paperman) by Christophe Beck
85:30 "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (Cloudy/Meatballs) by Leslie Gore
87:02 "Polkadot Afro Circus (Remix)" (Madagascar 3)

Additional Notes:

The Rotoscopers Official Website
Subscribe toThe Animation Addicts (Podcast)
Follow: The Rotoscopers (@therotoscopers)

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Composing Bioshock with Garry Schyman and Emily Ridgway

With the imminent release of BIOSHOCK INFINITE, Gametrailers presents this 20 minute look at the music for BIOSHOCK.  They speak with composer Garry Schyman as well as audio director, Emily Ridgeway.  If you want a quick history of the unforgettable music of the Bioshock franchise, then take a few minutes and immerse yourself in part 1 which covers Bioshock and Bioshock 2.

SoundCast Ep. 58 - 2013 Year In Preview (Video Game Edition)

Sophia Tong, Editor-in-Chief at GamesRadar, and host of SoundRadar, joins Christopher, Marius, Richard and Edmund to take a look at what video game scores the year of 2013 has in store for us.  They discuss some of the many upcoming indie-games on the horizon as well as the big, AAA, games...including those that have released unseasonably early.   Everyone shares "What They Have Been Listening To" as well as sidetracking on the latest Humble Bundle release and the first preview of M83 and Joseph Trapanese's score for Oblivion.

Episode Highlights


00:00 Fifty FPS Forest (Scoreman Retro-Remix)
00:30 Welcome and Intros
08:11 WHYBLT. Marius? Sim City, Jack the Giant Slayer
16:22 WHYBLT, Edmund? Warm Bodies
17:49 WHYBLT, Richard? Shadow of the Colossus, Deus Ex: Human Revolution (again)
20:22 WHYBLT,Sophia? Ni No Kuni, Tomb Raider, Sim City
26:27 WHYBLT, Christopher?  Company of Heroes (Frederick Wiedmann)
30:11 SIDETRACK: The New Humble Bundle
34:38 2013 Year in Preview: Indie Game Scores
46:29 2013 Year in Preview: AAA Game Scores
96:18 Will 2013 be better than 2012?


Music Selections


00:09 " Fifty FPS Forest" (Fastfall: Dustforce) by Lifeformed
07:44 "03 Building the Foundation" (SimCity) by Chris Tilton
09:37 "Jack and Isabelle" (Jack the Giant Slayer)) by John Ottman
19:37 "Icarus" (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) by Michael McCann
20:35 "Morning of Beginning" (Ni No Kuni) by Joe Hisaishi
22:27 "Infiltrating the Bunker"(Tomb Raider) by Jason Graves
45:35 "Dune Storm" (Catacomb Snatch) by C418
47:31 "Virtual Reality (High)" (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) by Jamie Christopherson
50:00 "200 Years Ago On An Icy Planet" (Dead Space 3) by James Hannigan
52:15 "Main Theme" (Aliens: Colonial Marines) by Kevin Riepl
59:38 "Restless" (Gear of War 3) by Steve Jablonsky
62:25 "Arrival" (Battle LA) by Brian Tyler
64:44 "Bioshock Main Theme" (Bioshock) by Garry Schymann
73:39 "Suite from Star Trek" (Star Trek) by Michael Giacchino
81:20 "Conviction Main Theme" (Splinter Cell: Conviction) by Michael Nielsen, Kaveh Cohen
82:55 "Main Theme" (Assassins Creed III) by Lorne Balfe
86:16 "Besieged Village" (Castlevania: Lord of Shadows) by Oscar Araujo
93:37 "Arrival" (Halo 3) by Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori
100:30 "Retreat" (Aliens: Colonial Marines) by Kevin Riepl

Additional Notes:

Visit GamesRadar
Subscribe to SoundRadar
Follows Sophia Tong (@sophiatong)

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Jesper Kyd Talks with NBC News On Scoring Video Games

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Composer Jesper Kyd (Darksiders 2, Borderlands 2, Assassins Creed) talks with NBC News about his music and how a video game score has relevance and importance outside of the game itself.  It's nice to see Jesper get some airtime!

If you haven't listened to his score for Darksiders 2, do yourself a favor and check it out now.

Matt Uelmen (Torchlight II) Full Interview - Genius Choice Vote (2012 Cue Awards)

This is the full interview with Genius Choice Vote winner for The 2012 Marius Award, Matt Uelmen, who won for his original score for the video game, Torchlight II (Runic Games).  An excerpt of this interview was presented, in part, in episode 58 of The SoundCast.

The Genius Choice Vote is the "people's choice" branch of The Cue Awards.  While the inaugural, official Marius Award went to Lifeformed (Terence Lee) for his score for Fastfall: Dustforce, the Genius Choice voter selected Matt Uelmen.

See all of the winners or listen to the 2012 Cue Awards/ Genius Choice Vote Winners at
http://cueawards.com

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SoundCast 57 - 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winners

Jeremy Meyers join the team to reveal all of the winners from this year's Genius Choice Vote!  We are joined by special guest, composer Matt Uelmann (Torchlight II)! WHYBLT? is back as well as Sidetracks, where we discuss John Williams apparent interest in scoring the next Star Wars film and lastly we talk about (or become) the Oscar Whiners.


Episode Highlights


00:00 Genius, sheer genius...
00:45 Welcome and Intros
03:20 WHYBLT? Jack the Giant Slayer, A Good Day to Die Hard, Evil Dead, Transformers
09:35 WHYBLT? Onimusha, Tron Uprising, Mirrors Edge
14:15 WHYBLT? In Country, Emporer
20:20 Sidetracks:  John Williams wants to score the next Star Wars?
33:38 Sidetracks: Oscar Whiners
46:01 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Dramatic Score
47:56 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Record Label of the Year
48:40 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Animated Score
50:04 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Television Score
51:41 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Surprise of the Year
53:34 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Action Score
55:00 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: The Monkey King Award
57:00 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Cue
59:27 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Video Game Score
60:28 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Breakout Composer of the Year
62:05 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Most Memorable Theme
64:14 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: The Marius Award
65:23 Interview with Composer Matt Uelmen (Torchlight II)
79:33 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Composer of the Year
81:00 2012 Genius Choice Vote Winner: Best Overall Score
83:21 Genius comments and upcoming episodes


Music Selections


00:00 "With A Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker
03:27 "Jack and Isabelle" (Jack the Giant Slayer) by John Ottman
05:55 "McClane's Brain" (A Good Day to Die Hard) by Marco Beltrami
10:35 "戦慄の教師" (Battle Royale) by Masamichi Asano
12:16 "Beck's Theme" (Tron: Uprising) by Joesph Trapanese
14:57 "Distant Memories"(In Country) by James Horner
17:57 "Time is Running Out" (Emporer) by Alex Heffes
21:12 "The Dune Sea Of Tatooine-Jawa Sandcrawler" (Star Wars IV) by John Williams
32:26 "The Pit Of Carkoon-Sail Barge Assault" (Star Wars VI) by John Williams
40:27 "Main Title (I Had A Farm In Africa)" Out of Africa by JOhn Barry
43:03 "God Storm" (Life of Pi) by Mychael Danna
46:36 "Leaving India" (Life of Pi) by Mychael Danna
49:01 "Merida's Home" (Brave) by Patrick Doyle
51:59 "Awakening" Halo 4) by Neil Davidge
53:53 "My Dear Frodo" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
55:14 "Man of Destiny" (Unmei No Hito ) by Naoki Sato
57:18 "Overhill" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
59:42 "Threshold" (Journey) by Austin Wintory
60:52 "The Impossible Main Title" (The Impossible) by Fernando Velasquez
62:31 "Misty Mountains" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
64:31 "Torchlight II Title Theme" (Torchlight II) by Matt Uelmann
78:40 "Torchlight II Title Theme" (Torchlight II) by Matt Uelmann
81:31 "Roast Mutton (Extended)" (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) by Howard Shore
91:55 "With A Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker

Additional Notes:

The full interview with composer Matt Uelmen will be released in a separate bonus episode!

The Official Cue Awards Tumblr

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