Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded (Soundtrack) by Austin Wintory - Review

A Leisurely Listen
by Edmund Meinerts

LEISURE SUIT LARRY: RELOADED is a remake/reboot/belated continuation of an ancient series of point-and-click adventure games about a loser computer programmer in his 40s who experiences a sudden sexual awakening and heads off to the city of Lost Wages (guffaw) in an attempt to seduce any woman who will have him. All very high art, I’m sure. The game got off the ground thanks to a Kickstarter fundraiser started by the original games’ creator, AL LOWE, and it therefore seems surprising that the music for this game comes from none other than AUSTIN WINTORY, fresh off of making history with the first ever Grammy-nominated game score, JOURNEY.

On WINTORY’s Bandcamp page, the score is described as “featuring obsessive use of AL LOWE’s original theme” for the original games. This catchy little tune does indeed crop up in fragments throughout the score and WINTORY gets a lot of mileage out of it, but it’s not nearly as omnipresent as that statement suggests. The entertaining but brief opening cue does immediately presents that theme in its original 8-bit format before adapting it into the dominant style of the rest of the score: big-band jazz. It’s certainly a good match for Larry’s exploits. The score is pretty much a series of stylistic vignettes, with only the LOWE theme and the umbrella genre of jazz acting as anchors; not quite a “theme and variations” score, but in that neck of the woods.

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SoundCast Interview: Austin Wintory (Journey) w/ Exclusive Music

Interview: Austin Wintory (Journey)

Composer Austin Wintory takes us deep into his music for the upcoming Playstation 3 video game, JOURNEY. In addition, We debut 5 exclusive clips from the score. He shares about his greating experience working with ThatGameCompany (flOW, Flower) on the game for some three years. JOURNEY places the player into barren desert and places them on a journey to mountain far in the distance. The player can meet other players on their journey and an work cooperatively, but there is no communication between players.


Episode Highlights

00:39 Introduction: Austin Wintory
04:28 Critical Response to Journey
14:03 ThatGameCompany creates games for non-gamers
23:57 Discussing the Journey theme
35:14 Discussing Excerpt 2 - Plucky stuff, writing for Tina Guo, the scoring process
42:34 Discussing Excerpt 3 - Mysterous vibe, the serpent,
48:35 Discussing Excerpt 4 - The Guo's Waltz, UP+RUDY+ET
57:16 Discussing Excerpt 5 - Musicianship,
59:04 A personal Journey
65:13 Official Soundtrack release and special free fan offer

Music Selections

00:00 Journey (Excerpt 2)
22:17 Journey Theme (Excerpt 1)
33:12 Journey (Excerpt 2)
42:33 Journey (Excerpt 3)
47:24 Journey (Excerpt 4)
56:13 Journey (Excerpt 5)
22:17 Journey Theme (Excerpt 1)

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Journey Trailer - A Musical Journey (Music by Austin Wintory)

Everytime we are afforded another appetizing glimpse at ThatGameCompany's next video game, we are treated to something truly special. I hesitate to even call it a "game" as "interactive art" seems to be a much better description.

Whatever you call it, JOURNEY, continues to amaze in this latest trailer and this time the focus is put on composer AUSTIN WINTORY's enveloping score. It's becoming ever clearer that the developers and composer have taken great pains to make this "interactive art" something truly remarkable...and they haven't minded making us wait for the final product to be as luscious and awe inspiring as possible.

Already the string work heard in this trailer has captured me...and it doesn't hurt that the visuals cause as much curiosity in me as they are satisfying. We then hear some of Tina Guo's lead cello work and, while brief, is as alluring as we'd expect from her.

As much as I loved ThatGameCompany's previous works: FLOWER and flOw (including their respective musical scores), I think JOURNEY is going to be something that goes beyond its predecessors...something very different...something that changes our expectations on what a "gaming" experience can be.

If the final iteration of JOURNEY lives up to the sights and sounds we have in this trailer (and I'm betting that it will), I think we are in for one special sojourn this year.

What do you think of JOURNEY and it's music so far?

SoundCast #23 - Score of the Worlds with guest: Austin Wintory

SoundCast Episode 23:  Score of the Worlds with guest: Austin Wintory

Recorded March 30, 2011
Published April 1, 2011

Composer Austin Wintory joins the SoundCast crew and talks about his latest projects: MAJID and JOURNEY. Richard Buxton also joins the cast for the first time. They all discuss their favorite Alien invasion film scores, including their thoughts on the most recent entry into this sub-genre, BATTLE: LOS ANGELES by Brian Tyler.


Episode Highlights

00:00 — The Aliens Have Arrived!
01:25 — Introductions
10:00 — What we've been listening to
21:55 — Austin Wintory: Majid
31:04 — Austin Wintory: Journey
45:57 — Score of the Worlds - Our Favorite Alien Invasion Film Scores
76:30 — Conclusion

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

10:08 — "Aquarius" (Corpernicus' Star) by Abel Korzeniowski
12:56 — "Main Titles" (Black Beauty) by Danny Elfman
13:59 — "Alice's Theme" (Alice in Wonderland) by Danny Elfman
14:37 — "Rampage" (Crysis 2) by Hans Zimmer, Borislav Slavov, Tilman Sillescu
16:38 — "Mars Needs Moms" (Mars Neesds Moms) by John Powell
17:46 — "Main Title" (Monster Mutt) by Chris Walden
21:24 — "Main Title" (Majid) by Austin Wintory
28:33 — "Larbi" (Majid) by Austin Wintory
35:54 — "TGC Journey Theme" (Journey) by Austin Wintory
46:08 — "Main Title and Mountain Visions" (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) by John Williams
48:29 —  "End Titles" (Independence Day) by David Arnold
51:26 — "Main Titles" (Signs) by James Newton Howard
53:53 — "Resolution & End Title" (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) by John Williams
57:22 — "Klendathu Drop" (Starship Troopers) by Basil Poledouris
58:44 — "Final Battle" (Skyline" by Matthew Margeson
60:27 —  "Battle Los Angeles Hymn" (Battle: Los Angeles) by Brian Tyler
65:10 — "The Drone" (Battle: Los Angeles) by Brian Tyler
77:54 — "Basil By Way of Tommy..." Arranged by Austin Wintory

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SoundCast Episode #7 - Star Trek Roundtable

Episode #7:
Star Trek Roundtable discussion with Marius Masalar and Tom Hoover (Scorenotes.com), Double SoundCast Spotlight: Austin Wintory's Captain Abu Raed, Jermaine Stegall's Enigma + Gametime 2009 Update with Diego Stocco interview tease!

Recorded May 24-26, 2009
Published May 26, 2009

Episode Highlights

00:00 - SoundCast Intro: The Final Frontier
04:45 - New Movies and New Reviews
09:21 - Spotlight: Captain Abu Raed by Austin Wintory
14:28 - Gametime Update!
16:33 - Interview Tease with Diego Stocco (The Conduit)
17:38 - Spotlight #2: Enigman by Jermaine Stegall
23:37 - Star Trek Roundtable Discussion with Marius Masalar and Tom Hoover (ScoreNotes)


Music Clips (Select musical clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 To Boldy Go - Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)
05:00 Paper Mache World - The Soloist (Dario Marianelli)
05:47 Opening - Terminator Salvation (Danny Elfman)
11:18 End Credits - Captain Abu Raed (Austin Wintory)
14:00 Gametime! (downRising)
16:33 The Conduit - Suite (Diego Stocco)
20:20 Main Title - Enigma (Jermaine Stegall)
22:27 Enterprising Young Men - Star Grek (Michael Giacchino)
42:15 The Enterprise - Star Trek The Motion Picture (Jerry Goldsmith)
44:12 End Credits - Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)
47:55 End Credits - Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)
53:33 Star Trek - Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)
54:39 Speed Racer - Speed Racer (Michael Giacchino)
55:55 Star Trek - Labor of Love (Michael Giacchino)

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Austin Wintory's Win's Best New Film Composer

If you have not heard of AUSTIN WINTORY, you better keep an ear open. He has recently won the “Best New Film Composer” award at the first annual Hollywood Music Awards. Also his recent project, CAPTAIN ABU RAED won the Sundance World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic. If you need some convincing of his talents, just check out his official site where there are a few pieces from his award winning effort (plus a whole lot more.) Below is the official press release:

“Best New Film Composer”

Austin Wintory scores Captain Abu Raed

Winner of the Sundance World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic


Los Angeles, CA – Film composer Austin Wintory scores the award-winning feature film, Captain Abu Raed, from director Amin Matalqa. The film, Jordan’s first-ever entry in the Academy Awards’ foreign language film category, premiered in the U.S. at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received the World Cinema Audience Award. In addition, it earned Wintory the title of “Best New Film Composer” at the first annual Hollywood Music Awards. In describing the score, Wintory said, “It's meant to feel like a fable that could be told by any culture on earth, and so the orchestra seemed the best route to accomplish that.”

For Captain Abu Raed, Austin Wintory wanted the score to have a universal appeal. He achieved that by balancing traditional Arabic instruments, such as kanun and tablas, with a rich orchestral palette and Western instruments like sleigh bells and castanets. He recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony and world-renowned vocalist Lisbeth Scott (Passion of the Christ, The Chronicles of Narnia). In addition to earning the “Best New Film Composer” award, Wintory’s score has been recognized as an Oscar contender by the Los Angeles Times.

Austin Wintory’s love of film scores began at the age of ten in Denver, Colo., when he first listened to Jerry Goldsmith’s classic scores for Patton and A Patch of Blue. In high school, he taught himself to compose, orchestrate and conduct, before studying at both New York University and the University of Southern California. Wintory, at the young age of 26, has received accolades for his scores to feature films, short films and videogames, including fl0w, for which he received a BAFTA nomination. He has several upcoming film projects, including the comedy Knuckle Dragger, holiday film Make the Yuletide Gay and dark drama The Sunset Sky.

Captain Abu Raed tells the story of a lonely airport janitor (Nadim Sawalha) whose life changes after he finds a discarded captain’s hat at work and wears it home. When the poor neighborhood children assume he is a real pilot, he forms a friendship with them by weaving fictional stories about the world outside of Amman, Jordan, based on books he has read. As he attempts to make a difference in their lives, Abu Raed faces attacks from Murad (Hussein Al-Sous), a young boy who calls him a liar, and develops a relationship with Nour (Rana Sultan), a real female pilot with troubles of her own. Captain Abu Raed is a story of dreams, friendship, forgiveness, and sacrifice.