Bonus SoundCast - Remembering James Horner

Bonus - The Soundcast Remembers James Horner

The Soundcast and Tracksounds team come together to talk about composer James Horner.  The team has a bit of a group therapy session as they share their own stories of the first time they each took note of the name, "James Horner," their thoughts on his lasting legacy in the film music genre, the score that epitomizes James Horner's work.  The main points of discussion are divided by clips from some of James Horner's lesser known, yet no less compelling, works.

Episode Highlights

00:00 — Introduction
04:22 — Hearing the bad news
10:09 — Our first James Horner score
21:48 — James Horner's place in history
34:23 — Some personal stories
41:22 — The epitome of James Horner
08:51 — Introduction to special tribute
36:08 — Close

Music Selections

00:00 — "There's No Goodbye ... Only Love" (Perfect Storm) by James Horner
19:48 — "A Far Away Time" (To Gillian on her 37th Birthday) by James Horner
33:35 — "Time Brings All Things To Light ... I Trust It So" (All The King's Men) by James Horner
40:15 — "Fresh Water" (Black Gold) by James Horner
52:33 — "Fallen Friends" (In Country) by James Horner

Support Tracksounds:


Most of the  soundtracks mentioned in this episode can be found at Amazon.  Your purchases through these links help us to keep on keepin' on!  Thank You!

Buy Soundtracks at Amazon.com

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Soundcast Ep. 74 - Summer Catch Up

Ep. 74 - Summer Catch Up

The Soundcast crew reconvenes with guest, Kristen Romanelli (Film Score Monthly), to get caught up on the first half of the Summer of 2014 big movies and big move scores:  The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Edge of Tomorrow.

Episode Highlights

00:00 - Summer Catch-Up Mix
00:55 - Welcome to the Summer
08:10 - Feelings about the first-half of the Summer
13:22 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2
25:00 - Godzilla
44:30 - X-Men: Days of Future Past
60:39 - Maleficent
72:45 - Edge of Tomorrow
86:17 - What's left of the Summer
96:00 - Find and Follow

Music Selections

00:00 - "There He Is" (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) by Hans Zimmer
00:25 - "I'm Spider-Man" (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) by Hans Zimmer
13:45 - "I'm Electro" (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) by Hans Zimmer
20:27 - "The Electro Suite" (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) by Hans Zimmer
25:01 - "Godzilla!" (Godzilla) by Alexandre Desplat
29:57 - "Golden Gate Chaos" (Godzilla) by Alexandre Desplat
44:08 - "The Future (Main Titles)" (X-Men: Days of Future Past) by John Ottman
45:01 - "Hope" (X-Men: Days of Future Past) by John Ottman
46:15 - "Time" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer
46:58 - "Hope" (X-Men: Days of Future Past) by John Ottman
47:37 - "Time in a Bottle" (X-Men: Days of Future Past) by John Croce
56:26 - "Time's Up (Orig. Version)" (X-Men: Days of Future Past) by John Ottman
58:54 - "Time's Up (Film Version)" (X-Men: Days of Future Past) by John Ottman
60:40 - "Maleficent Suite" (Maleficent) by James Newton Howard
66:38 - "Maleficent is Captured" (Maleficent) by James Newton Howard
72:54 - "Angel of Verdun" (Edge of Tomorrow) by Christophe Beck
98:47 - "The Queen of Faerieland" (Maleficent) by James Newton Howard

Notes:

Follow Kristen Romanelli on Twitter - @kbfornow

Support Tracksounds:

Most of the  soundtracks mentioned in this episode can be found at Amazon.  Your purchases through these links help us to keep on keepin' on!  Thank You!

Buy Soundtracks at Amazon.com

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Soundcast Ep. 71 - 2014 Film Music Preview

Episode 71 - 2014 Film Music Preview

Allison Loring who recently published the article "The 15 Most Anticipated Movie Soundtracks and Scores of 2014" at FilmSchoolRejects.com and Kristen Romanelli (Film Score Monthly) join, Christopher, Marius, Helen, Richard and Edmund to talk about what 2014 potentially holds for the soundtrack-genius.  We also get into WHYBLT? for the first time in 2014.

Episode Highlights

00:00 - 2014 Preview Mix and Intro
06:30 - WHYBLT? Harwood, Hoffman, Olaf, Monuments, Kanbee, Kantelinen
16:50 - How to contact us
18:12 - 2014 Film Music Preview
94:54 - Where to find out more about 2014 film score releases
95:38 - The wrap up

Music Selections

00:00 - "Police Academy Acceptance" (Ride Along) by Christopher Lennertz
00:42 - "Crazy Cody" (Ride Along) by Christopher Lennertz
06:49 - "Toccata Capricciosa, Op. 36 (Rozsa)" (Composing Without the Picture) by Richard Harwood
10:13 - "Whiteout" (Frozen) by Christophe Beck
11:40 - "Opening Titles" (The Monuments Men) by Alexandre Desplat
14:42 - "Hercules and Hebe" (The Legend of Hercules) by Tuomas Kantelinen
17:51 - "Police Academy Acceptance" (Ride Along) by Christopher Lennertz
20:59 - "Title Card" (Robocop) by Pedro Brommfman
26:25 - "The Chimes at Midnight" (The Best Marigold Hotel) by Thomas Newman
43:45 - "On Its Head" (Moneyball) by Mychael Danna
46:37 - "Trailer Music" (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) by Hans Zimmer
60:35 - "Test Drive" (How To Train Your Dragon) by John Powell
62:49 - "Autobots" (Transformers) by Steve Jablonsky
71:45 - "Aletheia's Last Vision" (God of War: Ascension) by Tyler Bates
88:15 - "Following Frankie" (People Like Us) by A.R. Rahman
98:50 - "Police Academy Acceptance" (Ride Along) by Christopher Lennertz
91:44 - ""Beyond the Forest" (TH: The Desloation of Smaug SE) by Howard Shore

Support Tracksounds:

Most of the  soundtracks mentioned in this episode can be found at Amazon.  Your purchases through these links help us to keep on keepin' on!  Thank You!

Buy Soundtracks at Amazon.com



Other notes:


Read Alisson Loring's "The 15 Most Anticipated Movie Soundtracks and Scores of 2014"

Follow Allison Loring on Twitter

Follow Kristen Romanelli on Twitter

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Oblivion (Soundtrack) by Joseph Trapanese and Anthony Gonzales (Review)

Duoblivion

Review by Helen San

OBLIVION is a visually stunning sci-fi blockbuster about drone repair personnel on a post-apocalyptic earth, with enough mind-bending plot twists to give Phillip K. Dick a run for his money. Billing Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, and Morgan Freeman (it’s mostly just Tom Cruise), the film’s scene-stealing star was actually its breathtaking CGI cinematography. And where you have beautiful images, you must have beautiful music.

I’ll be honest. I am not a big fan of forays into film music by electronic bands. Didn’t much care for FIGHT CLUB by DUST BROTHERS. Definitely didn’t swoon over HANNA by THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS. When TRON: LEGACY director Joseph Kosinski recruited the French electronic band DAFT PUNK to compose the score, film music fans like myself were skeptical. On one hand, the Tron franchise wears the mystique of avant garde electronica quite well. On the other hand—memories of THE SOCIAL NETWORK by Nine Inch Nails (ahem, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) still make me shudder.

But TRON: LEGACY turned out to be a fantastic and eminently listenable score. DAFT PUNK had some chops. And they had arrangement help from a classically trained composer, JOSEPH TRAPANESE. So when I sat down to listen to a score to another Kosinski film, by a French electronic band (M83), with Trapanese as co-composer, I was rightly hopeful. M83’s OBLIVION is every bit as enjoyable as TRON: LEGACY, and then some. 

As a reviewer, I would be remiss if I didn’t see a pattern emerging: Kosinski and Trapenese. Kosinki seems to have an intuitive talent for directing good music for his screens; he knows how to pick them and shape them. And Trapanese knows how to marry electronic music to orchestral arrangements for film like nobody’s business. What they give us is the kind of collaborative genius that makes for a darn good soundtrack.

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SoundCast Episode 63 - Pacific Rim

Episode 63 - Pacific Rim

Kristen Romanelli joins Christopher, Marius, and Helen to talk about Guillermo del Toro's latest film PACIFIC RIM and composer Ramin Djawadi's energetic score.  Each shares what they've been listening to lately and we dive into some listerner feedback from iTunes.

Episode Highlights

00:27 - Intro and Welcome...back
03:30 - Listener Feedback from iTunes
06:21 - Reach out and TuneIn
08:02 - WHYBLT? Turbo, Green Lantern Vol. 2, Skyrim, The Fountain
13:13 - WHYBLT? Lone Ranger, World War Z, Mama
17:23 - WHYBLT? The Wolverine, White House Down
20:51 - Pacific Rim: Movie Talk (spoilers)
27:00 - Pacific Rim: What We Liked (spoilers)
40:24 - Pacific Rim: What We Didn't Like (spoilers)
55:16 - Pacific Rim: How Score Worked in Film
61:54 - Pacific Rim: How Score Works on CD and Ranking
68:51 - Pay Money and Brand Awareness

Music Selections

00:00 - "Pacific Rim" (Pacific Rim) by Ramin Djawadi
08:33 - "Supersnail" (Turbo) by Henry Jackman
09:08 - "Igniting Ceremony" (Green Lantern/Animated Vol 2) by Fredrick Wiedmann
11:37 - "Dragonborn" (Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim) by Jeremy Soule
13:20 - "Absurdity" (The Lone Ranger) by Hans Zimmer
14:27 - "Philadelphia" (World War Z) by Marco Beltrami
17:32 - "A Walk in the Woods" (The Wolverine) by Marco Beltrami
18:42 - "Birdfeeder" (White House Down) by Thomas Wander & Harald Kloser
20:20 - "We Are The Resistence" (Pacific Rim) by Ramin Djawadi
54:43 - "For My Family" (Pacific Rim) by Ramin Djawadi
56:28 - "2500 Tons of Awesome" (Pacific Rim) by Ramin Djawadi
65:25 - "Driving with the Top Down" (Iron Man) by Ramin Djawadi
71:36 - "Pacific Rim" (Pacific Rim) by Ramin Djawadi

Other notes:

Kristen Romanelli
Twitter.com/watcherjunior

Support Tracksounds:

Buy the PACIFIC RIM soundtrack at Amazon.com
Buy the THE WOLVERINE soundtrack at Amazon.com
Buy the THE LONE RANGER soundtrack at Amazon.com
Buy the WHITE HOUSE DOWN soundtrack at Amazon.com
Buy the WORLD WAR Z soundtrack at Amazon.com
Buy the TURBO soundtrack at Amazon.com

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SoundCast Bonus: Talking Top 10 James Newton Howard Scores

Bonus Episode:  Talking Top 10 James Newton Howard Scores

Christopher Coleman and Helen meet, face-to-face, for the first time and discuss Christopher's Top 10 scores from the prolific composer, James Newton Howard.


Episode Highlights:


00:31 Intro and sitting down with Helen San
04:12 Top 10, 9, 8, 7 and Helen Hatin' on M. Night.
11:17 Top 6, 5, 4 - Newton Howard and Kevin Costner
15:55 Top 3, 2, 1 -
32:02 Helen's Picks
34:18 After Earth, "the dip," Green Lantern
37:59 Wrapping it up


Music Selections:

00:00 "Horn of Plenty" (The Hunger Games) by James Newton Howard
00:57 "Gnomeo & Juliet" (Gnome & Juliet) by James Newton Howard
03:34 "Beautiful" (King Kong) by James Newton Howard
04:47 "Noah Visits" (The Village) by James Newton Howard
06:46 "The Great Eatlon" (Lady in the Water) by James Newton Howard
08:20 "The Egg Travels"(Dinosaur) by James Newton Howard
09:47 "Visions" (Unbreakable) by James Newton Howard
11:23 "Main Titles" (Signs) by James Newton Howard
13:27 "Main Title" (Wyatt Earp) by James Newton Howard
14:22 "Main Titles" (The Postman) by James Newton Howard
16:02 "Flow Like Water" (The Last Airbender) by James Newton Howard
28:08 "End Titles" (Snow Falling on Cedars) by James Newton Howard
36:05 "Drone Dogfight" (Green Lantern) by James Newton Howard
38:29 "Visions" (Unbreakable) by James Newton Howard



Helen's additional picks:

1. RESTORATION. One of my fav JNHs. I used to listen to this cue (Fire) ALL the time. This rivals Flow Like Water.
http://youtu.be/Xr3Wo1-u5DM

2. PRINCE OF TIDES. Sweeping romantic. I forget how versatile he is.
http://youtu.be/mJVEPxGN8jY

3. DAVE. Again, versatile.
http://youtu.be/bKhFa-4Je9w


Helen's Honorable mentions:

OUTBREAK.
http://youtu.be/a5OdcdYZtMs

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN
http://youtu.be/Ol55atpyCes

DEFIANCE
http://youtu.be/hhfy7VkR3ws

MICHAEL CLAYTON
http://youtu.be/MGZTrE070tk

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SoundCast: Les Misérables (Bonus Episode)

Bonus Episode:  Les Misérables

Christopher Coleman and Helen San tackle the latest incarnation of Les Misérables by director Tom Hooper, which is currently raking in the accolades and bucks! Do they love it? Hate it? Is it getting so much praise because of what the movie offers or because of Victor Hugo's powerful story and Schönberg and Boublil's unforgettable music?


Episode Highlights:

00:30 Opening and Welcome
02:48 Our History of Musicals and Les Mis
10:00 What we were expecting from this film
11:45 Reacting to the film and it's music (spoilers)
16:15 Actor by Actor
23:47 Movie or Musical and Hiring Stars
30:24 Evaluating this as "a film"
44:07 How about the official soundtrack release?
47:05 The new song: "Suddenly"
51:26 Final thoughts and close
08:48 The score. Where's the point?


Music Selections:

00:00 "The Bishop" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil
00:50 "At The End Of The Day" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil
16:00 "Look Down" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil
18:04 "Valjean's Soliloquy" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil
21:48 "Master Of The House" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil
24:46 "In My Life - A Heart Full Of Love" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil
47:05 "Suddenly" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil
52:46 "Epilogue" (Les Misérables) by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil


Additional Notes:
Watch the 25th Anniversary Concert in full on Youtube
Watch the 2000, 2-Part Series on Netflix Watch Instantly
Buy or Rent Les Miserables: The 25th Anniversary Concert [Blu-ray] (2010) from Amazon
Buy the Original Soundtrack from Les Miserables: The Musical Phenomenon at Amazon
Buy the Les Miserables Complete Symphonic Recording at Amazon
Buy the 1998 Les Miserables Blu Ray (Liam Neeson) at Amazon


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SoundCast Ep. 51 - The Return of Star Wars!

Episode 51: The Return of Star Wars!

Erik Woods (Cinematic Sound) and Jeremy Meyers (Deeper Context) join Helen, Marius, Chris, and Edmund to talk about the newly announced Star Wars films and who they hope to see score them. Could John Williams return?  Is Michael Giacchino the next, most logical choice?  And what about Hans Zimmer? (Dun dun dun!)

Episode Highlights

00:00 "I always said I wasn't going to do any more..."

00:49 Welcome and Intros

03:08 Reaction to George Lucas' big annnouncements

13:12 Will JOhn Williams return?

25:50 Is Michael Giacchino on deck?

31:15 Who we'd like to see announced as composer

58:20 What about a video game composer?

62:50 Some REALLY outside-of-the-box picks

76:31 Conclusion

Music Selections

00:00 "Tales Of A Jedi Knight-Learn About The Force" (Star Wars: A New Hope) by JOhn Williams

25:55 "Colditz Castle" (Medal of Honor) by Michael Giacchino

34:47 "Main Theme" (The Last Starfighter) by Craig Safan

36:43 "Peace, The Jedi Consular" (Star Wars: The Old Republic) by Mark Griskey, Gordy Haab et al

39:00 "The Battle of Dark Versus Light" (Vol. 1) by Two Steps from Hell

41:53 "Flight to the Wasteland" (Final Fantasy) by Elliot Goldenthal

52:34 "Finale" (Tron: Legacy) by Daft Punk

55:26 "Fight!" (Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) by Grant Kirkhope

79:19 "The Throne Room-End Title"  (Star Wars: A New Hope) by John Williams

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Quick-Click Reviews: Volume 24

Volume 24 of our Quick-Reviews is the first in nearly 10 years!  We figured you'd waited long enough.  With the re-introduction of these "straight to the point" reviews for the busy, multitasking, soundtrack-geniuses out there, we bring your four brand new reviews.  All four reviews are conveniently contained on one page.  One click...four reviews.

Here's what you'll find in Volume 24:


BATTLESHIP by Steve Jablonsky
Review by Richard Buxton
5/10

"Guilty pleasure is an apt way of describing many a JABLONSKY score in recent years, and for some, BATTLESHIP is possibly the guiltiest of them all."

BRAVE HEARTS UMIZARU by Naoko Sato
Review by Richard Buxton
8/10

"SATO’S music for the series is of a more of a Retro Remote control variety, favouring bold and exciting themes reminiscent of the 90’s Media Ventures scores. "

ELYSIUM by Jo Blankenburg
Review by Christopher Coleman
8/10

"Elysium features the sort of music that is all too rare, because fewer and fewer feature films allow such unabashed emotion to be demonstrated in their associated scores. "

ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT by John Powell
Review by Helen San
6/10

"The kinetic punch isn’t in enough tracks to overcome the more pedestrian and quirky listening experience in the rest of the album."

MAKE ONE CLICK, GET FOUR REVIEWS

SoundCast 47 - Streaming Prometheus & Soundtracking Best Practices

Ep. 47 - "Streaming Prometheus" & Soundtracking Best Practices

Composer Sascha Dikiciyan and Jeremy Meyers (Deeper Context) join the SoundCast crew to react to the "early" release of Marc Streintenfeld and Harry Gregson-Williams' score for PROMETHEUS on iTunes.  The episode 0 release of TRON: UPRISING doesn't escape their critical gaze as well.  "What Have You Been Listening To?" is back and finally, the crew discusses "SOUNDTRACKING: BEST PRACTICES" and dive into what sites, apps and tools they use to enjoy their soundtracks.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Soundcastify
00:44 Intro and Welcome
04:11 SIDETRACKS:  STAR TREk: THE MOTION PICTURE Score Supreme!
08:34 SIDETRACKS:  Fox releases PROMETHEUS early on iTunes
27:01 SIDETRACKS:  TRON: UPRISING Episode 0 "Beck"
34:16 WHYBLT: In Time, Avengers, Diablo III, Indy Game: The Movie
40:17 WHYBLT: The Matrix Trilogy, Men in Black 3, Ed Wood
49:59 WHYBLT: Avalon, Flight of the Navigator, Avengers, Catacomb Snatch
59:22 Soundtracking: Spotify, Grooveshark, Last.FM. Pandora, Rdio, Deezer, SoundCloud
85:44 Soundtracking: Tomahawk; Subscriptions versus Purchasing
89:20 Soundtracking: Bandcamp, CDBaby, Reverbnation, used CDs, emusic, amazon

Music Selections

00:00 "Double Rainbow" via Songify by The Gregory Brothers
04:02 "The Enterprise" (Star Trek - The Motion Picture) by Jerry Goldsmith
09:54 "A Planet" (Prometheus) by Marc Streitenfeld
34:53 "Mother Times Out" (In time) by Craig Armstrong
35:53 "New Tristam" (Diablo III) by Russell Brower
39:21 "A Glow You Know" (Indy Game: The Movie) by Jim Guthrie
40:27 "Bow Whisk Orchestra" (The Matrix) by Don Davis
45:37 "Ed Wood" (Ed Wood by Howard Shore
50:11 "Nine Sisters" (Avalon) by Kenji Kawai
51:53 "The Ship Beckons" (Flight of the Navigator by Alan Silvestri
53:46 "Hellicarrier" (The Avengers) by Alan Silvestri
57:40 "Enforcer Brittanica" (Catacomb Snatch) by C418 and Anosou
99:15 "Mummy F--er" (Catacomb Snatch) by C418 and Anosou


Support The SoundCast and purchase these soundtracks through Amazon!

 PROMETHEUS
 THE AVENGERS
 IN TIME
 THE MATRIX (DELUXE EDITION)
 MEN IN BLACK 3
 ED WOOD
 AVALON

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Music from the Twilight Saga - Review

Breaking: Twilight Dawn’s New Moon Eclipse
Review by Helen San

Once in a while, Hollywood finds a product so compelling it overwhelmingly crushes all competition—sequel after sequel after sequel. The TWILIGHT juggernaut is the new gift that keeps on giving. It’s already made over $2 billion so far (yes, that’s billion with a B), so it is no wonder that TWILIGHT products keep coming out every time you turn your head. Shortly on the heels of the last TWILIGHT compilation (MUSIC FROM THE TWILIGHT SAGA FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA) comes this one: MUSIC FROM THE TWILIGHT SAGA. With music from all four existing films, this one is released by Silva Screen Records, the king of compilation albums. As usual for Silva, the recordings were made with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. If you’re familiar with work by both Silva and the City of Prague Philharmonic, you’ll know the quality is solid. Yes, there are probably better orchestras in the world, but I’ve never felt the need to complain about Prague.

The four film scores in the TWILIGHT SAGA are:

1. TWILIGHT by CARTER BURWELL
2. NEW MOON by ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
3. ECLIPSE by HOWARD SHORE
4. BREAKING DAWN I by CARTER BURWELL

It is widely known that I gush over CARTER BURWELL scores, so having two melancholic, romantic BURWELL scores in the same compilation is going to get me all tingly. Throw in DESPLAT’s incredible NEW MOON theme, and almost anything written by HOWARD SHORE, and I’m doing a happy dance even before I hear it. There, bias disclosed.

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SoundCast Ep. 43 - 2011 Cue Award Winners!

Episode 43 - 2011 Cue Award Winners!

2011 CUE AWARD SHOW. At long last, the winners are finally revealed and exclusively in this special episode. You won't want to miss our special composer guests who join us to accept their awards on air!

Support The SoundCast and get the original 2011 Cue Awards Theme, "Cue the Orchestra" by Marius Masalar

Episode Highlights

00:37 Welcome to the 2011 Cue Awards/ How it works.
04:27 Best Score as Heard on Soundtrack *
11:14 Surprise of the Year
12:18 Record Label of the Year
13:16 Best Score for Television *
22:51 Best Score as Heard in Film/Media
24:03 Best Cue as Heard in Film/Media
25:19 Best Cue as Heard on Soundtrack *
31:34 Best Score for Drama *
35:02 Best Score for Animated Film
36:27 Breakout Composer of the Year
38:05 Best Score for Video Game *
43:14 Best Score for Action Film
45:17 Most Memorable Theme
51:08 Composer of the Year
56:07 Final Thoughts

* Composer live acceptance speech


Music Selections

00:00 "Cue the Orchestra" (2011 Cue Awards) by Marius Masalar
04:54 "A World Without End" (Priest) by Christopher Young
11:45 "Opening Credits" (La Sombra Prohibida: La Herencia Valdemar 2) by Arnau Bataller
13:41 "Time is Moving" (Doctor Who: Series 6) by Murray Gold
23:22 "Ancient China- Story of Shen" (Kung Fu Panda 2) by Hans Zimmer and John Powell
24:34 "To Jotunheim" (Thor) by Patrick Doyle
25:52 "Dance For Me Wallis" (W.E.) by Abel Korzeniowski
31:55 "Charmes Cartier Montage" (W.E.) by Abel Korzeniowski
35:22 "More Cannons!" Kung Fu Panda 2) by Hans Zimmer and John Powell
36:41 "Waltz For Peppy" (The Artist) by Ludovic Bource
38:07 "Titus' Theme" (Warhammer 40k: Space Marine) by Cris Velasco, Sascha Dikiciyan
43:46 "Cthulhu" (La Sombra Prohibida: La Herencia Valdemar 2) by Arnau Bataller
45:52 "First Class" (X-Men: First Class) by Henry Jackman
60:43 "Cue the Orchestra" (2011 Cue Awards) by Marius Masalar

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SoundCast Ep. 42 - 2011 Cue Award Nomination Show

Episode 42 - 2011 Cue Award Nomination Show


New Tracksounds reviewer, Edmund Meinerts joins Christopher, Marius, Helen, Tom and Richard to proudly announce the official Cue Award Nominees for 2011.  Every nominee from all fourteen award categories are revealed.  Not only that, but you also get immediate reaction and discussion to each category.  What other award show does that?


Episode Highlights

00:00 — Opening Montage and Welcome to Edmund Meinerts
03:45 — Cue Award Categories
05:10 — Suprise of the Year
10:30 — Breakout Composer of the Year
15:16 — Best Cue as Heard on Soundtrack
18:27 — Best Cue as Heard on Film/Media
23:12 — Best Score for Television
28:44 — Best Score for Animated Film
34:03 — Best Score for Video Game
44:03 — Best Score for Action Film
51:31 — Best Score for Dramatic Film
56:05 — Most Memorable Themes
61:13 — Record Label of the Year
66:39 — Best Score as Heard on Soundtrack
74:14 — Best Score as Heard in Film/Media
79:23 — Composer of the Year
87:12 — What happens next?  How you can vote in the Cue Awards.

Music Selections

00:00 — "The Artist Ouverture" (The Artist) by LUdovic Bource
06:11 — "Valkyrie Run" (Warhammer 40k: Space Marine) by Cris Velasco/ Sascha Dikiciyian
07:01 — "Opening Titles" (La Sombra Prohibida II) by Arnau Bataller
08:01 — "Main Title" (Straw Dogs) by Larry Groupe
09:49 — "Qin Huai Legend I (Falling in Love)" (The Flowers of War) by Chen Qigang
11:50 — "Container Park" (Hanna) by The Chemical Brothers
12:58 — "Happy Pills" (Limitless) by Paul Leonard-Morgan
16:00 — "X-Training" (X-Men: First Class) by Henry Jackman
16:50 — "Cthulhu" (La Sombra Prohibida II) by Arnau Bataller
19:33 — "Main Titles" (Source Code) by Chris Bacon
20:23 — "Ancient China- Story of Shen" (Kung Fu Panda 2) by Zimmer/Powell
21:44 — "To Jotunheim" (Thor) by Patrick Doyle
24:03 — "A Galaxy Divided" (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) by Kevin Kiner
26:50 — "Main Titles" (Camelot) by Mychael and Jeff Danna
29:45 — "Main Titles" (Green Lantern: Emerald Knights) by Christopher Drake
31:28 — "Entering the Cathedral" (El Gran Milagro) by Mark McKenzie
31:52 — "Mars Observers" (Mars Needs Moms) by John Powell
35:14 — "Incident Occurence" (Ni No Kuni) by Joe Hisaishi
36:21 — "Opening Credits" (Deus Ex: Human REvolution) by Michael McCann
38:30 — "Main Menu - And Ever We Fight On" (Killzone 3) by Joris de Man
39:39 — "Sinister Breed" (Crysis 2) by Borislav Slavov and Tilman Sillescu
42:34 — "A Hero's Legacy" (Warhammer 40k: Space Marine) by Cris Velasco/ Sascha
45:06 — "Romanian Wind" (Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows) by Hans Zimmer
48:18 — "The Beginning" (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) by Patrick Doyle
50:27 — "Priest" (Priest) by Christopher Young
52:00 — "Homecoming" (Soul Surfer) by Marco Beltrami
55:13 — "Dartmoor, 1912" (War Horse) by John Williams
57:04 — "George Valentin" (The Artist) by LUdovic Bource
57:44 — "Icarus" (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) by Michael McCann
71:50 — "Dragon Flight" (Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt 2) by Alexandre Desplat
76:54 — "Wandering Jane" (Jane Eyre) by Dario Marianelli
87:34 — "Pretty Peppy" (The Artist) by LUdovic Bource
91:14 — "The Artist Ouverture" (The Artist) by LUdovic Bource

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W.E. (Soundtrack) by Abel Korzeniowski - Review + Audio

Chocolate for the Ears
Review by Helen San

W.E. is a romantic drama about the complicated love story of King Edward VIII and the American woman he abdicated his throne for, Wallis Simpson. The second directorial effort by Madonna, W.E. was her baby. She researched it for years, co-wrote it, cast it, and pored over costuming decisions. Attracted to the melancholy of A SINGLE MAN, she handpicked composer ABEL KORZENIOWSKI (Ah-bell Kohr-shen-yow-ski) for this project.

Told in flashbacks, the film moves back and forth between contemporary and period settings. KORZENIOWSKI wrote a classic, timeless piece that could fit easily in whichever time period it found itself. Madonna was very specific about wanting this score to be more emotional than cerebral; it should be simple enough to connect with audiences easily. She gave explicit instructions to KORZENIOWSKI, a classically trained composer, to not “overthink” it. I think this may have been one of her best decisions on this film. Madonna may not be the greatest actress or film maker. But the woman knows her music and how to sell it.

I’ll cut to the chase. The score moved the heavens out of me. It doesn’t have the sheer, mind-blowing brilliance I heard in BATTLE FOR TERRA or the pure, astounding beauty of A SINGLE MAN. But W.E. reaches right in, grabs my gut, and transports me to every single love story I’ve ever seen, heard, or felt. It is the universal embodiment of the raw, emotional power of romantic love. I daresay it is the most romantic score I’ve ever heard. Yes, ever. Eat your heart out, FRANCIS LAI. You’ve been dethroned, MAURICE JARRE.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE (AUDIO VERSION AVAILABLE)

SoundCast Ep. 40 - 2012 Preview: Ears Will Drool!

Erik Woods of Cinematicsound.net joins the cast to peer into the future and discuss 2012’s upcoming film scores!  Erik gives a tip on how to enjoy Avatar even more and the crew talks about our first Google Hangout for soundtrack geniuses.


Episode Highlights


00:00 — The Way of the Future
00:50 — Welcome and Intro: Erik Wookds (cinematicsound.net)
03:28 — WHYBLT? Taro Iwashiro, Metal Gear Solid, Michael Kamen
08:00 — WHYBLT? Avatar, On the Beach, Pavillion of Women, Lover's Prayer, Signs
15:25 — WHYBLT? The Promise, W.E.
17:33 — WHYBLT? Doctor Who 6, Kingdoms of Amalur, Star Wars: The Old Republic
13:01 — WHYBLT? Haywire, Back to Gaya, Man to Man
24:52 — Sidetrack: "Hanging out on Google Plus"
28:44 — 2012 Film Score Preview
66:37 — How will 2012 compare with 2011?
72:14 — Conclusion


Select Music

00:00 — "Main Title-Trinity Infinity" (The Matrix) by Don Davis
00:20 — "Ontological Shock" (The Matrix) by Don Davis
03:43 — "The Operation Called Unanswerableness" (Isoruku) by Taro Iwashiro
08:04 — "Jake's First Flight" (Avatar) by James Horner
12:27 — "Main Titles" (Signs) by James Newton Howard
16:00 — "Six Hours" (W.E.) by Abel Korzeniowski
17:38 — "Apollo 11" (Doctor Who - Series 6) by Murray Gold
18:21 — "Reckoning Main Theme" (Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning) by Grant Kirkhope
20:07 — "Clash Of Destiny" (Star Wars: The Old Republic) by Mark Griskey, et al
30:19 — "A Dark Knight" (The Dark Knight) by Hans Zimmer
36:46 — "Captain America Main Titles" (Captain America: The First Avenger) by Alan Silvestri
43:17 — "Sab Than Pursues The Princess" (John Carter) by Michael Giacchino
47:59 — "Cornered" (Salt) by James Newton Howard
49:12 — "Swallow Falls" (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs) by Mark Mothersbaugh
51:38 — "Main Titles" (There Be Dragons) by Robert Folk
61:10 — "Saphira's First Flight" (Eragon) by Patrick Doyle
62:00 — "The Expendables" (The Expendables) by Brian Tyler
65:50 — "Opening" (Elizabeth: Golden Age) by Craig Armstrong, A.R. Rahman
74:36 — "Sab Than Pursues The Princess" (John Carter) by Michael Giacchino

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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Soundtrack) by Alberto Iglesias - Review

Old Men Drinking in the Dark
Review by Helen San

Classically trained Spanish composer ALBERTO IGLESIAS has an ethereal, perspicacious style that Hollywood has really taken a liking to. Like actor Antonio Banderas, IGLESIAS has been propelled him into the international spotlight by his close working relationship with acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. Recent years has seen him scoring more and more Hollywood and European artfare, the kind that gets Academy Award nominations. Twice nominated for the Academy Awards before (THE CONSTANT GARDENER and THE KITE RUNNER), IGLESIAS has just been nominated a third time for TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY). He has already won the Hollywood Film Composer Award this year for both TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and Almodóvar’s THE SKIN I LIVE IN.

IGLESIAS’ style is reminiscent of other classical composers like JOHN CORIGLIANO and ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL. He writes abstract, discordant, thorny compositions that pique and provoke, often contrasted against an amorphous, atonal background. When it hits the spot, his music is sheer brilliance. “Los Vestidos Desgarrados” (Track 1) in THE SKIN I LIVE IN, for example, is one of the most mesmerizing and ingenious string cues I’ve ever heard. The problem was, these flashes of genius were few and far between. In both previous Oscar-nominated scores , THE CONSTANT GARDENER and THE KITE RUNNER, IGLESIAS maintained his luminosity and intelligence at a relatively steady pace throughout the albums. This year, in both THE SKIN I LIVE IN and TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, Iglesias’ music has been very uneven.

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The SoundCast - Ep. 38 - M:I - Shooken It Enough!

Episode 38 - M:I - Shooken It Enough!

The crew breaks down MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (the movie and the score) and discuss how it compares to ther previous films. Also, they sidetrack on Shore’s music in THE HOBBIT trailer and the Thomas Newman on SKYFALL bomb!

Episode Highlights

00:21 — Welcome and Happy New Year
01:52 — WHYBLT? - Little Women, Memories of Murder
03:33 — WHYBLT? - Humble Indie Bundle, Baldur's Gate II
06:30 — WHYBLT? - Hugo, Twilight for Chamber Orchestra
08:56 — WHYBLT? - Halo: Combat Evolved
14:43 — WHYBLT? - The Darkest Hour
17:50 — SideTracks: Shore's music in The Hobbit trailer, prequel/sequel scores
25:20 — SideTracks: Thomas Newman Scoring the next James Bond film, Skyfall
35:36 — Main Discussion: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and "pre-yond"
63:47 — Conclusion

Select Music

00:00 — "Theme from Mission: Impossible" (Music Inspired by Mission: Impossible) by Larry Mullen/ Adam Clayton
02:10 — "Orchard House (Main Title)" (Little Women) by Thomas Newman
07:14 — "The Chase" (Hugo) by Howard Shore
07:51 — "Bella's Lullaby" (Twilight/ Chamber Orchestra) by Carter Burwell
10:00 — "Installation 04" (Halo: Combat Evolved) by Martin O'Donnell/ Michael Salvatori
14:46 — "Now What_" (The Darkest Hour) by Tyler Bates
18:08 — "Hymn of the Dwarves" (The Hobbit Trailer) by Howard Shore
35:34 — "Light the Fuse" (M:I - Ghost Protocol) by Michael Giacchino
46:48 — "Railcar Rundown" (M:I - Ghost Protocol) by Michael Giacchino
52:23 — "Nyah and Ethan" (Mission: Impossible 2) by Hans Zimmer
56:47 — "Mission- Impossible - Firebird" (Mission: Impossible - My Life in Music) by Lalo Schifrin
63:59 — "Mood India" (M:I - Ghost Protocol) by Michael Giacchino

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Music from the Twilight Saga for Chamber Orchestra - Review

Team Compilation or Team Original?
Review by Helen San

MUSIC FROM THE TWILIGHT SAGA FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (MTSCO) is a new compilation produced by the label BSX Records (owned by Buy Soundtrax, a retail outlet catering to hardcore soundtrack fans). Right away, you know this album is made for die-hard fans. But in this case, it is geared more toward die-hard fans of the Twilight Saga, known as “twihards”. Yes, you heard right. They’re called twihards.

In case you’ve been living on a deserted island, the Twilight Saga is a series of films based on four books (TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, and BREAKING DAWN) about a young woman named Bella and her love triangle between a vampire named Edward and a werewolf named Jason. The triangle is crux of the legend, with Twilight fandom splitting into two factions: Team Edward and Team Jason. There have been four movies so far, with one more to go. There is one movie per book except for the fourth book. BREAKING DAWN is split into two films (a la HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS), with PART 1 released in November 2011, and PART 2 to be released in November 2012.

The scores for the four released movies are as follows:

1) TWILIGHT by CARTER BURWELL
2) NEW MOON by ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
3) ECLIPSE by HOWARD SHORE
4) BREAKING DAWN, PART 1 by CARTER BURWELL.
(BREAKING DAWN PART 2 will also be by CARTER BURWELL.)

The story is filled with adolescent angst, lovelorn torment, and bittersweet pining. It is a perfect recipe for the kind of beleaguered, romantic melancholy CARTER BURWELL likes to compose. Indeed, twilighters apparently agreed and petitioned for CARTER BURWELL to return to the franchise after the project went to DESPLAT and SHORE for the second and third films respectively. I have to agree that while DESPLAT’s and parts of SHORE’s music were more melodious and easier to listen to, BURWELL’s pain-filled score resonated much better with the emotional core of the saga. It works better in the film. It works better on album to evoke the memories and essence of the Saga.

Book and movie-wise, I am nowhere near being a twihard, or even a regular twilighter. However, as a film music enthusiast, I have found the music compelling enough to spend good money on all four of the original Saga scores. The new titles of the compilation match the originals, track for track. So I was well able to compare this album to the previous works.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

The SoundCast Vault - James Horner and the 80s w/ Doug Adams

So are you loving our "Best of the Decade" series of podcasts?  Believe it or not...as long as they have been, there are bits that don't make the final edit, so to wish you a Happy New Years, we offer you this almost-13 minute section where Doug Adams joins the SoundCast crew to talk about his feelings about James Horner's scores from the 80s.

So if you like these cool bits of edited goodness, please let us know and will crank out more of the same.

As always, you can find our full SoundCast episodes here

And connect with us over on SoundCloud directly!

SoundCast #37 - The 80s: Raiders is 21? Guest: Doug Adams

Episode 37 - The 80s: Raiders is 21?

Doug Adams (The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films) joins the crew to discuss their favorites scores from the decade of the 80s. We read your tweeted faves, play our first voicemail and hit THE GIRL IN THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE HUNGER GAMES, and PROMETHEUS in our WHYBLT and Sidetrack segments.


Episode Highlights

00:00 — 80s Montage
00:38 — Intros and Welcome
02:43 — WHYBLT? (What Have You Been Listening To?): Hugo, Organ music manuals,The Artist
06:08 — WHYBLT? - Skyrim and Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
14:00 — WHYBLT? - W.E. and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
18:35 — WHYBLT? - Arthur Christmas, The Awakening, Moneyball
22:30 — SideTracks: Helen sees and hears Hanna, and runner-up, Drive
26:58 — SideTracks: James Newton Howard on The Hunger Games
32:06 — SideTracks: Marc Streitenfeld on Prometheus
37:42 — SideTracks: 10th anniversary of Fellowship of the Ring
46:22 — Main Discussion: The Best of the 80s


Select Music

03:27 — "The Artist Ouverture" (The Artist) by Ludovic Bource
06:14 — "Theme" (Skyrim) by Jeremy Solule
07:11 — "I Can't Take It Anymore" (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
14:50 — "Romanian Wind" (Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows) by Hans Zimmer
19:03 — "Seeing Through Ghosts" (The Awakening) by Daniel Pemberton
19:46 — "One out away" (Moneyball) by Mychael Danna
20:31 — "The Show" (Moneyball) perf. by Kerris Dorsey
23:27 — "The sandman" (Hanna) by The Chemical Brothers
24:49 — "Skull Crushing" (Drive) by Cliff Martinez
37:47 — "Prologue- One Ring to Rule Them All" (Fellowship of the Ring) by Howard Shore
39:46 — "The Shire" (Fellowship of the Ring) by Howard Shore
45:43 — "The Strength of the Righteous" (The Untouchables) Bill Conti
47:40 — "Anvil Of Crom" (Conan The Barbarian) by Basil Poledouris
48:36 — "Gabriel's Oboe" (The Mission) by Ennio Morricone
50:03 — "The Untouchables" (The Untouchables) by Ennio Morricone
55:55 — "Main Title (I Had A Farm In Africa)" (Out of Africa) by John Barry
60:08 — "Main Theme"(The Last Starfighter) by Craig Safan
61:32 — "Call to Arms" (Glory) by James Horner
63:44 — "To Cairo" (Raiders of the Lost Ark) by John Williams
64:44 — "The Dark Crystal Overture" (The Dark Crystal) by Trevor Jones
66:55 — "Back to the Future" (Back to the Future) by Alan Silvestri
71:20 — "Training Hard" (The Karate Kid) by Bill Conti
77:22 — "Theme from Chariots of Fire" (Chariots of Fire) by Vangelis
83:16 — "The Show" (Moneyball) perf. by Kerris Dorsey

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