A very different story from the last one (Indy), Zimmer's Kung Fu Panda has perfect themes to be listened in the everyday life, but the score didn't really enhance the movie in a particularly awesome way. I do love this though, just because it's a bit different from Zimmer.
The first track, Hero, is a superb strong theme for any day (at least the first half of it). I've listened to it like crazy since I got the soundtrack and still haven't gotten bored of it. The second part of it is a more calm, serene Zimmer which is also a fresh side from his macho themes.
Acutally the whole eastern feel to it suits Zimmer well, he gets to be a little different for a change. There's a lot more softer themes this time, beautiful and peaceful themes, and even the strong and loud themes feel happier than his normal work. Maybe it's because it's an animated film, or because of the setting, I don't know. But I do like it.
Unlike Johnny's Indy, the tracks in Kung Fu Panda aren't too complicated or complex, but of rather simple form. They too are still all over the place, but Zimmer stronger, more attention-seeking style makes them better for standing on their own.
You can hear some of his old manners in the more ominous, action-oriented tracks, such as Tai Lung Escapes. And with that my interest in the tracks goes down as well. Sure they are strong and scary and what not, but the way they demand my attention like a 3-year old child just makes me annoyed. There is a very nice moment in Tai Lung Escapes though, around minute 3, and I do like that he added a little different synthesizer elements in it.
The calm themes are deffinitely the best part of this soundtrack, after Hero that is. There's a lot of emotions in those, a kind of sad serenity. The joyful tracks are also surprisingly fun to listen, it's not something you'd expect with Zimmer's track record.
The shivers -moment of this soundtrack was found from Sacred Pool of Tears, pretty much all the way through it there are moments where I got them, but the first minute was the biggest. The best track of the score after Hero.
I'm a little lazy today so I'll end this one short as well. Mostly because I've listened to these soundtrack a whole lot already, they are no longer new to me. Makes it harder to focus all the way through. But to sum the soundtrack up: Good on its own, good balance of soft, joyful and strong. Zimmer really did a great job with combining chinese and western styles creating a very harmonious and enjoyable mixture of the two. Big minus for the terrible Kung Fu Fighting -cover though.
(HAH! A Lion King moment in The Bridge right before the 2nd minute.)
torstai 25. kesäkuuta 2009
John Williams - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Of course I had to start this blog with Johnny. Sorry for the terrible mind-flow thing that's going on, I haven't yet decided how to do this.
For some reason many people hate the new Indy. Can't understand why myself, I think it's great, but that's not my problem. They certainly can't hate it because of the music, at least I hope so, because the score is a solid work from Johnny, as good as his normal work is. I'm a bit annoyed that the tracks are not in chronological order though, makes comparing the movie experience and the listening experience more difficult.
I wonder who wanted to use the whole Riders March as the first track, if it was Spielberg or Lucas or Johnny himself. Not complaining though, it's still fabulous and a good way to make people remember that it's still the same old Indy we knew and loved.
Call of the Crystal, and the tracks alike, is actually very B sci/fi movie-ish, which is the point of the whole thing (those were popular in the 50s, that's why Indy is against aliens in the 50s). A bit scary too. I like it, it's quite simple yet full of little details, as Johnny's things usually are.
I never notice while watching the movie how upbeat and happy The Adventures of Mutt is. It's downright perky! And so full of everything that it's not really a good track to listen on its own (definitely needs a car chase to the back).
Irina's Theme is surprisingly melancholy, and yet properly ominous. I think I detect a hint of Episode III in the background. The Spell of the Skull had some starwarsian elements in it too, but I like how it turns from concerning to scary and back again.
The tracks on this soundtrack are surprisigly long actually, many over 4 minutes there. Most of it has the Indy-curse I guess, the tracks need a picture behind them to work. Not a lot of themes I could listen in the background while writing or surfing the net. There's also a lot of repetition which makes following through the whole tracks a bit of an effort.
Superb beginning in The Jungle Chase! Probably my favorite track on the whole album, it has a good balance of everything in it. There's no track that would cause shivers though, but for a track to do that the movie has to wake immensly strong feelings in me, and none of the Indy-movies does that, I'm afraid.
I do have to say I'm a little disappointed because the soundtrack isn't too great on it's own. But that's how some of Johnny's themes are, they need a very spesific feeling or moment to work their magic. For me to get to that feeling without the movie is a lot harder than with it, so the tracks without a spesific theme become tedious. They fit the movie perfectly though, drawing so much more out from it that the mere picture would. I guess that's his blessing and his curse -Johnny can make the perfect score that will support the movie in a perfect way so the audience will get the most of it, but on its own the music doesn't get the momentum to sweep me away from this material world.
Hidden Treasure and the City of Gold is a mouthful for a track title, and a mouthful for a track too, but it's one of the better ones on the soundtrack, especially the end is very interesting and demands a second listening. That's really what I want for a track, that it wakes my interest and makes me want to listen to it again and again and again. Strong emotions are also something that a track needs to get out of me for it to be good.
Well this has gone long enough. A good soundtrack with the movie, but unfortunately there's really no tracks that could go with everyday listening. However when Fall comes and the evenings get dark and gloomy I can see myself listening to this while sitting in the dark, getting more afraid with the minute. There's some really beautiful and complex parts in almost every track, but for me to have the energy to listen them through it needs to be a more appropriate moment for this, and a beautiful summer morning is not that.
For some reason many people hate the new Indy. Can't understand why myself, I think it's great, but that's not my problem. They certainly can't hate it because of the music, at least I hope so, because the score is a solid work from Johnny, as good as his normal work is. I'm a bit annoyed that the tracks are not in chronological order though, makes comparing the movie experience and the listening experience more difficult.
I wonder who wanted to use the whole Riders March as the first track, if it was Spielberg or Lucas or Johnny himself. Not complaining though, it's still fabulous and a good way to make people remember that it's still the same old Indy we knew and loved.
Call of the Crystal, and the tracks alike, is actually very B sci/fi movie-ish, which is the point of the whole thing (those were popular in the 50s, that's why Indy is against aliens in the 50s). A bit scary too. I like it, it's quite simple yet full of little details, as Johnny's things usually are.
I never notice while watching the movie how upbeat and happy The Adventures of Mutt is. It's downright perky! And so full of everything that it's not really a good track to listen on its own (definitely needs a car chase to the back).
Irina's Theme is surprisingly melancholy, and yet properly ominous. I think I detect a hint of Episode III in the background. The Spell of the Skull had some starwarsian elements in it too, but I like how it turns from concerning to scary and back again.
The tracks on this soundtrack are surprisigly long actually, many over 4 minutes there. Most of it has the Indy-curse I guess, the tracks need a picture behind them to work. Not a lot of themes I could listen in the background while writing or surfing the net. There's also a lot of repetition which makes following through the whole tracks a bit of an effort.
Superb beginning in The Jungle Chase! Probably my favorite track on the whole album, it has a good balance of everything in it. There's no track that would cause shivers though, but for a track to do that the movie has to wake immensly strong feelings in me, and none of the Indy-movies does that, I'm afraid.
I do have to say I'm a little disappointed because the soundtrack isn't too great on it's own. But that's how some of Johnny's themes are, they need a very spesific feeling or moment to work their magic. For me to get to that feeling without the movie is a lot harder than with it, so the tracks without a spesific theme become tedious. They fit the movie perfectly though, drawing so much more out from it that the mere picture would. I guess that's his blessing and his curse -Johnny can make the perfect score that will support the movie in a perfect way so the audience will get the most of it, but on its own the music doesn't get the momentum to sweep me away from this material world.
Hidden Treasure and the City of Gold is a mouthful for a track title, and a mouthful for a track too, but it's one of the better ones on the soundtrack, especially the end is very interesting and demands a second listening. That's really what I want for a track, that it wakes my interest and makes me want to listen to it again and again and again. Strong emotions are also something that a track needs to get out of me for it to be good.
Well this has gone long enough. A good soundtrack with the movie, but unfortunately there's really no tracks that could go with everyday listening. However when Fall comes and the evenings get dark and gloomy I can see myself listening to this while sitting in the dark, getting more afraid with the minute. There's some really beautiful and complex parts in almost every track, but for me to have the energy to listen them through it needs to be a more appropriate moment for this, and a beautiful summer morning is not that.
keskiviikko 24. kesäkuuta 2009
Of Johnny, Joe, and the Rest
Just to name my favorites.
My all time favorite composer is the man who is also the most famous of them all: John Williams. Like all of them, he too has a distinctive style which he sometimes over-uses, but at least his over-use is more subtle (you'll learn that I'm biased when it comes to Johnny). And without him Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Minority Report, Harry Potter, Superman and so many other movies wouldn't be what they are.
The second place is much harder to give away, but I'm going to go with Joe Hisaishi, the composer for Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Studios. He's work is not always as strong or emotional as the work of the other composers I'll be talking about, but he is more versatile than all of them combined. I'm always amazed how different and fresh his scores are from the previus one. He's also very good at capturing the feel and the soul of the scenes, creating themes that fit the movie perfectly.
After those two I don't really have any favorites. Danny Elfman and Michael Giacchino are both very good, Danny being especially important to me for bringing life to Tim Burton's films. Giacchino's The Incredibles and Ratatouille were fabulous, and he made Alias even more exciting.
Other composers that have made scores that are very important to me include Alan Silvestri, Ilan Eshkeri, Tamiya Terashima, Randy Edelman and Elliot Goldenthal. Nobuo Uematsu is also close to my heart. Steve Jablonsky also seems very interesting.
There's one more composer that needs to be mentioned. My hate-love relationship with Hans Zimmer is closer to love at the moment, mostly because of Kung Fu Panda. Don't get me wrong, Zimmer is a fabulous composer with such gems as The Lion King, Gladiator and King Arthur, and obviously very talented at making strong, powerful themes. My problem with him is that he's lazy. Listen to Gladiator's The Battle, the main theme of Pirates of the Caribbean, and the movie before Gladiator which name I can't remember. Notice how the 'minor theme' of Gladiator is exactly the same as the main theme of Pirates? Frustrating. I love Zimmer when he's original, and hate him when he uses the same stuff over and over again because the producers are too lazy to ask anything different.
Proper entries after this one.
My all time favorite composer is the man who is also the most famous of them all: John Williams. Like all of them, he too has a distinctive style which he sometimes over-uses, but at least his over-use is more subtle (you'll learn that I'm biased when it comes to Johnny). And without him Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Minority Report, Harry Potter, Superman and so many other movies wouldn't be what they are.
The second place is much harder to give away, but I'm going to go with Joe Hisaishi, the composer for Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Studios. He's work is not always as strong or emotional as the work of the other composers I'll be talking about, but he is more versatile than all of them combined. I'm always amazed how different and fresh his scores are from the previus one. He's also very good at capturing the feel and the soul of the scenes, creating themes that fit the movie perfectly.
After those two I don't really have any favorites. Danny Elfman and Michael Giacchino are both very good, Danny being especially important to me for bringing life to Tim Burton's films. Giacchino's The Incredibles and Ratatouille were fabulous, and he made Alias even more exciting.
Other composers that have made scores that are very important to me include Alan Silvestri, Ilan Eshkeri, Tamiya Terashima, Randy Edelman and Elliot Goldenthal. Nobuo Uematsu is also close to my heart. Steve Jablonsky also seems very interesting.
There's one more composer that needs to be mentioned. My hate-love relationship with Hans Zimmer is closer to love at the moment, mostly because of Kung Fu Panda. Don't get me wrong, Zimmer is a fabulous composer with such gems as The Lion King, Gladiator and King Arthur, and obviously very talented at making strong, powerful themes. My problem with him is that he's lazy. Listen to Gladiator's The Battle, the main theme of Pirates of the Caribbean, and the movie before Gladiator which name I can't remember. Notice how the 'minor theme' of Gladiator is exactly the same as the main theme of Pirates? Frustrating. I love Zimmer when he's original, and hate him when he uses the same stuff over and over again because the producers are too lazy to ask anything different.
Proper entries after this one.
Some Things Random To Start Things Off
Some time ago, on a day far too ordinary and boring for me to remember it, I asked myself a question: Would I rather be blind or deaf? Though choice really, and the obvious answer would have been 'deaf' since I love to read and watch movies and play videogames and ride horses. But I still came to the conclusion that at this moment, with my current knowledge and feelings, I'd rather be blind. I don't know anything about music, can't write it, can't read it, but to live without it... It would feel like what I'm currently listening to (Marco Beltrami's Hellboy OST - Liz Sherman). Because there are no games for me without music, no movies without music. Even riding gets a new dimension when music is added. Sure, books don't have music, but if they did they'd be even better than they are now.
If you didn't guess from that babble or from the title of the blog, this is about soundtracks, and more importantly score-soundtracks. So none of that "songs inspired by Spider-Man" crap, but the real deal, the music that takes the pictures shown and gives it life. Kill Bill and the like are of course a different story. Mostly this will be about movies, but some games are here too. I'll only cover scores I have heard properly, so within the game or movie, because I think a score needs to be judged twice: on it's own, and what it gives to the movie/game it's trying to bring to life. Because to me a score can't be good if it doesn't fit it's purpose.
Well I think this is enough for now, only time will tell how this will turn out.
If you didn't guess from that babble or from the title of the blog, this is about soundtracks, and more importantly score-soundtracks. So none of that "songs inspired by Spider-Man" crap, but the real deal, the music that takes the pictures shown and gives it life. Kill Bill and the like are of course a different story. Mostly this will be about movies, but some games are here too. I'll only cover scores I have heard properly, so within the game or movie, because I think a score needs to be judged twice: on it's own, and what it gives to the movie/game it's trying to bring to life. Because to me a score can't be good if it doesn't fit it's purpose.
Well I think this is enough for now, only time will tell how this will turn out.
Tilaa:
Blogitekstit (Atom)