Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs by John Powell (Review)

John Powell returns to score the light animated fare, Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. The first film was scored by David Newman and was completely forgettable. Powell brought his fresh sound and style to the series with Ice Age: The Meltdown in what was one heck of a score. I still listen to that one all the time.

In the second film he established some themes that he touches base with in this score. So, we get lots of variations on these well known melodies that ooze with Powell's style. He has two trademarks that define him above all other composers; one is the way he strings his melodies in a sort of descending notion and the other is of course his percussion. Many of you may remember his amazing "Mini-Sloths Sing-A-Long" from the second film which is a perfect example of his percussive style. He goes a bit easy on the percussion with this score, but it's there (just a bit subtle) and I love it.

I guess one could argue that this score is just more of the same, but so what? Scores are one of the most important aspects of tying franchises together. Yes, there are the occasional "copy and paste" scores, but don't worry because you never get that with John Powell. Another complaint some people may have are the incredibly short track times. Yes, there are 44 tracks with some only 30 seconds long, but Powell fans should come to expect this. His score albums are gapless so they are meant for continuous listening. There are a few long tracks that provide a better solo listening experience, especially "End Credits" which sums up the album nicely.

Overall I'm happy to have another John Powell score in my hands. When stacked up against the second score and all his other animated scores this one does fall short, but that doesn't mean that this isn't an incredibly fun listen. I found the second one to have more emotionally driven music that really defined him as a composer, but this one almost gets there with the last few tracks. So, enjoy this one because we won't get any John Powell till Paul Greengrass' Green Zone.

The Last Confederate by Atli Örvarsson (Review)

Atli Örvarsson's The Last Confederate sees the light of day on CD and digital download. Probably a film that many have never heard about but Atli's score here is a real hidden gem. The score is subtle and very quiet. The main theme has that timeless feel to it and it truly does transport you. A few solo instruments backed with strings make up the majority of the score.

Those familiar with Atli Örvarsson's style may be surprised at the overall soundscape of the music. The simple melodic cues are reminiscent of his style, but the score overall has a delicate atmosphere that we haven't heard from him before and in that sense it's incredibly refreshing. Tracks like "A Defining Moment" definitely have his action style imbedded within it, but it's all done with a traditional feel.

Overall this was a great little treasure to be finally released. If you're looking for a CD hard copy versus iTunes lesser quality digital release then go to cdbaby.com to order it. It's worth taking a chance, especially if you're fans of period pieces. I think anyone who liked Jones' & Edelman's work on The Last Of The Mohicans or Zimmer's The Last Samurai should enjoy Atli's work. That's not saying that all films that have "Last" in the title have similar scores though. Overall an astounding subtle score that creates larger emotions through small and simple melodies.

The Taking Of Pelham 123 by Harry Gregson-Williams (Review)

Just as X-Men: Origins leaves theaters we have another Harry Gregson-Williams composed film entering theaters. This time we have another Harry and Tony Scott collaboration. Off the bat I have to say that Tony and Harry are one of the best Director/Composer collaborators working in the industry today. All of Tony's movies have a distinct soundscape and you can thank Harry for that. This is the 7th Tony Scott film in a row that Harry has composed for. Quite a testament.

Fans will recognize all the Harryisms that are present in all of Tony Scott's films. It's not as blatant as in Domino, but there are a few pieces that will stick out to those who know them. Quite honestly the score is pretty subdued for what I was expecting, and not in a bad way. This isn't a loud score like Man On Fire or Deja Vu. There are some percussive action cues, but nothing too grand. There isn't a real theme that you can grasp onto either, which in my book immediately drops it in my ranks.

I love Harry and I love it when he composes for Tony Scott, but looking at the other 6 scores he's done for him this one doesn't stack up to say Man On Fire or Deja Vu. So, those expecting a Spy Game, Man On Fire or Deja Vu score may be a bit disappointed. In Harry's defense though the score works well in the film. It doesn't step over the great acting that's happening on the screen. This is a very enjoyable score but a lack of any real thematic material may make it unmemorable for some as a standalone listen. It's a casual listening experience. Nothing too intense or emotional. Recommended for Gregson-Williams fans only.

Angels & Demons by Hans Zimmer (Review)

Well, here it is. Hans' long awaited follow up to his amazing score to The Da Vinci Code. Now, The Da Vinci Code was a flawed film adaptation but it wasn't all bad. I can honestly say it would have been a terrible bore without Hans' score. The motifs carrying through that lead up to the wonderful CheValiers De Sangreal segment were breathtaking. It had a very classic feel in a modern way.

Hans takes the themes and atmospheres from The Da Vinci Code and turns them on their side a bit for Angels & Demons. We still have this angelical religious atmosphere but you can feel the darkness biting on its heels every step of the way. Some of the tracks are incredibly intense. The choral arrangements are breathtaking and the score has a pulsing life to it. There are some percussion segments that felt uncharacteristic of Hans and more along the lines of Harry Gregson-Williams, but they keep the pace moving. Zimmer fans will find some arrangements similar to his score for Hannibal, which I guess not coincidently was a score to a film that took place in Florence.

Hans has a few soloists featured on the score. Most notably is Joshua Bell on the violin, which I'm sure was recommended by James Newton Howard after he used him for Defiance. Longtime collaborators Heitor Pereira is the featured guitarist and Martin Tillman on the cello. Each of them providing personal performances to their instruments as they accent Hans' music.

The album finishes off with a variation on the popular CheValiers piece that closed The Da Vinci Code. You can also get a bonus non-album track titled "H20" by going to angelsanddemons.com/soundtrack. You have to sign up for updates, but once you do you immediately get the bonus track. Overall, this is a great score by Hans. It doesn't feel like a rehash of The Da Vinci Code, which I think some people were expecting. It's a great continuation on the themes, moods and atmospheres he built with the first score. It's definitely more aggressive and bleeds of the Zimmer style. Bravo.

Star Trek by Michael Giacchino (Review)

J.J. Abrams and Michael Giacchino continue their longtime collaboration and Giacchino takes on one helluva task with scoring Star Trek. Let me state that I am not nor have ever been a Star Trek fan. I have not seen any prior films or show in the series, but I am fully aware of the music that Alexander Courage, James Horner and the great Jerry Goldsmith have all contributed to this legacy at one time or another.

Giacchino tosses everything out the window and provides his own take. His theme is nothing grand but it's a motif used a lot in the film and works extremely well. As you know gone are the days of the "theme". Hans' style has caught on and almost every franchise reboot is completely void of any heroic thematic material minus Bryan Singer's Superman, which holds onto John Williams' theme for dear life. Star Trek is full Giacchino style and any fan of his will pick up on all the great easter eggs. The overall sound of the score can be summed up by saying that it's Cloverfield toned down and combined with Medal Of Honor. In fact there are pretty much some exact copy and paste moments in the score from his Medal Of Honor scores, which I love. He uses a chorus to enhance the epic feel of it and let me tell you that it will get the hairs to stand up on the back of your neck. In the beginning there is a scene, which J.J. Abrams loves to do with Giacchino. He'll let the sound drown out and let the score take center stage. I like to call these "Sad Giacchino Moments" because it's his tear jerker music. People who watch LOST and have seen M:I:3 will know what I'm talking about.

The only real complaint I have here is the outrageously short release this score got. It's only 44 min when the complete score was 100 min. So we barely get half of the music represented on this release, which is a crying shame. At least we got something, right? Anyway, the score is a blast and I enjoyed it immensely. Giacchino pays homage to Alexander Courage by using his theme in the end credits, which is a hearty 9-minute suite. J.J. Abrams and Giacchino continue to be one of the top Director/Composer teams in the business. His score for Star Trek is as grand as can be without getting bogged down with campy thematic material. Great job, Giacchino!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine by Harry Gregson-Williams (Review)

So, I was looking forward to this movie for one major reason. That reason was Harry Gregson-Williams. His last score release was nearly 1 year ago with Prince Caspian, which was an amazing score. John Powell was the last composer to leave his mark on this franchise, and when I heard Harry was taking the helm I got super excited.

I'll stop dancing around and get right to the point. This score is okay. It has it's moments and plenty of Harry's signatures layered throughout. He carries some percussion over from Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare and some vocals that remind me of Kingdom Of Heaven. It's a symphonic score layered with his signature electronics. I think the biggest thing I was disappointed about was that the score never really took off. It reaches a level and pretty much stays at it during the entire film. Surprisingly the film also lacks any major thematic or melodic material. There isn't a tune in the score that you can put your finger on and associate it to this score. So in that sense this score is floating around without a real identity. The best stuff here in my opinion is the music for Kayla, who is Wolverine's love interest who ends up getting killed. There are hints at some touching music there, but again the story leaves no room for it to blossom.

I can't really blame Harry for this one because honestly the movie was just plain awful. There wasn't anything in the film worth remembering and the writing is laughably bad. Everything seems rushed and the story is an utter mess. Harry composed this score knowing well that they would probably continue the franchise, but most likely with a different director and a different composer. In the end there a few pieces that are fun to listen to, but as a huge Gregson-Williams fan it didn't meet my expectations. The score never rises to stand on its own and it's lost within the picture. Looking forward to his score for The Taking Of Pelham 123, because when Harry and Tony Scott team up it never disappoints. Wolverine is a standard score for a less than stellar movie. The film was lucky enough to get this much effort out of Harry.

The Tudors: Season 2 by Trevor Morris (Review)

Trevor Morris won an Emmy award for his amazing score to the first season of the Showtime series. He continues here in what has become his most complete and well rounded work to date. Morris composed around 4 hours of music for the second season and gave us around 77 minutes on this release; so it's more of a selection but works extremely well as a standalone listen.

The score is string based and is mostly moody strings but occasionally you'll hear some percussion come in. The score always seems to be teetering on suspense and romance. In other words it's a very romantically suspenseful score. There are some ascending cues that resonate swelling emotions and are very beautiful. Towards the end of the album the music becomes more airy and you can tell by the tracks kind of how things resolve and it's reflected in the music. The way I describe the second half is a series of emotional echoes. Listening to the music definitely gives your mind a sense of reflecting back on things, but it never becomes "period" music. There is a timeless feel to it infused with Morris' modern style.

What I love this time around is that he takes the main theme motif and infuses it in a few cues to ground the score. I think what the first season had was tons of amazing music but no grounding. Here he cycles through a few motifs. One of them is a single female vocal that echoes despair. A few times the Hans sound came through such as in "Dreaming Of Anne Boleyn" and "Confessions & Arrests". You can definitely hear the East India Trading Company motif from Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End, which made me smile.

Trevor Morris' score is a fantastic listen. It embodies the feel of the emotions rather than the period, but it also never lets you forget that it's rooted in the modern style. I've been listening to his music since he started out and I can honestly say this has impressed me the most as a complete sound and voice from one of today's talented composers. I can't wait for the season 3 release!