Overview of 2014 Scores Part 3 of 3

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10. Mr. Peabody and Sherman (Danny Elfman)

This score is just plain fun, full of adventure, whimsy, and boundless energy. The opening logo music (the first 31 seconds of “Mr. Peabody’s Prologue”) bursts right out of the gate, introducing the buoyant main theme on brass over a giddy flute ostinato; the theme then repeats over a rapid low brass beat, climaxing with flourishes from piccolo and choir. Elfman expertly molds the theme into disparate moods, from whimsical (“The Dog Whistle”) to baleful (“War/Disaster”) to epic (“The Drop Off”) and adventurous (“Reign of Terror”). “The Wedding Exodus” is Elfman’s take on grand, Rosza-esque music that often accompanied the historical epics of Golden Age Hollywood. “Trojan Horse” contains a brief but impressive bit of Latin chanting while “History Mash-Up” features tongue-in-cheek quotes of La Marsellaise and Beethoven’s 5^th Symphony. Another major theme represents Sherman’s relationships with both Mr. Peabody and love-interest Penny. First heard in “Deep Regard,” this enchanting theme soars in the musical set piece “The Flying Machine” and reaches its most mature development in “I’m a Dog Too.” As per the usual for Elfman, the tremendously exciting action music thrills without sounding messy or unfocused. A kind of sister to Elfman’s equally zestful score to Meet the Robinsons, this score far exceeds the rather pallid film it accompanies.

9. Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)

I wouldn’t have believed that a post-1998 Zimmer score would make my top-ten list, but the man has finally impressed me for the first time since Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. First off, I do think this score has lengthy passages where not much of interest is going on. The themes are very short and simple, and even the best cues rely on repetition. However, there are about 30-45 minutes of music where Zimmer really takes off. The themes are quite affecting, and Zimmer assuages the repetition by adding more sounds, instruments, or musical figures with each successive iteration. I’ve always loved the sound of the pipe organ, and Zimmer isn’t afraid to have it blasting away. A theme introduced in “Cornfield Chase” (and closing the score in “Where We’re Going”) conveys the excitement and mystery of exploration quite well, while the “emotion” theme starts out as a mystical wisp in “Dreaming of the Crash,” developing to almost painful heights in “Stay.” My favorite theme is the inexorable pipe organ-led “danger” theme; “Coward” slowly builds it up, the lowest notes of the organ and blistering piano runs entering as the cue comes to its climax. In the even more overpowering “No Time for Caution,” the organ again starts out before steadily rising blasts explode from synthesizers and the orchestra, choir adding the final overwhelming touch.  I’m sure Zimmer’s sole goal in life is to write scores that I personally like, so I’m more than happy to say that he has achieved it with this score.

8. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Howard Shore)

I’ll say this about The Hobbit scores: Shore’s action music for them has gotten better and better with each installment; the composer has slowly shed the overly measured nature of his action music and learned to let it rip. The themes have never been as strong as those in The Lord of the Rings, but he does introduce a striking one here that gets a concert arrangement at the beginning of “Ironfoot” and a grand treatment in “Battle for the Mountain.” One of the most distinctive themes from the previous entry, the theme for Laketown, gets some rousing variations in “The Gathering of the Clouds.” “Guardians of the Three” features some neat fan-service moments, including the Lothlorien theme, the Evil of the Ring/Sauron theme, the massive chords from the “Galadriel almost loses it” scene from The Fellowship of the Ring, and a surging, triumphant rendition of the Rivendell theme. In a neat bit of thematic attribution, Shore shifts Smaug’s theme to Thorin, portraying his “Dragon-Sickness.” From “The Clouds Burst” to “To the Death” is almost continuous action music—37 minutes’ worth of it. Some moments of respite exist, particularly in “The Darkest Hour” and “The Fallen,” but for the most part, these cues comprise some of the most visceral action music in Shore’s Middle-Earth repertoire. Like the film, the score doesn’t quite have a fulfilling ending or a satisfying link to the beginning of The Lord of the Rings. Yet it entertained me a heck of a lot more than the score to An Unexpected Journey. Kudos to Shore for completing this massive series that in duration exceeds even Wagner’s colossal Ring cycle.

7. Monuments Men (Alexandre Desplat)

Monuments Men features a surprising number of first-rate themes. The opening cue “The Roosevelt Mission” introduces a noble trumpet melody that starts in a subdued manner but suddenly rises to something truly inspiring.  It receives a fuller development in “Normandy.” “Opening Titles” recalls Elmer Bernstein’s optimistic march for The Great Escape, the cheerful primary melody giving way to a spirited bridge (later heard in “The Letter”). One might be mistaken into thinking that this carefree march contains an inherent lightheartedness, but Desplat displays the malleability of his theme with rather touching piano renditions in “Stokes ” and “Jean-Claude Dies.” “I See You Stahl” introduces the antithesis of the title theme: a bold, imperious march with low brass proclamations and churning strings. And Desplat then twists this theme into a light waltz in “Stahl’s Chalet.” Want more? There’s also a delicate love theme, heard in “Champagne” and “Claire & Granger,“ a tune that rises higher before leisurely winding its way back down. “Into Bruges” percolates with muted brass, marimba, and bass clarinet while stirring, Medal of Honor-esque action (especially in the beginning of “Sniper”) threads its way throughout the score—and Medal of Honor-eqsue music (if we’re talking about the Michael Giacchino entries) is never a bad thing. Most of the themes receive fulfilling recapitulations in the impressive “Finale,” the score closing with a perky, whistled version of the title theme in “End Credits.” Although one can hear influences in this score, the overall style is Desplat’s own; the multitude of excellent themes, the clever musical development, and the composer’s always-dexterous orchestrations make this a delightful, outstanding score.

6. Big Hero 6 (Henry Jackman)

This score isn’t quite as good as Jackman’s score to Wreck-It Ralph (which I would now put at number 3 on my “Best of 2012” list) and the themes are pretty simple. Yet Jackman has a knack for making irresistibly attractive music out of simple melodies. For example, the “action” motif (best heard at 4:43-4:53 and 5:24-5:49 in “Big Hero 6”) is compositionally quite rudimentary, yet it thrills me to no end. The appropriately intrepid main theme makes its first full appearance in “Microbots,” bold brass sounding over peppy electronic beats. Rip-roaring statements of this theme bolster the action sequences in the cues “Upgrades,” “The Streets of San Fransokyo,” and “Big Hero 6,” while a pop version drives the toe-tapping “Huggable Detective.” The softer variations of the theme in “Family Reunion” and “I Am Satisfied with My Care” are (like the scenes they accompany) surprisingly poignant. A theme often associated with the robot Baymax first appears in a delicate arrangement 40 seconds into “Inflatable Friend.” It plays alongside the main theme in “The Streets of San Fransokyo,” the action climax “Big Hero 6” and the magnificently ascendant “First Flight.” Jackman’s dramatic instincts make this an impressively structured score; the early cues are fun and perky, almost pop instrumentals. However, the film’s emotional heart becomes more manifest as time goes on, and the score in turn strips away the electronics. As the film reaches its dramatic acme in “I Am Satisfied with My Care,” the music surges with mysticism, wonder, and, eventually, grief. There are some dull passages (like the first three minutes of “Silent Sparrow”), but overall, this invigorating score further substantiates Jackman’s considerable expertise at scoring animated films.

5. Godzilla* (Alexandre Desplat)

After The Golden Compass and Rise of the Guardians, those of us with ears all knew that Desplat could write action music, but this is something else entirely. Godzilla is straight-up brutal, hair-raising action of Elliot Goldenthal-esque proportions. The main theme emerges out of the haze to pound the listener in the track “Godzilla!” but this is admittedly not a score of strong themes. A tender, searching piano melody opens “Back to Janjira,” but such respites are few and far in between. An electronic pulse propels “Muto Hatch” forward until strings explode forth and brass statements reminiscent of original Godzilla composer Akira Ifukube’s work blast out. Voices surge to the forefront in “The Wave” while frenzied strings whirl away. String arpeggios in “Following Godzilla” evoke pleasant memories of Goldenthal’s action music, while dissonant voices tear though the thick swirl of action in “Golden Gate Chaos.” Just when you think there’s going to be another break in “Let Them Fight,” (though the name of the cue should be a giveaway) the fun starts again, and taiko-like drums hammer out a ferocious rhythm. The main theme rears its head in “Last Shot,” and another Goldenthal “trademark,” trilling French horns, makes an appearance. The music comes to a massively triumphant conclusion in “Back to the Ocean,” chimes tolling away under the orchestra’s final peroration. If you’re searching for memorable themes, this score probably isn’t for you, but for those seeking an adrenaline rush via intelligently composed, complex music, this score will serve as a welcome antidote to the mindlessly churning scores that accompany so many of today’s action films.

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* (Brian Tyler)

Like the score to Godzilla, this score is an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish. Tyler’s score does have a rousing main theme cut out of the same cloth he used for the themes to his Marvel scores (Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World). The main theme consists not only of the primary melody, but also a staccato rhythmic motif and a cyclical phrase that starts out enigmatically in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” before transforming into an ever-escalating action motif. The more subdued tracks (“Adolescent Genetically Altered Shinobi Terrapins,” “Origins,” “Brotherhood,” and “Project Renaissance”) contain some lovely renditions of the main theme and some cooing choral work, but all the other 13 tracks on the album are basically action cues. Luckily for listeners, Tyler provides his most adrenaline-soaked action music since Eagle Eye—and there is indeed a cue entitled “Adrenaline,” complete with impressively intricate trumpet lines. “Rise of the Four” plays like an energizing call to arms, choir and orchestra leading to the staccato action rhythm. The main theme charges forward over an irregular rhythm in “Cowabunga” before transforming into a march. “Shortcut” is probably my favorite of the many action cues; a thrilling passage features phrases being traded off among strings, trumpets, and horns with the main theme building to almost delirious heights. The action reaches its apex in “Splinter vs. Shredder” and “Buck Buck,” chanting choir bursting to the forefront in the former. Although the score is basically monothematic, Tyler breaks down and molds the theme enough to keep it fascinating in all its reiterations. Though this score is not as complex as the score to Godzilla, the writing is still intricate enough to elevate it beyond mere ear candy.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel* (Alexandre Desplat)

The most striking aspect of this score is its inventiveness; I personally haven’t heard anything quite like it, though it bears some superficial resemblance to the composer’s brief score to Wes Anderson’s previous film, Moonrise Kingdom. The plucked balalaika and casual tone of “Mr. Moustafa” gives the impression that this score is going to sound like the equivalent of Eastern European easy-listening music. But “A Prayer for Madame D” introduces a compelling theme, ripe with mystery and a hint of danger. “Daylight Express to Lutz” presents a vaguely ominous motif as well as some onomatopoeic traveling music. Pipe organ rises to prominence in “J.G. Jopling, Private Inquiry Agent” alongside the now-familiar balalaika  while hand-clapping enlivens “A Dash of Salt (Ludwig’s Theme).” “Escape Concerto” has an almost jazzy beat, and “The Society of Crossed Keys” builds almost perpetually to its conclusion. “Canto at Gabelmeister’s Peak” introduces rich, chanting voices (which become diegetic at one point) before brass, B3 organ, and frenzied balalaika enter to underscore a whimsical sledding sequence. Every element of the score comes together in “A Troops Barracks (Requiem for The Grand Budapest)”; late in the cue, the pipe organ intones a menacing dirge that, after a pregnant pause, turns into a frantic, agitated ostinato. The end credits feature Desplat’s arrangement of the traditional tune “Moonshine,” balalaika giving way to full orchestra, B3 organ, and stentorian male chorus.  But what’s most impressive about this score is that it doesn’t just fit the film; it actually does much of the work in defining its tone. Congratulations to Desplat for composing not only this exceptional score, but four other outstanding ones in 2014 as well.

2. Maleficent* (James Newton Howard)

James Newton Howard doing fantasy is a film score fan’s dream come true, and Maleficent, while not one of the composer’s very best, comes extremely close. The themes don’t quite reach the sublimity of the themes for Lady in the Water, Dinosaur, or The Village, but Howard’s lush writing remains as exquisite as ever. Maleficent’s main theme pops up right under the opening Disney logo (not on the soundtrack), a simple melody that encapsulates the beauty and grandeur of the title character. The sumptuous choir in “Welcome to the Moors” will delight anyone who loves great fantasy music, while “Maleficent Flies” formally introduces the main theme as it soars with the young fairy. A repeating choir phrase that starts at about 2:20 is almost heart wrenching in its pure beauty (and now I’ve gone and built it up too much). Also introduced in this track (at 1:50) is a gorgeous theme for the moors and/or Aurora; it receives a beatific playing in “Aurora and the Fawn,” following an ecstatic build-up for strings and choir. “The Christening” includes a slinking tuba melody, some (effective) electronic percussion, and, most importantly, the theme for Maleficent’s curse. This choir-led theme, consisting of four pairs of notes, builds in volume and intensity with each repetition. The action music, heard in “The Spindle’s Power,” “The Wall Defends Itself,” “Path of Destruction,” “Battle of the Moors,” and the superb “Maleficent Is Captured” gush with Howard’s signature touches, including  vibrant French horn fanfares, surging string phrases, syncopated rhythms, and enormous choir outbursts. Throughout the action cues, the main theme declares itself in robust settings for brass, strings, and choir. Speaking of choir, voices play a large part in this score, and Howard definitely knows how to use  them to evoke mystical splendor. When JNH brings his A-game to fantasy, as he does here, few today can come close to matching him

1. How to Train Your Dragon 2** (John Powell)

The first HTTYD score was Powell’s magnum opus as a composer, featuring a plethora of stellar themes and a consistency that was often lacking in his other solo animation scores. This sequel score lives up to the original, boasting superior choral work, even more themes, and development of some of the original film’s themes. The curtain rises with “Dragon Racing,” opening with a fanfare of the first part of the flying theme before transitioning to the Berk theme, the themes for Hiccup and his friends, and Astrid’s theme, each gaining additional embellishment from when we last heard them in the first film; I especially like the expansion of the Berk theme starting at 3:37. “Together We Map the World” introduces the lilting, waltz-like theme for Hiccup and Toothless’s explorations, while “Toothless Lost” introduces Valka’s theme, with a haunting, hummed variation at 2:12 into the track. “Flying with Mother” adorns the exploration and Valka themes with inventive writing for female choir. “Losing Mom / Meet the Good Alpha” brings in the Alpha motif, a royal tune that sounds like it’s visiting from Basil Poledouris’s score to Conan the Barbarian (specifically, the cure entitled “The Orgy”). The theme for the villainous Drago (AKA “He who can control dragons by chanting the secret, mystical words, 'AAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'”), like the character himself, is somewhat generic, the least interesting of the new themes. The exhilarating “Battle of the Bewilderbeast” shares some similarities with “Battling the Green Death” from the first score, but introduces colossal choir to accompany the invigorating statements of the various themes. An absolutely gargantuan buildup at 3:30 leads into a rapturous explosion of the flying theme; I also love the one-off action motif at 5:25. Strident bagpipes keen a relentless motif in “Hiccup Confronts Drago” and lend emotion to “Stoick’s Ship.” “Toothless Found” sees Valka’s theme reach its apotheosis, leading into an astonishing run of brass fanfares, a march variation of Valka’s theme, and a brief but spectacular eruption of the flying theme. Finally, “Two New Alphas” brings this sublime score to its conclusion, the flying theme fittingly ending the score with a euphoric cadence. There aren’t as many standout tracks as in the first score, and the flying theme doesn’t really get a full rendition. I also don’t like the new themes quite as much as most of the themes from the first score. But none of that takes away from the almost unbelievably epic writing, assured classical-inspired compositional complexity, and emotional depth of my favorite score of the year.

Overview of 2014 Scores Part 2 of 3

Link to Part 1

20. Unbroken (Alexandre Desplat)

For this film adaptation of the incredible account of Louis Zamperini, Alexandre Desplat penned a score that, for the most part, favors restraint over bold heroism (at director Angelina Jolie’s request). Desplat’s adroit musicianship still yields choice moments, including the choral beauty of “We Are Here,” the surging strings of “Coming Home,” the driving latter half of “Dead Comrades,” the melancholy, exotic flute in “The Bird’s Farewell,” and the full orchestra’s grandeur in the final cues “”The War is Over” and “Unbroken.” It’s not as distinctive as the best of Desplat’s work, but there’s still much to admire. What’s even more impressive is that this is my least favorite of the five Desplat scores I heard this year.

19. Big Eyes (Danny Elfman)

The most subdued Elfman score for a Tim Burton film, Big Eyes makes use of piano and orchestra in a style somewhat reminiscent of the score to Big Fish. Pleasant, harmonically pleasing tunes abound, though Elfman inevitably introduces moments of dissonance from time to time (most notably in the prickly cue “Walter”) to spice things up. “Margaret” is almost Thomas Newman-esque with its sequence-based phrases for piano and strings. However, Elfman definitely makes the score his own with use of marimba, from the rapidly cascading figures of “Opening” to the more languid pulsations of “End Credits.” There’s no lilting choir or grand themes; the music resembles Elfman’s score to Gus Van Sant’s Restless, sans guitar. But Elfman, even in subdued mode, squeezes in skillful tunes and emotionally effective figures that impress more than the more splashy pyrotechnics of certain other composers’ scores.

18. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (James Newton Howard)

The score to this film (I’m too lazy to spell the whole thing out again) is my favorite of the Hunger Games scores. Right off the bat, “The Mockingjay” introduces the magnificent, swelling strings of the JNH we all know and love (or should, at least). “Incoming Bombers” starts out with a thrusting electronic pulse before choir and a dizzying string figure enter. “Air Raid Drill” boasts spectacular interplay between strings, brass, and choir, repeated figures intensifying and building to an exquisite statement of anguish; a Signs-esque figure (never a bad thing in Howard’s hands) for flute and then full orchestra closes out the cue. And then there’s “The Hanging Tree;” sure, the melody’s great and all, and Jennifer Lawrence’s performance ain’t bad either. But Howard’s stirring orchestral/choral arrangement and embellishment at the end of the cue elevate it to near-sublimity. JNH’s scores for the Hunger Games films keep getting better and better; with any luck, his score to The Hunger Games Part 3 Part 2 will be a real gem.

17. 22 Jump Street (Mark Mothersbaugh)

Mothersbaugh’s catchy, simple, purposely overblown, and just plain awesome theme for the Jump Street movies would feel right at home in a Jerry Bruckheimer action movie. The composer lays on the electronics a little thick in the action scenes (especially in “Girl Fight/Beach Fight”), but not as overbearingly as he did in The Lego Movie. He breaks the theme down to its (very) basic chords as a pop groove in “Schmidt’s Walk of Shame,” and heroic snippets pepper “Infiltrating the Frat House” alongside a deliberately over-serious string ostinato. The rousing “Olympic Hazing Games” could very well play under a real Olympic event, while “Reunited/Spring Break” hypes the theme up into a form suitable for a dance floor (or rave, maybe, but I can’t speak to that as I’ve never been to one). Finally, the “End Credits” treats us to several settings of the theme, starting tenderly before bursting into dubstep and closing with another dance mix variation. The score isn’t very complex, but the theme is utterly irresistible. Play it at a rave and see what happens!

16. Cosmos (Alan Silvestri)

Silvestri treated soundtrack fans to four albums of his material for this miniseries based on Carl Sagan’s groundbreaking book. Few composers can do “big” as well as Silvestri, and the composer fortunately got the chance to write themes of splendor for the aptly named cues “Revelation of Immensity” and “The Staggering Immensity of Time.” The main title and end credits explore the questing main theme while cues such as “The Cosmos Is Yours” and “Once There Was a World” provide further music of an adventurous nature. But it’s not all just grandiose moments from beginning to end (which could be cool, but exhausting). “The Way We Live Now” and “The Pale Blue Dot” are almost melancholy in their beauty. Electronic pulses propel cues such as “4.5 Billion Years Old” and “The Speed of Light,” the former incorporating choir in the final seconds and the latter almost GI Joe-esque with its rock-influenced beats. Apparently, many don’t like Silvestri’s use of electronics, but I find his writing for synths quite entertaining.  The melodies aren’t as rousing as those from Back to the Future or The Mummy Returns, but I for one find a lot to like in these 2.7 hours of music.

15. Penny Dreadful (Abel Korzeniowski)

Korzeniowski’s star continues to rise, and his score to this lurid miniseries proves that last year’s Romeo and Juliet was no fluke. “Demimonde (Main Title)” kicks off the score with churning strings playing an angular theme. However, most of the score (at least on CD) exudes elegant melancholy outside this main title, though cues such as “Asylum” and “Mother of Monsters” provide plenty of dark, brutal moments. The latter half of the main title introduces a gorgeous theme that’s later unleashed in all its glory in the cue “Closer Than Sisters.” The character of Mina gets her own doleful little motif as well, and cues such as “Transgression,” and “Never Say No” exhibit Korzeniowski’s inimitable brand of romantic tragedy. “Transgression” and “Mother of Evil” see the composer delving into sinister writing for dark choir, a style we haven’t really heard from him before. Though Penny Dreadful certainly allows Korzeniowski to branch out beyond the romantic genre at which he excels, he still infuses each and every cue with his own nonpareil style.

14. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Michael Giacchino)

While Giacchino’s score contains plenty of complex writing, the themes themselves are actually rather simple (though effective). “Level Plaguing Field” introduces the tragic theme for the human race, blossoming from piano to chorus. “Look Who’s Stalking” kicks off the complex side of the score, incorporating odd, Goldsmith-esque percussion and aleatoric voices before the frantic action takes over. “The Great Ape Processional” presents Caesar’s theme, a slow-moving, steadily rising melody that works equally well in delicate and triumphant modes. Finally, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” brings in the most pervasive element of the score: a circular, menacing motif for the warlike side of the apes. In “Enough Monkeying Around,” this ape/war motif receives a massive rendition, while “Primates for Life” sees the Caesar theme reach its glorious apex. “Planet of the End Credits” presents a final, satisfying suite of all the thematic material. The score drags a bit when there’s no action and none of the themes are playing, but Giacchino crafts the elements together with consummate skill, aided by his firm sense of musical drama.

13. The Imitation Game (Alexandre Desplat)

To portray the genius, conflict, and inner emotion of Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), Desplat lays a gorgeous melody for strings over billowing pianos. A more lighthearted, almost playful bridge for flutes (heard in the title track) is quite lovely, though it doesn’t recur too often in the rest of the score. An ethereal ostinato played on a bell-like instrument (or synthesizer) lends an otherworldly quality to cues such as  “Alan” and “Alone with Numbers.” I like the latter half of “Joan,” a subtly churning piece that evokes a sense of quiet yet determined progress. “The Machine Christopher” creates a sound of busy, frenzied activity befitting its track title, while “Farewell to Christopher” strips the piano and strings down to their bare essences. “End of War” features a mournful, seesawing motif that keeps moving relentlessly forward, as if heralding the end of an era (and that just about fills up our “Pretentious Writing” quota for the day). Impressively, Desplat infuses the score with enough variety and development to keep it interesting the whole way through while never losing sight of the human story his music so intelligently supports.

12. Anonymous Rejected Filmscore (John Murphy)

Murphy took musical ideas from a rejected score and fashioned them into a standalone album. It’s very Murphy—that is, the music features lots of thrashing electric guitars, electronics, distorted instruments, and raw emotion built from compositionally straightforward building blocks. The opening track alone,“3:59 AM,” brings all these musical elements together, plus a child’s whisperings. But it’s not all just thrashing; “8mm Dream” has piano, strings, and some distorted instrument playing a lovely melody, while “Dead Ballerina” has hardly an electronic instrument in sight (or within hearing range). “1-2-3-4” contains monumental guitar builds that reminds me of his superb work on the 28 Days/28 Weeks Later films and his contributions to Kick-Ass. “How to Leave Your Body” touches the celestial heights of emotional glory that the composer previously reached in his score to Sunshine (and specifically the “Adagio in D Minor,” used splendidly in one of the most poignant scenes in Kick-Ass). To listen to this music is to hear Murphy unleashed, taking his established style and pushing it to heights unfettered.

11. Planes: Fire and Rescue (Mark Mancina)

I thought that Mancina’s theme for Planes was one of the best film themes of 2014, and he gets to play with it even more in this slightly superior sequel score. The main title track adds a driving string ostinato and bolder percussion, though the theme itself is played in a slightly more staccato manner. The action music is lengthier, better developed, and more exciting than in the previous installment; any cue with “Fire” in its name will suffice as an example of the invigorating music Mancina can cook up.  Heroic brass writing, swirling string runs, woodwind motifs, and judicious use of percussion permeate the action music throughout. “Training Dusty” has a wonderful feel, evoking the majesty of nature and introducing a power anthem that reaches its zenith in the climactic cues “Fire Heroes” and “Rescue Harvey & Winnie,” the latter adding choir to the mix. One of my favorite action moments occurs about a minute into “Lightning Storm Fire,” when a massive, sensational fanfare erupts out of the orchestra. The one downside of this score is its temp-track influences; there’s a bit of Elfman’s Batman in “Fire!” and more than a bit of Chicken Run in a theme introduced in “An All New Mayday” (the melody is different, but the tuba and snare drum backing is almost identical.) Nevertheless, this thrilling score proves that Mancina is still one of the best composers to emerge from Hans Zimmer’s studio.

Overview of 2014 Scores Part 1 of 3

I know I’ve been mighty quiet on this blog the past year. I would like to say that I’ve gotten a lot busier—in fact, I have gotten busier. Nevertheless, I admit that I have been devoting my diminishing free time to pursuits other than writing. In any case, the time has come for me to slavishly follow the lead of the more prestigious film score review sites by compiling a list of the best scores of 2014. As in last year’s post, this will be more of a “year in review” post, covering all the new scores I heard in the last year.

I thought that 2014 was a better year for mainstream American film music than 2013. For example, Mark Mancina’s thrilling score for Planes managed to place 4^th in last year’s list. This year’s score for Planes: Fire and Rescue, while comparable in quality to the first (and maybe even a little better), placed 11^th this year. (I listened to 27 new scores in both 2013 and 2014). While Danny Elfman and Michael Giacchino didn’t get a whole lot of work this year, Alexandre Desplat did—and all five of his scores that I listened to evinced quality writing. I’ve always thought Desplat was a pretty good composer, but he’s starting to become a personal favorite now. Former collaborators Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell returned to film scoring after taking 2013 off; Powell’s comeback ended up being more glorious, though to be fair, he had a better canvas to work on. And surprise—Hans Zimmer, who seems to have taken leave of his talent since 1999 (with one or two exceptions), wrote one score that didn’t suck and another that was within a smidgen of being masterful.

Some notes on scores I heard in the film but not on the soundtrack: The Raid 2 (Fajar Yuskemal, Aria Prayogi, Joseph Trapanese) took a electronics-heavy approach similar to that Trapanese and Mike Shinoda used for The Raid: Redemption, though with more “ethnic” (presumably Indonesian) flavoring—but not anything terribly distinctive. Muppets: Most Wanted featured some charming songs by Bret McKenzie, but Christophe Beck’s score made no impression on me. Beck’s score to the entertaining Edge of Tomorrow (starring Mr. Scientology and Emily Blunt) consisted of themeless, stock action music that did nothing to distinguish itself from the music of countless boring action scores by Ramin Djawadi, Steve Jablonsky, Tyler Bates, and the like. God’s Not Dead had a score by one Will Musser, but I’m afraid the only music I remember from that film is the eponymous song by The Newsboys. Rupert Gregson-Williams (Harry’s brother) wrote some African-flavored music for the Blended (in which Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore meet cute for the third—or is it the 53^rd? --time) as well as some easy-on-the-ears romantic tunes, but nothing I felt like paying to hear on a soundtrack. Another Zimmer apprentice, Heitor Pereira, wrote music for If I Stay (starring Chloe Grace Moretz, playing a character who, in a dramatic change for the talented actress, is a normal human being). The music must have been pleasant enough, but again, I don’t recall any of it. Finally, David Fincher’s superbly directed Gone Girl received an underwhelming score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (par for the course for the pair as far as I’m concerned). As you can see, these scores ranged from unmemorable to downright insipid; I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by not having them on album.

Part 1 will cover 27-21 (plus some special mentions), Part 2 will consist of 20-11, and Part 3 will comprise 10-1:

Special Mention: String Quartet #1/Early Chamber Works, Othello Ballet Suite (Elliot Goldenthal)

Sadly, Goldenthal doesn’t seem to be in demand for film work, but his record label, Zarathustra Records, did release a stellar pair of albums in 2014. The former CD exhibits Goldenthal’s considerable abilities and assured voice even at such a young age; the brass quintet in particular is especially wild while still manifesting compositional maturity. The Othello suite would rate in my top 10 if it were a 2014 film score; the slightly unhinged yet exhilarating “Tarantella” and alternately radiant and musically eclectic “Adagio” are particular highlights.

Special Mention: Into the Woods (Stephen Sondheim)*

Sondheim’s masterful, witty, twisted musical has been around for a while, but this Broadway show, one of the earliest (and best) fairy-tale mash-ups, finally made it to the big screen. Sondheim’s songs are, of course, magnificent in their sophistication and specificity to theme and character; from the classical sound of Rapunzel’s air (threaded throughout the score and forming the spine of “Stay with Me”) and the soaring excitement of “Giants in the Sky” to the melodramatic strains of “Agony” and the sincere emotion of “Witch’s Lament” and “No One Is Alone,” Sondheim’s craft is impeccable. The film actors do well pretty well with the singing, but the real attraction of the film soundtrack is the grand orchestrations of Sondheim’s melodies, both in the song backings and the score tracks. Cinderella’s theme and Rapunzel’s theme (the latter of which becomes more of a general theme as the film goes on) receive some especially lush treatments in “Cinderella at the Grave,” “The Forbidden Tower,” “Ever After,” and “The Far Away Prince.” I still prefer the singing of the Broadway actors (and Sweeney Todd remains my favorite Sondheim musical), but the instrumental arrangements in this film version make the soundtrack a must-buy for fans of the show—and good musicals in general.

27. X-Men: Days of Future Past (John Ottman)

X-Men: DOFP provided Ottman a golden opportunity, as he became the first composer to score more than one X-Men film. Unfortunately, he squandered that opportunity (though it may be director Bryan Singer’s fault), providing a dull, lifeless score that quotes his theme from X2 only once outside of the opening and closing credits. X2 used to be my least favorite X-Men score, but its orchestral mush sadly proves far superior to the prosaic, unpleasant electronics and simplistic ostinatos of DOFP.

26. The Equalizer (Harry Gregson-Williams)

Other reviewers have said this more eloquently than I, but The Equalizer sounds just how you’d expect a Denzel Washington/Tony Scott action thriller to sound (though Antoine Fuqua directed this film). Gregson-Williams knows how to create propulsive action music without sounding obnoxious; brash, thrashing electric guitars take no prisoners in the concluding cue “The Equalizer” and a touching motif plays to Washington’s relationship with Chloe Moretz’s character. But the score doesn’t feature anything Gregson-Williams hasn’t done better before in Spy Game and Man on Fire.

25. Guardians of the Galaxy (Tyler Bates)

If I were writing about the use of the songs in the film, then Guardians of the Galaxy would rate much higher on this list. However, I’m focusing on the score here, and Tyler Bates’s effort, while containing an adventurous main theme and a stirring anthem for the Nova Corps, fails to impress whenever those themes aren’t playing.  And, sadly, the themes don’t really play as often as I would have liked. The action music in particular consists of monotonous, simplistic string chopping that bores after about three seconds. As about half of the hour-long CD consists of action music, you can imagine how tedious it gets. Again, the songs are what provide the real musical interest in this superbly entertaining movie.

24. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Henry Jackman)

Jackman eschewed Alan Silvestri’s Captain America theme in his score, and his own simpler theme for the character pales in comparison. Yet Jackman’s orchestrations of the theme in “Taking a Stand” and in the even better cue (unreleased on CD) that plays under the closing few minutes of the end credits are quite stirring. The electronic screaming effect for The Winter Soldier, while unpleasant by design, serves as a distinctive accompaniment to Steve Rogers’s twisted, broken “antagonist.” And—I know this is blasphemy—I I like it more than the Joker’s music in The Dark Knight. While not a great score, the more consistent action material puts it a step above the score to Guardians of the Galaxy.

23. The Lego Movie (Mark Mothersbaugh)

This score sounds a lot better in the film than it does on CD; the film dials out the more obnoxious electronic noises (listen to the first few seconds of the opening cue, “Prologue,” and compare it to the opening logos in the film, for example). “Emmet’s Morning” is the catchiest cue, the electronics matching the energy of the music without overwhelming everything else. Serving as the antidote to the all the wild electronica, “My Secret Weapon” contains unexpectedly emotional writing for the orchestra. Emmet does have a main theme that Mothersbaugh molds into different guises, while Wildstyle gets a motif that sounds a bit like “Waltz of the Flowers” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. But the real gem is the deliberately vacuous song “Everything is Awesome!!!” written by Shawn Patterson and produced by Mothersbaugh.

22. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Hans Zimmer)

I wasn’t the biggest fan of James Horner’s score the first “Amazing” Spider-Man, yet I was baffled and disappointed to learn that Hans Zimmer would be handling the sequel. Yet despite the score’s six co-composers and five co-co-composers, it still features some reasonably entertaining music. Electro’s emo-poetry theme comes across as self-indulgent, and Spidey’s theme itself doesn’t rise beyond its Aaron Copland influence. Yet Zimmer and Company’s varied instrumentation (from woodwinds to high brass to light dubstep) provides a mélange of musical interest, while the action cues (“Still Crazy,” “I’m Goblin,“ and “Cold War”—that’s right, those are pretty much the only action cues on the album) eschew the tedious low string ostinatos Zimmer’s been so fond of for the last decade. Most of the “down-time” music is rather dull, and overall, this is the least of the Spider-Man movie scores. However, it is still by far the best superhero score Zimmer has done to date (though that’s not saying much).

21. The Expendables 3 (Brian Tyler)

I’m sure differences exist among Brain Tyler’s scores for the three Expendables films, but they all kind of just run together. (If I’m remembering correctly, only the first uses a choir). The main theme for these films consists of several simple, catchy cells that Tyler sprinkles throughout the scores, embellishing them with complicated writing for brass and strings. There’s a whole lot of action, but fortunately, Tyler writes some of the most thrilling action music today. “Valet Parking Done Right” and the explosive “Armored Freaking Transport” exhibit Tyler’s considerable skill at creating complex yet clear music. Ultimately, there’s not much more to say about this score—it’s big, loud, and exciting, but not quite distinctive enough to count as one of Tyler’s best.