By Brett Blake Film scores are an intense interest of mine, and despite 2013 being a seriously lackluster year in that department, I’ve taken it upon myself to put something together honoring the year in cinematic music. I first thought of doing a simple list of my favorite scores of the year, but then I decided to go in a slightly different (and hopefully more interesting and fun) direction. What follows is a list, yes, but of the eleven best individual cues/tracks from the year’s scores. I know that eleven’s kind of a strange number, but I just couldn’t find a way to cut this down to ten, so eleven it is. Turn up the volume, and let’s begin... 11. “Where To?” from The Wolverine (Marco Beltrami) Beltrami’s score overall is a decent effort, but the standout cue is this end titles piece. It presents an optimistic theme over a propulsive rhythm that suggests our hero undertaking a journey. The progression is simple (state the theme, re-state the theme in bigger fashion, re-state the theme in even bigger fashion, etc), but it’s effective. 10. “StarWaves” from Oblivion (M83) An ambient and atmospheric track that builds towards an aural crescendo of electronic harmony that would be right in line with the kind of film scoring Tangerine Dream did in their prime. The entirety of the score is a bit hit-or-miss, but this one cue is its unquestionable highlight. 09. “Inside Information” from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Howard Shore) This track presents several variations of the themes for Smaug, one an eerie and occasionally brutal descending motif, the other a more intellectual and sinister melody. Shore’s usage of bells, gongs, percussion, and other eastern instrumentation gives Smaug’s music a vaguely-Chinese flavor that suits the dragon quite well. 08. “What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?” from Man of Steel (Hans Zimmer) An end credits-type piece that acts as a summation of all of Zimmer’s musical ideas for Superman. We have a hopeful (albeit with a somewhat melancholic flavor) theme for piano, which gives way to a building sense of momentum, before unleashing the full power of the orchestra with Zimmer’s main theme for the Man of Steel, which is grand and heroic (if also a little simplistic) in a manner befitting the character himself. 07. “Finale” from The Lone Ranger (Hans Zimmer) A hugely entertaining action track that makes use of the iconic “William Tell Overture” by Rossini. The first two-or-so minutes are a pretty straight-forward (though beefed-up) version of the Overture, and then Zimmer begins to play with the melody and the rhythms in some really fun variations, before eventually bringing in his own main theme for the Lone Ranger in noble and heroic fashion at around the 7:30 mark into the cue. The rest of Zimmer’s score is fairly uninspired, but there was no way I could leave this track off the list. It’s way too much fun. 06. “The Pendant / Evil Tango” from Evil Dead (Roque Banos) This end credits pieces gives you a great idea of the variety this score offers. It begins with a delicate, lovely theme for the film’s heroine, before crashing into a demonic, darkly playful rendition of the the score’s central theme, complete with a choir and slashing strings. Banos’ score in its entirety is one of the very best of the year, and don’t let the title or reputation of the franchise tell you otherwise. 05. “The Forest River” from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Howard Shore) A swirling, frenzied, and spectacular action cue that combines driving rhythms with multiple themes being tossed around the orchestra. It really captures the pulse of the roller-coaster-ride-type antics going on in the sequence. 04. “The Book Thief” from The Book Thief (John Williams) Many feel that this score is simply Williams “on autopilot,” and I guess I don’t necessarily disagree, but here’s what I’m certain of: Williams on autopilot is lightyears ahead of most other people. This suite offers a nice summation of the score’s themes and ideas, displaying a melancholic-yet-gorgeous mood that feels effortlessly conjured up by Williams. 03. “Can You Dig It?” from Iron Man 3 (Brian Tyler) A blast of fun that perfectly captures the energetic spirit of the film, and it’s got a great 1960s/1970s-snazzy-TV-theme-song quality that’s hard to dislike. That there’s also a distinct (and hummable) theme present is a huge plus. 02. “Beyond the Forest” from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Howard Shore) A striking track in which Shore expounds on some of his new themes for the film, it begins with a delicate and lush tone, then slowly grows into a full-throated, grand piece. There’s some stunning writing going on here, particularly for the strings and choir. 01. “Ode to Harrison” from Star Trek Into Darkness (Michael Giacchino) A lengthy presentation of Giacchino’s mysterious theme for the “John Harrison” character; several motifs are presented and slowly build off each other, and the track gradually increases in intensity until exploding into a grand statement of the melody. It’s a knockout cue, and one that was left off the album release of the score, which is shockingly inexplicable, as it’s the best piece of music Giacchino wrote for the film. Luckily, Giacchino presented the track on a radio show, thereby releasing it to the world. BONUS! - “Marvel Studios Fanfare” from Thor: The Dark World (Brian Tyler) Even though it’s far too short to take up one of the proper spots on this list (clocking in at under 30 seconds), I had to include this little piece as an added bonus (free of charge!). It perfectly sets the mood for the larger-than-life characters of the Marvel Universe with an absolutely HUGE sound and a catchy fanfare.
Feel free to share your favorite tracks and scores from 2013!
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