By Brett Blake Let’s pick up right where I left off with Part 1 of my look at the best movie soundtracks of 2016 (which can be read right here!), I’m going to move directly into talking about the 15 scores I think represent the best of what the year had to offer in terms of film music. In most cases, I’ll be embedding one or two tracks for each score, as well as linking to some additional cues. All told, there will probably be well over an hour of music found in here, so feel free to listen at your own pace! 15. THE JUNGLE BOOK (John Debney) John Debney’s old-fashioned, symphonic score is a wonderful component of the film, underlining emotion at every turn and unafraid to go big. Debney wisely fashions his own primary melodic material, but also draws upon the songs from the classic animated version of the tale; the result is a very entertaining blend. “The Red Flower” “Elephant Waterfall” 14. NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (Abel Korzeniowski) If Bernard Herrmann were still alive and composing film scores, I think NOCTURNAL ANIMALS is not too far from what those would sound like. Korzeniowski, intentionally or not, has channeled one of the masters to create an incredibly lush and captivating musical landscape for one of the more unique thrillers of the 2016. “Wayward Sisters” “The Field” “Table for Two” 13. PETE’S DRAGON (Daniel Hart) Hart is somebody who was mostly unfamiliar to me prior to hearing this score, but he certainly has my attention now. There is an unabashed exuberance and optimism to his scoring here that recalls the joys of childhood discovery, and “Reverie” is a perfect example of this. Just an extraordinary, ultra-rousing track. “Reverie” 12. THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS (Alexandre Desplat) In a year packed with great themes, Alexandre Desplat’s central melody for THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS absolutely competes for the title of best theme of the year. Desplat’s arrangements of it in “Letters” and “The Light Between Oceans” are absolutely superb, while tracks like “In God’s Hands” and “Path of Light,” which feature more one-off-type thematic ideas build a feeling of bittersweet mood incredibly well. The piano writing and performance throughout are sublime. “Letters” 11. PASSENGERS (Thomas Newman) PASSENGERS is quintessential Thomas Newman. Fascinating textures, engaging little motifs, eclectic orchestration. This score is saturated in atmospheres, and I mean that in the very best way. There’s also a level of quirk here, a just-slightly-off-kilter feel, that I find very compelling, and the sonic landscapes Newman creates are incredibly evocative. This is a fabulous score to read or write to while listening. “The Starship Avalon (Main Title)” “Aurora” “The Sleeping Girl” “Passengers” “Accidental Happiness” 10. GHOSTBUSTERS (Theodore Shapiro) In one of 2016’s more unexpected developments, the (so-so) reboot of GHOSTBUSTERS brought along with it a massive and thrilling orchestral score from Shapiro. Rather than being a goofy modern comedy score (which are often unlistenable), Shapiro pitches things as (mostly) straight action/adventure, with nice dashes of mystery and horror and some variations of the classic theme song. “The Universe Shall Bend” “The Fourth Cataclysm” “Battle of Times Square” 09. GODS OF EGYPT (Marco Beltrami) Though it occasionally trades in cliche, Beltrami’s score is grand in scale, and full of sweeping melody. It’s a hugely entertaining listen, constantly compelling and fun, and it features moments that are among the very best of Beltrami’s career. In many ways, this feels like a throwback to the great Biblical epics of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the giant adventure scores of the 1980s. “Gods of Egypt Prologue” “Coronation” 08. STAR TREK BEYOND (Michael Giacchino) Giacchino’s third score for the revamped STAR TREK franchise is his best yet. He contributes another of the great themes of the year with “Night on the Yorktown,” and offers up some absolutely dynamite action scoring as well. “Crash Decisions” is easily one of the year’s finest action cues. “Night on the Yorktown” 07. DOCTOR STRANGE (Michael Giacchino) Giacchino (him again?) gets mystical with DOCTOR STRANGE, and finally gives Marvel Studios an inarguably fantastic score. With a strong melody for Strange himself, plus a couple of smaller motifs, Giacchino weaves a tapestry of intrigue and adventure. When Giacchino lets his main Strange theme come into full bloom in “Strange Days Ahead” and “The Master of the Mystic End Credits,” the result is two of the very best tracks of the year. “The True Purpose of the Sorcerer” “Post Op Paracosm” “Smote and Mirrors” “Strange Days Ahead” “The Master of the Mystic End Credits” 06. LA LA LAND (Justin Hurwitz) A pure, delicate delight. Just as the film itself pays homage to the glory years of the Hollywood musical, so does Hurwitz’s wonderful score. At times jazzy and at other times nakedly emotional, the music is a huge part of the reason the movie is as great as it is. “Planetarium” and “Epilogue” are phenomenal standout tracks, while “City of Stars (Humming)” features an assist from lead actress Emma Stone in a moving arrangement of one of the film’s best songs. “Planetarium” 05. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (Bear McCreary) A dynamic action/suspense score, McCreary’s 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE is the best thing he’s ever written. A mysterious main theme leads the way, and McCreary puts it through consistently interesting and fresh interpretations throughout. The way he plays with harmonics is exceptionally strong, as well, and his writing for the more action-y moments during the climax is propulsive and exciting. “Two Stories” “The Burn” “10 Cloverfield Lane” 04. THE BFG (John Williams) There’s no denying that THE BFG is one of John Williams’ “lesser scores.” However, even a lesser Williams score is inevitably one of the best of its year, and that’s absolutely the case here. This is Williams in gentle whimsy mode, and the music is often wondrous. He employs several major themes and motifs, and while the main theme is arguably the least interesting of them, all have strong hooks. The ghostly piano theme that arrives at 2:49 in “The Witching Hour,” for example, is a one-off melody that any other score would kill to have as a main theme. “The Witching Hour” “To Giant Country” 03. FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (James Newton Howard) FANTASTIC BEASTS finds James Newton Howard back in top form with soaring melody and dense orchestration. Packed with distinct and memorable themes, there was no better fantasy score in 2016. Howard’s action scoring here is top-notch, but it’s the more emotional material towards the end of the album that truly pushes this score over the top to be one of the very best of the year. The epic, 12-minute cue called “Relieve Him of His Wand / Newt Releases The Thunderbird / Jacob's Farewell” is a powerhouse of cathartic emotion, particularly from about 3:20 onward. “Tina Takes Newt In / Macusa Headquarters” “The Demiguise and the Occamy” “A Close Friend” "Relieve Him of His Wand / Newt Releases The Thunderbird / Jacob's Farewell" 02. THE WITCH (Mark Korven) Utterly bone chilling, THE WITCH is - full stop - one of the finest horror scores of the past several decades. It has no conventional themes, and is sometimes a challenging listen on the album, but Korven’s stark, terrifying atmosphere is exceptionally effective. Eerie, unsettling strings and dissonant chords combine with uber-dark chanting and choral work to create an incomparable mood. “What Went We” 01. ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (Michael Giacchino) The first STAR WARS score not composed by John Williams was always going to be controversial, and Michael Giacchino’s attempt has certainly been that, with many claiming it’s an outright “bad” score. These people are, if you’ll allow me, insane. In following Williams’ blueprint for the STAR WARS saga (big themes, fun action), Giacchino has crafted one of his most intelligent and satisfying efforts. The level of care and thoughtfulness (in terms of utilizing both his new themes and Williams' older themes) cannot be understated, and it’s particularly noteworthy because Giacchino had only about four weeks to write this score! Under those circumstances, what he came up with is kind of a marvel, and has grown on me immeasurably since my first listen. No, it’s not as good as what Williams has done for this series, but nothing could be. As a Michael Giacchino STAR WARS score, ROGUE ONE is a triumph. Let me walk you through some of the highlights! “Jedha City Ambush” is the first major action cue of the score, and it’s very much in the Williams style, taking small motif ideas and building a feeling of propulsion around them. “Confrontation on Eadu” is probably the highlight of the entire score, an eight-minute setpiece that begins with mystery and suspense underscore, rockets into dynamic action, and then - in the last 70 seconds - finally unleashes the most grand and sweeping statement of Jyn’s theme in the whole movie. “Rogue One” and “Scrambling the Rebel Fleet” are engaging, “let’s get this show on the road”-style tracks that heighten the anticipation as the movie heads into its climax. “Project Stardust” and “The Master Switch” contain the best action material of the score, and the way Giacchino bounces around between themes is extraordinarily effective and exciting. “Your Father Would Be Proud” brings the story to its surprisingly emotional climax, with some of Giacchino’s patented touching string writing giving way to full orchestral swells of Jyn’s theme. “Hope” begins with an absolutely massive choral attack, coupled with swirling string and ferocious brass counterpoints, which culminates in Williams’ classic Imperial March. It’s a jaw-dropping opening 60 seconds, which then transition into Giacchino’s reworking of some of the opening material from Williams’ original STAR WARS score. The cue ends with a faithful, full-bodied statement of the classic Force theme as the movie cuts to the credits. “The Imperial Suite” is an arrangement of Giacchino’s two new villainous themes, both fabulously arch and catchy. Straight out of the John Williams playbook, and delightfully evil! “Guardians of the Whills Suite” is a presentation of one of the score’s more mystical and optimistic themes. It’s hard not to find yourself swayed by this theme, which may be my favorite of the score. So there you have it! What were some of your favorite scores of 2016?
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