After drooling over Daniel Pemberton’s score for Guy Ritchie’s movie The Man From From Uncle, I was keeping my fingers tightly crossed that I would not be dissapointed with his score to Steve Jobs. . . I wasn’t, I am pleased to report.
Directed by Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender this is a biopic of a different sort as you would imagine for a person as complex as Jobs. It’s set back stage before 3 different Apple Key Note speeches all given by Jobs. Pemberton’s fine score is not complex, it’s somewhat like the uncluttered and to-the-point soundtrack’s cover which in itself is based on Apple’s clear and low key text and image presentation.
In fact I couldn’t really give a one word summary of the score except that it really, and I mean really fits the subject matter. It’s mostly electronic and simplistic with a little opera thrown in.
The Musicians Play Their Orchestra… is simply that, an orchestra tuning up to convey how Jobs saw himself as the conductor of all that he built. It’s Not Working sounds like an engine at work in the background, it is mesmerising, not really a track which builds up or even arrives but it is so easy to hook into. One of the stand out tracks is Jack It Up, here the machine sounds more productive and through the track’s rhythm we are marching through with twisted electronic sounds where the simple 2 note structure sounds more strident.
The Circus of Machines Overture is a refined operatic piece and is simply wonderful. Change The World has a faster tempo to befit the world domination of Apple products, it’s another electronic track that builds and builds and which sounds a little like Tangerine Dream. The Circus of Machines II [Allegro] is a second glorious operatic cue but it’s in Revenge that we hear real tension which positively soars with defiant strings.
I couldn’t imagine any other score fitting a film such as this and eagerly await Mr Pemberton’s next soundtrack assighnment.
1. The Musicians Play Their Instruments…
2. It’s Not Working
3. Child (Father)
4. Jack It Up
5. The Circus Of Machines I (Overture)
6. Russian Roulette
7. Change The World
8. The Skylab Plan
9. …I Play The Orchestra
10. The Circus Of Machines II (Allegro)
11. Revenge
12. It’s An Abstract
13. Life Out Of Balance
14. I Wrote Ticket To Ride
15. The Nature Of People
16. 1998. The New Mac
17. Father (Child)
28. Remember
Back Lot Music
Filmic Tracks 