7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE Capsule Review

May 4, 2018May 4, 2018 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

7-days-in-entebbe_2400

7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE
Composer: Rodrigo Amarante

Here’s a question – does having clips of the films dialogue enhance a soundtrack? Depends if it’s interesting enough and not too long is my answer. One of my favourite scores, Get Carter composed by the late and sorely missed Roy Budd, had some fascinating narrative clips which really worked, evenmore so by the fact that the voice belonged to Michael Caine.

In 7 Days In Entebbe the dialogue was so misplaced on the the opening track that I thought I had something else playing on my computer other than the score!

I haven’t heard of the composer Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rodrigo Amarante mainly because apart from some tracks for the Narcos tv series, this is his first soundtrack. Whilst it’s doesn’t shout at you, it does have a very subdued, claustrophobic feel to it which I found fascinating and which most certainly wraps itself well round this true story of the 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris. It’s focus is on what was one of the most daring daring rescue missions ever attempted.

Whilst the film received poor reviews the soundtrack is still worth an initial listen for appreciating the balance between it almost being dismissed as a soundscape and the effect of a gnawing tension which plays out in most tracks.

Am sure the film will fade into obscurity and the soundtrack perhaps will only ever get an initial listen but there was a little something in there of note which I felt worth acknowleding in this short missive.

Tracks of Note: Boarding and Passport
Label: Lakeshore Records

CAPSULE REVIEWS: Early Man, The Cloverfield Paradox , Game Night & Videoman

March 5, 2018 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

EARLY MAN composed by
Harry Gregson-Williams

Animation scores are always fun to listen to even if you don’t know what’s going on. It opens with the sweet and laid back Dug’s Theme. Prehistoric Prologue is mock horror of the finest order complete with ‘man choir’. There has to be a chase somewhere in most animations and here it’s Stadium Chase complete with those time gaps for the laps, which makes for the laughs. Royal Game Day is a joy and sounds like one of those Pathe News intro’s.
Mostly short cues, one of the longest being The Final Game , which of course is football. This gets the full orchestral treatment with the brassy heroic tones. Trophy Presentation repeats the soft, melodic leitmotif which runs through the score but here gives it a huge swell of emotion. A fitting end to a lovely soundtrack.
UNIVERSAL Label

Cloverfield

THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX composed by
Bear McCreary

The overture slams into play, literally. A deep musical slam surrounded by busy violins, it’s an exciting opener. Converging Overload soars with wondrous I do love the way McCreary uses strings and in A message For Ava they are very moving. McCreary is always working, score after score and this one is a worthy addition to his catalogue.

SPARKS & SHADOWS Label

game

GAME NIGHT composed byCliff Martinez
Cliff Martinez

Give me a synth scores anytime. Martinez’s score is great to listen to without breaks where it melds into one mighty fine electronic soundscape. Cue of notice has to be Isn’t That Your Neighbor. It’s fun score!
It’s a fun score!

WATER TOWER MUSIC Label

vid

VIDEOMAN composed by Wave Shaper
& Robert Parker

What an absolute blast this score is. It’s a Swedish comedy/Drama about a woman obsessed with the 80’s and a VHS collector. Takes me back to my own video collection as it captures that 80’s feeling so superbly complete with drum bracking.
LAKESHORE RECORDS Label

PREVENGE by Toydrum Soundtrack Review

March 4, 2017March 4, 2017 ~ Filmic Tracks ~ Leave a comment

From Lakeshore press release:
“A pitch black, wryly British comedy, PREVENGE follows Ruth, played by Alice Lowe,a pregnant woman on a killing spree that’s as funny as it is vicious. It’s her misanthropic unborn baby dictating Ruth’s actions, holding society responsible for the absence of a father. The child speaks to Ruth from the womb, coaching her to lure and ultimately kill her unsuspecting victims. PREVENGE marks the directorial debut from Lowe, who is a true triple threat, writing, directing, and acting in the film during her own real-life pregnancy.
PREVENGE is Alice’s directorial feature debut. She wrote, starred in, and directed it whilst 7-8 months pregnant with her first child, who also appears in the film. Alice was one of the BIFA nominees for ‘best debut director’.”

I became an Alice Lowe fan with the film Sightseers [2012] , and as I have just a teeny weeny, ever so so slight ‘connection’ to her as she went to school with a cousin of mine [I said it was slight :-)], it’s only fair that I should review the films soundtrack. Here’s a little bit of info on Toy drum from the press release:

“Toydrum are a duo who sneak into the consciousness. Not for them the full frontal assault but, instead, a drip-feed of classy work that many may know without knowing. Their hugely acclaimed work with the late singer-songwriter Gavin Clark lit up Shane Meadows’ ‘This Is England ‘90’, their rework of John Lennon’s ‘How Do You Sleep’ led Noel Gallagher to have them remix his High Flying Birds hit ‘In The Heat of the Moment’ (which, in turn, soundtracked last year’s epic ad for the latest ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game), and their soundtracks for films such as the recent Tye Sheridan-starring thriller ‘Detour’ and Alice Lowe’s 2016 Venice Film Festival opener, ‘Prevenge’, have broadened their appeal further.”

Intriguing! As is the soundtrack. It starts appropriately with Intro which is as disconnected as you can get with a pulse running through it which perhaps is the baby’s heart. Biological Clockwork (The Train) is where we are introduced to the voice of the unborn baby saying “It’s OK, I’m here”. The rhythm of the synths obviously suggests the motion of the train with a splendid flurry of 80’s style synth. Fury Pt 1 & 2[Rework] is dominated by deep bass with a flat, synth chime which resonates that ‘something is not quite right” … putting it mildly. Have to say that this a track which will be loaded on to my non-film playlist!

We get to the darkness in Visions Of (Nice Guy Josh)/Killing For Two, the first half is a cold eerie sound palette with a siren sound which is still there but comes in after a childlike toy sound. Climbing The Walls (Pt 1] also has a pulse but this time it sounds like a chilling, muted voice tying to say something. Crazy Bitch/Hormonal Bliss had me laughing at the very start due to the baby voice saying “Do it, do it now” but then it goes into a rich, deep synth riff which I wanted to hear more of but as with quite a few of the tracks ,they have 2 or 3 cues in 1 track. I guess it’s because they would be too short on their own.

Mostly mood tracks with bursts of great synth, all enhanced with the baby voice starting off some tracks. It creates exactly what is required – fear, madness, disconnectedness. I longed for more of the deep synths but’s that just my love of them, this is a solid thriller/horror score which paints only one colour – BLACK!

TRACK LISTING
1. Intro (1:47)
2. Biological Clockwork (The Train) (1:53)
3. This Is What I Really Look Like (Rework) (3:46)
4. Logical Clock (2:08)
5. Fury Pt 1 & 2 (Rework) (3:46)
6. Visions of (Nice Guy Josh) / Killing for Two (2:27)
7. Always with You (Full Song) (3:12)
8. Be Ruthless Ruth (DJ Dan) / Let’s Get You (To Bed) / Ruth Theme (Bath) / Biological Clockwork (The Window) (5:08)
9. Climbing Up the Walls (Pt 1) (1:15)
10. Crazy Bitch / Hormonal Bliss (3:51)
11. Ruth’s Theme (Cemetery – Yoga) / Visions Of (Pt 2) (4:06)
12. Biological Clockwork (The Walk) (4:41)
13. Climbing Up the Walls (Pt 2) / Baby Knows Best (The Tunnel) (2:34)
14. Always with You (Pt 2) / Ruth’s Theme (The Cliffs) (3:31)
15. Children of Love (End Titles) – Paul Synnott (2:10)

INVADA RECORDS UK