In celebration of Howard Shore's newest release, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (Special Edition), I will be giving it away to one lucky winner. All you have to do is fill out the form below. Gook Luck! Contest ends December 24, 2014.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Interstellar!
I briefly listened to Hans Zimmer's most recent score for Interstellar. First Impressions: it is definitely not what I was expecting at first. You can hear an organ play throughout it, which is why one person said made it "spiritual." It is not all music, but includes sound effects as well which is interesting. You may listen to the entire score below.
Even though it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I ended up enjoying it. Here is a very interesting interview with Hans Zimmer found on denofgeek.us.
Den of Geek: The organ is probably my favorite instrument ever, so when I heard the organ filling up the Chinese Theater a couple of weeks ago that was very exciting to me.
Hans Zimmer: Was it unexpected?
Yes. It was unexpected.
Because what I really, really, really, really tried to do and we nearly slipped up on our first teaser because we had a little bit in there. And then we decided I didn’t want anybody to hear what we were doing until they saw the movie. Commercially I have completely shot myself in the foot by not releasing the soundtrack two weeks ahead which is what everybody does. But I so believe in that idea that you would walk in and you didn’t know what to expect and, you know, at the end of the day I make this for the audience. And so I wanted you to have the sort of "what is this?" experience. A lot of people I just don’t think realize what it was.
This is the fifth time you and Christopher Nolan have worked together. What is the process like at this point?
Well look, I shouldn’t say this and he’s probably going to kill me. There are two Chris Nolans. There’s the Chris Nolan that you might encounter in an interview or you hear him speak publicly. He’s very deliberate and very thoughtful. I’ve created this environment in my studio which is very rock and roll and very collegial and, you know, musicians float in and out and people pick up instruments and start playing. And so when Chris comes down he’s part of the band. I mean people say, "Why do you write such good scores for Chris Nolan?" Well it’s really simple. The answer is Chris Nolan and the way we work together. We get breathless with throwing ideas at each other and we cross all the lines. It’s like Chris will be talking about music and I'll be talking about story.
There was a point where Chris was running some of the (scoring) sessions alone because we had too much. I mean we just decided very early on that this whole thing was going to be about throwing caution to the wind. We had a really strong idea of how we wanted this to sound and we wanted to go and experiment. So we were working on the one hand with the organ and the string section going on in Temple Church and on the other end of town, as far away as you can get, was pianos and brass going on. So we just had to go and share the burden of who was running the sessions. Very often Chris would end up running the organ sessions at Temple Church. And it was quite infuriating when I would get back and he got far more work done that if I had been there, you know.
And that's now part of the way you work together?
The only way I can describe it is it’s very much like having a band. And yeah, I write the notes but what is really important to Chris is I try to set up a place for him to feel completely free and candid and he can say any idea however preposterous it is. Because that’s how we get to the thing. All the good ideas you hear in the room usually start with somebody saying this might be a really bad idea but together we figure out what the thing is itself. And for Chris it’s really, really important to set up an environment for me to work in where my imagination isn’t constrained by the mechanics of filmmaking.
This time, he just gave you a scene to read before you started composing.
Exactly. Without telling me what the movie was about. And we just kept that sort of shape going, you know, whereby I would be working simultaneously while he was shooting in Iceland. I locked myself away. It was like method composing. I locked myself away in my apartment in London. I just wouldn’t go and see anybody. It was very much like I was out in space and the rest of the world was very, very far away. I’d just be working on these ideas and there were scenes he would describe to me over the phone and I’d just go and write them.
I remember one scene in particular where I was going, "You know, Chris, I don’t think I can just write this because the timing is so critical on all these. I have to hit this, I have to hit that, I think you better send me over the footage." And he said, "No, you know, we’ve been so in sync in our storytelling over the years and our sensibilities. Just write it -- if we have to adjust it later we’ll just adjust it later." And I wrote it and I sent it over to him. And I said, "So how is it? He goes, "It hits right to the frame. It hits everything to the frame. Then he paused and he said, "Yesterday when I said to you we seem to have a similar sense of temper and timing, you know, afterwards I actually thought that was really reckless."
It sounds like there’s a tremendous amount of trust there between the two of you after ten years.
Well it has to be, you know. This journey he sent me off on, from that first day of writing, was about my relationship to my children. When you and I speak right now we’re speaking in words and I hide behind them. When I play you a piece of music for the first time it truly is from the heart -- the only place I know how to write from. I have no musical education. And so I was emotionally very fragile when I played this piece for the first time...I wrote it, I phoned him, he came Sunday night, 9:30 at night, you know. It wasn’t business hours. It wasn’t about that. It was just two friends meeting and me playing him this piece going, "Well what do you think?" And him going, "Well I'd better make the movie now." Then I asked him what the movie was.
So you wrote this piece of music without knowing what the full movie was about, just knowing what emotions Nolan wanted to channel.
But by having this piece of music as an anchor, he actually said to me, "I now know what the heart of the movie is." That was the conversation we would always return to. So it’s like, that set the tone and subtext for everything.
What I love about the use of the organ is that it's both mournful and spiritual. Mournful in the sense that it’s sort of mourning the possible end of humanity. But also it’s got that spiritual feel because you’re entering this church of the universe in a sense.
And it’s amazing technology. It’s amazing science and I was thinking how great, you know, centuries ago there were huge human endeavors to build things to sound magnificent, to build amazing musical instruments. They invested an amazing amount of time and effort to make something sound beautiful. And then the other thing which I thought was that a big pipe organ does look like a rocket.
That's a great metaphor.
The image fit the subject. But also, the only way it can make a sound is if there’s air going through it, if it breathes. And I just loved hearing that. You know even when Roger Sayer wasn’t playing you just hear it. It’s like the giant asleep under the Earth. You just hear the air pushing up against the pipes. So it’s a magnificent beast that just waits to be unleashed. And at the same time you can get these incredibly intimate and, as you say, mournful sounds out of it.
I have this crazy theory about science fiction. I think all science fiction movies are inherently nostalgic. I think Blade Runner is one of the most nostalgic movies you can think of. Gattaca is incredibly nostalgic somehow. So with this nostalgia, they become weirdly personal. And that got me back to where we were starting which was by going as far away from humanity and Earth as we possibly could in this movie. Every moment needed to remind us of who we are or question of who we are or make us an ache for who we left behind.
I think as the movie goes on...I’m trying to celebrate all that’s good about humanity. I’m trying to celebrate scientists. I mean I love that Chris was making a movie where scientists were front and center. They were the stars. They weren’t the geeky sidekick. That’s my world. My dad was a
scientist. I want on my tombstone, "He was a geek, he was a nerd and he loved it."
That band vibe you spoke about, is that in your DNA from being in bands early on? (Zimmer started his career with groups like Krakatoa and, most famously, the Buggles of "Video Killed the Radio Star" fame.)
Absolutely. Plus there’s this other thing. You know, I’m a foreigner everywhere. I mean we speak in English right now and really my mother tongue is German. But I’m not German anymore, you know. I mean I left when I was 13 so I’m sort of on this endless journey where I've gone to places like Africa and Slovakia where we didn’t have words in common but we could just sit down, start playing and four hours would go by and we’d think it was 10 minutes. We had these amazing conversations without using words. Sometimes language isn’t as important to us as just the experience you get to have, you know.
What are some of your favorite science fiction scores?
Well, Blade Runner. I love Sunshine. I think John Murphy is such an underrated composer. I just love that score. I think it’s really hard to beat Alien just for its sheer elegance and what Jerry Goldsmith did. Brazil, you know. But weirdly I mean one of the things was I couldn’t watch any of these movies for the last two years because I needed to make our movie. Yes we talked a lot about 2001 and 2001 was really daunting to me for a while.
The thing about 2001 is when the audience first saw it they probably knew “The Blue Danube.” They knew that piece of music. A great percentage of them might have known “Also Sprach Zarathustra” even though they couldn’t pronounce it. But the rest of the music, none of them had heard before. And so I just thought what Kubrick did very successfully was that he just went, "I just need good music for this." I remember saying to Chris at one point that what made this job hard was not that 2001 and all these things have happened before us. It’s just the simple mandate. You’ve got to write good music.
You’re going back into the world of superheroes with Batman v Superman, and I just read that you're getting Junkie XL involved. So what can you say about the approach to this one?
It’s not even like I’m being secretive. It’s just when Zack (Snyder) said to me, "I’m going to have Batman in this one..." -- people forget that what we do isn’t careers. It’s our life. Chris and I spent nine years of our lives invested in that character of Batman and treating it with great respect. And suddenly I’m going, "So I need to go chuck all this out and sort of reinvent it." But I don’t want to go betray our last nine years. And that’s how it felt to me -- like I was going to betray Christian Bale in a funny way by going, "Whatever you did, that was just my practice run." But it wasn't. It was nine years of my life.
So I thought, just like on the first one, Batman Begins, where I had James Newton Howard come in and it became this collegial thing, let me bring someone else in. And I’ve been working a lot with Junkie over the last couple or so years. And the thing that I know that you guys don’t know I’ve heard some of his Mad Max: Fury Road work and it’s phenomenal. So I said to him, you’ll have a completely new fresh slant on this. Let me deal with all the other characters. And Zack loved the idea because Zack loves Junkie.
So he’s working more on Batman.
I’m going to confine him to the Batman side and since there might be some conflict between the two characters I’m going to be quite adversarial while we’re doing it. You’d better watch out.
http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/hans-zimmer/241533/hans-zimmer-talks-about-scoring-interstellar-and-why-batman-needs-a-new-theme
What are your thoughts?
Even though it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I ended up enjoying it. Here is a very interesting interview with Hans Zimmer found on denofgeek.us.
Den of Geek: The organ is probably my favorite instrument ever, so when I heard the organ filling up the Chinese Theater a couple of weeks ago that was very exciting to me.
Hans Zimmer: Was it unexpected?
Yes. It was unexpected.
Because what I really, really, really, really tried to do and we nearly slipped up on our first teaser because we had a little bit in there. And then we decided I didn’t want anybody to hear what we were doing until they saw the movie. Commercially I have completely shot myself in the foot by not releasing the soundtrack two weeks ahead which is what everybody does. But I so believe in that idea that you would walk in and you didn’t know what to expect and, you know, at the end of the day I make this for the audience. And so I wanted you to have the sort of "what is this?" experience. A lot of people I just don’t think realize what it was.
This is the fifth time you and Christopher Nolan have worked together. What is the process like at this point?
Well look, I shouldn’t say this and he’s probably going to kill me. There are two Chris Nolans. There’s the Chris Nolan that you might encounter in an interview or you hear him speak publicly. He’s very deliberate and very thoughtful. I’ve created this environment in my studio which is very rock and roll and very collegial and, you know, musicians float in and out and people pick up instruments and start playing. And so when Chris comes down he’s part of the band. I mean people say, "Why do you write such good scores for Chris Nolan?" Well it’s really simple. The answer is Chris Nolan and the way we work together. We get breathless with throwing ideas at each other and we cross all the lines. It’s like Chris will be talking about music and I'll be talking about story.
There was a point where Chris was running some of the (scoring) sessions alone because we had too much. I mean we just decided very early on that this whole thing was going to be about throwing caution to the wind. We had a really strong idea of how we wanted this to sound and we wanted to go and experiment. So we were working on the one hand with the organ and the string section going on in Temple Church and on the other end of town, as far away as you can get, was pianos and brass going on. So we just had to go and share the burden of who was running the sessions. Very often Chris would end up running the organ sessions at Temple Church. And it was quite infuriating when I would get back and he got far more work done that if I had been there, you know.
And that's now part of the way you work together?
The only way I can describe it is it’s very much like having a band. And yeah, I write the notes but what is really important to Chris is I try to set up a place for him to feel completely free and candid and he can say any idea however preposterous it is. Because that’s how we get to the thing. All the good ideas you hear in the room usually start with somebody saying this might be a really bad idea but together we figure out what the thing is itself. And for Chris it’s really, really important to set up an environment for me to work in where my imagination isn’t constrained by the mechanics of filmmaking.
This time, he just gave you a scene to read before you started composing.
Exactly. Without telling me what the movie was about. And we just kept that sort of shape going, you know, whereby I would be working simultaneously while he was shooting in Iceland. I locked myself away. It was like method composing. I locked myself away in my apartment in London. I just wouldn’t go and see anybody. It was very much like I was out in space and the rest of the world was very, very far away. I’d just be working on these ideas and there were scenes he would describe to me over the phone and I’d just go and write them.
I remember one scene in particular where I was going, "You know, Chris, I don’t think I can just write this because the timing is so critical on all these. I have to hit this, I have to hit that, I think you better send me over the footage." And he said, "No, you know, we’ve been so in sync in our storytelling over the years and our sensibilities. Just write it -- if we have to adjust it later we’ll just adjust it later." And I wrote it and I sent it over to him. And I said, "So how is it? He goes, "It hits right to the frame. It hits everything to the frame. Then he paused and he said, "Yesterday when I said to you we seem to have a similar sense of temper and timing, you know, afterwards I actually thought that was really reckless."
It sounds like there’s a tremendous amount of trust there between the two of you after ten years.
Well it has to be, you know. This journey he sent me off on, from that first day of writing, was about my relationship to my children. When you and I speak right now we’re speaking in words and I hide behind them. When I play you a piece of music for the first time it truly is from the heart -- the only place I know how to write from. I have no musical education. And so I was emotionally very fragile when I played this piece for the first time...I wrote it, I phoned him, he came Sunday night, 9:30 at night, you know. It wasn’t business hours. It wasn’t about that. It was just two friends meeting and me playing him this piece going, "Well what do you think?" And him going, "Well I'd better make the movie now." Then I asked him what the movie was.
So you wrote this piece of music without knowing what the full movie was about, just knowing what emotions Nolan wanted to channel.
But by having this piece of music as an anchor, he actually said to me, "I now know what the heart of the movie is." That was the conversation we would always return to. So it’s like, that set the tone and subtext for everything.
What I love about the use of the organ is that it's both mournful and spiritual. Mournful in the sense that it’s sort of mourning the possible end of humanity. But also it’s got that spiritual feel because you’re entering this church of the universe in a sense.
And it’s amazing technology. It’s amazing science and I was thinking how great, you know, centuries ago there were huge human endeavors to build things to sound magnificent, to build amazing musical instruments. They invested an amazing amount of time and effort to make something sound beautiful. And then the other thing which I thought was that a big pipe organ does look like a rocket.
That's a great metaphor.
The image fit the subject. But also, the only way it can make a sound is if there’s air going through it, if it breathes. And I just loved hearing that. You know even when Roger Sayer wasn’t playing you just hear it. It’s like the giant asleep under the Earth. You just hear the air pushing up against the pipes. So it’s a magnificent beast that just waits to be unleashed. And at the same time you can get these incredibly intimate and, as you say, mournful sounds out of it.
I have this crazy theory about science fiction. I think all science fiction movies are inherently nostalgic. I think Blade Runner is one of the most nostalgic movies you can think of. Gattaca is incredibly nostalgic somehow. So with this nostalgia, they become weirdly personal. And that got me back to where we were starting which was by going as far away from humanity and Earth as we possibly could in this movie. Every moment needed to remind us of who we are or question of who we are or make us an ache for who we left behind.
I think as the movie goes on...I’m trying to celebrate all that’s good about humanity. I’m trying to celebrate scientists. I mean I love that Chris was making a movie where scientists were front and center. They were the stars. They weren’t the geeky sidekick. That’s my world. My dad was a
scientist. I want on my tombstone, "He was a geek, he was a nerd and he loved it."
That band vibe you spoke about, is that in your DNA from being in bands early on? (Zimmer started his career with groups like Krakatoa and, most famously, the Buggles of "Video Killed the Radio Star" fame.)
Absolutely. Plus there’s this other thing. You know, I’m a foreigner everywhere. I mean we speak in English right now and really my mother tongue is German. But I’m not German anymore, you know. I mean I left when I was 13 so I’m sort of on this endless journey where I've gone to places like Africa and Slovakia where we didn’t have words in common but we could just sit down, start playing and four hours would go by and we’d think it was 10 minutes. We had these amazing conversations without using words. Sometimes language isn’t as important to us as just the experience you get to have, you know.
What are some of your favorite science fiction scores?
Well, Blade Runner. I love Sunshine. I think John Murphy is such an underrated composer. I just love that score. I think it’s really hard to beat Alien just for its sheer elegance and what Jerry Goldsmith did. Brazil, you know. But weirdly I mean one of the things was I couldn’t watch any of these movies for the last two years because I needed to make our movie. Yes we talked a lot about 2001 and 2001 was really daunting to me for a while.
The thing about 2001 is when the audience first saw it they probably knew “The Blue Danube.” They knew that piece of music. A great percentage of them might have known “Also Sprach Zarathustra” even though they couldn’t pronounce it. But the rest of the music, none of them had heard before. And so I just thought what Kubrick did very successfully was that he just went, "I just need good music for this." I remember saying to Chris at one point that what made this job hard was not that 2001 and all these things have happened before us. It’s just the simple mandate. You’ve got to write good music.
You’re going back into the world of superheroes with Batman v Superman, and I just read that you're getting Junkie XL involved. So what can you say about the approach to this one?
It’s not even like I’m being secretive. It’s just when Zack (Snyder) said to me, "I’m going to have Batman in this one..." -- people forget that what we do isn’t careers. It’s our life. Chris and I spent nine years of our lives invested in that character of Batman and treating it with great respect. And suddenly I’m going, "So I need to go chuck all this out and sort of reinvent it." But I don’t want to go betray our last nine years. And that’s how it felt to me -- like I was going to betray Christian Bale in a funny way by going, "Whatever you did, that was just my practice run." But it wasn't. It was nine years of my life.
So I thought, just like on the first one, Batman Begins, where I had James Newton Howard come in and it became this collegial thing, let me bring someone else in. And I’ve been working a lot with Junkie over the last couple or so years. And the thing that I know that you guys don’t know I’ve heard some of his Mad Max: Fury Road work and it’s phenomenal. So I said to him, you’ll have a completely new fresh slant on this. Let me deal with all the other characters. And Zack loved the idea because Zack loves Junkie.
So he’s working more on Batman.
I’m going to confine him to the Batman side and since there might be some conflict between the two characters I’m going to be quite adversarial while we’re doing it. You’d better watch out.
http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/hans-zimmer/241533/hans-zimmer-talks-about-scoring-interstellar-and-why-batman-needs-a-new-theme
Now you may listen to the entire score.
What are your thoughts?
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Into The Storm by Brian Tyler
I saw a poster outside of Regal Cinemas a while ago advertising Into The Storm. I don't think that I will see the film, but I can expect that Brian Tyler's music is going to be epic, and it was (and still is).
Into The Storm begins very mysterious and a little creepy. The massive, killer tornadoes in the film sure are scary. This theme sets the mood for the film: a little sad, some intensity, and very interesting. It makes me a little curious. The theme makes me think that the film will end in a total disaster with an unsatisfying ending.
Atonement continues the theme, but with much more intensity. The instruments (and the characters) are racing.
Fate saddens things a bit more. How would you feel if you were constantly being hopelessly attacked by a killer tornado (or tornadoes)?
I found this music very interesting. You may listen to the rest of the score below through the "Megatron" player! It is big enough for you to see the people trying to not get sucked into the tornado.
Into The Storm begins very mysterious and a little creepy. The massive, killer tornadoes in the film sure are scary. This theme sets the mood for the film: a little sad, some intensity, and very interesting. It makes me a little curious. The theme makes me think that the film will end in a total disaster with an unsatisfying ending.
Atonement continues the theme, but with much more intensity. The instruments (and the characters) are racing.
Fate saddens things a bit more. How would you feel if you were constantly being hopelessly attacked by a killer tornado (or tornadoes)?
I found this music very interesting. You may listen to the rest of the score below through the "Megatron" player! It is big enough for you to see the people trying to not get sucked into the tornado.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Similar Themes From Different Composers (Or Albums)
Composers are truly amazing in that they can come up with completely unique themes for their score, even amongst the many thousands of other themes. Sometimes, though, they re-use someone else’s theme or are noticeably inspired by it. Below is a few themes that I have gathered together that sound very similar, but are composed by different people. I am not in any way condemning these composers or their work, but comparing their work with others’.
Songs:
James Newton Howard: Maleficent Flies from Maleficent
Audiomachine: Above And Beyond from Tree Of Life
Thomas Bergersen: Cassandra from Sun
James Newton Howard’s Maleficent Flies from his score for the film Maleficent is truly, well, magnificent! It is rather unique compared to the other songs that I am comparing this to. The only similarity between this song and the other two is the brief theme that begins at the 1:47 mark. Other than that, this song is very unique compared to the other two below.
Thomas Bergersen’s Cassandra from his latest release Sun is not necessarily that similar to James Newton Howard’s song from Maleficent, but more like Audiomachine’s Above And Beyond, starting at the 0:35 mark and then again at the 1:28 mark.
Audiomachine’s Above And Beyond is the basis of these similarities. It shows the standard theme that Bergersen and Howard were getting at, except they managed to develop a more polished version that seems to deviate from the theme at certain intervals. Audiomachine is focusing just on the theme, which still sounds amazing.
I love listening to each one of these pieces. Each one provides a similar sound, but with the entire scope in mind, they each hold their own meaning and emotion. James Newton Howard managed to compose the most polished piece that has the common theme that lies between these three, but it includes the most unique sound compared to the other two.
Songs:
Hans Zimmer: The Battle from Gladiator
Hans Zimmer: Code Of Conduct from Call of Duty: MW2
Two Steps From Hell: Magika and Racketeers from Dynasty
Klaus Badelt: The Medallion Calls, Pirates Attack (Part 2) from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Complete Score)
Now The Battle is a long song (though thoroughly enjoyable), I am really only focusing on two parts located from 4:11-4:20 and 5:50-6:20. I think that these two parts sound so similar to Klaus Badelt's two songs in Pirates of the Caribbean. Hans Zimmer did, in fact, help out with the score. The part located at 5:50 is so similar to Pirates Atack (Part 2).
Two Steps From Hell and it's songs Magica and Racketeers are evenly similar to Klaus Badelt's Pirates of the Caribbean score. Though I sort of like these slightly better than Badelt's.
Now when it comes to Call of Duty: MW2, I can't say anything more than Pirates of the Caribbean! Hans Zimmer had been working on the Pirates of the Caribbean series for a while, so I guess he couldn't get the hauntingly catchy tune stuck in his head during this job.
Songs:
Alexander Desplat: End Credits from The Monuments Men
Randy Newman: A Bug’s Life Suite from A Bug’s Life
Now let us cool down from the epic themes above to the calmer ones found here. A few weeks ago, I was trying to hum the theme for A Bug's Life, but couldn't separate it from The Monuments men. I always found myself humming that nice, whistle tune from World War II. The part in Randy Newman's piece that I am comparing to Alexandre Desplat's begins at 4:09. It shows a similarity for sure, but it hits different notes than in The Monuments Men. I still like the whistling tune of Alexandre Desplat's theme a little better.
Songs:
Brian Tyler: The Gulf of Aden from The Expendables (Expanded)
Brian Tyler: Battle For New York from Call of Duty: MW3
Now Brian Tyler just puts that certain sound into most of his work, which is why there needs to be many composers, so a different feel can be created for specific films/games. These two songs composed by Brian Tyler have the same feel and overall sound. Now when you get to 3:34 in The Gulf of Aden, you can clearly notice an almost exact duplication when you listen to Call of Duty: MW3 starting at 5:04. They each have a unique touch though, making both equally enjoyable. The part from Call of Duty is obviously much more intense because of the emphasis put on the electric guitar. It almost dominates the other instruments, but not quite.
Songs:
Two Steps From Hell: Men of Honor Part II from Two Steps From Heaven
Jerry Goldsmith: Main Titles from Air Force One
I recently shared some music on Jerry Goldsmith's score for Air Force One, but I will visit it again. I almost think that Two Steps From Hell went a bit too close to Jerry Goldsmith's fantastic theme. I like Men Of Honor Part II, but I personally prefer Air Force One. When it hits 1:10 in the song by Two Steps From Hell, it sounds so similar. There is even the same drums. Of course, it still has its own unique sound, it unmistakeably hit real close to the unforgettable theme of the legendary composer.
I'm sure there are many more, but this is all I have come across lately. Any thoughts?
Songs:
James Newton Howard: Maleficent Flies from Maleficent
Audiomachine: Above And Beyond from Tree Of Life
Thomas Bergersen: Cassandra from Sun
James Newton Howard’s Maleficent Flies from his score for the film Maleficent is truly, well, magnificent! It is rather unique compared to the other songs that I am comparing this to. The only similarity between this song and the other two is the brief theme that begins at the 1:47 mark. Other than that, this song is very unique compared to the other two below.
Thomas Bergersen’s Cassandra from his latest release Sun is not necessarily that similar to James Newton Howard’s song from Maleficent, but more like Audiomachine’s Above And Beyond, starting at the 0:35 mark and then again at the 1:28 mark.
Audiomachine’s Above And Beyond is the basis of these similarities. It shows the standard theme that Bergersen and Howard were getting at, except they managed to develop a more polished version that seems to deviate from the theme at certain intervals. Audiomachine is focusing just on the theme, which still sounds amazing.
I love listening to each one of these pieces. Each one provides a similar sound, but with the entire scope in mind, they each hold their own meaning and emotion. James Newton Howard managed to compose the most polished piece that has the common theme that lies between these three, but it includes the most unique sound compared to the other two.
Songs:
Hans Zimmer: The Battle from Gladiator
Hans Zimmer: Code Of Conduct from Call of Duty: MW2
Two Steps From Hell: Magika and Racketeers from Dynasty
Klaus Badelt: The Medallion Calls, Pirates Attack (Part 2) from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Complete Score)
Now The Battle is a long song (though thoroughly enjoyable), I am really only focusing on two parts located from 4:11-4:20 and 5:50-6:20. I think that these two parts sound so similar to Klaus Badelt's two songs in Pirates of the Caribbean. Hans Zimmer did, in fact, help out with the score. The part located at 5:50 is so similar to Pirates Atack (Part 2).
Two Steps From Hell and it's songs Magica and Racketeers are evenly similar to Klaus Badelt's Pirates of the Caribbean score. Though I sort of like these slightly better than Badelt's.
Now when it comes to Call of Duty: MW2, I can't say anything more than Pirates of the Caribbean! Hans Zimmer had been working on the Pirates of the Caribbean series for a while, so I guess he couldn't get the hauntingly catchy tune stuck in his head during this job.
Songs:
Alexander Desplat: End Credits from The Monuments Men
Randy Newman: A Bug’s Life Suite from A Bug’s Life
Now let us cool down from the epic themes above to the calmer ones found here. A few weeks ago, I was trying to hum the theme for A Bug's Life, but couldn't separate it from The Monuments men. I always found myself humming that nice, whistle tune from World War II. The part in Randy Newman's piece that I am comparing to Alexandre Desplat's begins at 4:09. It shows a similarity for sure, but it hits different notes than in The Monuments Men. I still like the whistling tune of Alexandre Desplat's theme a little better.
Songs:
Brian Tyler: The Gulf of Aden from The Expendables (Expanded)
Brian Tyler: Battle For New York from Call of Duty: MW3
Now Brian Tyler just puts that certain sound into most of his work, which is why there needs to be many composers, so a different feel can be created for specific films/games. These two songs composed by Brian Tyler have the same feel and overall sound. Now when you get to 3:34 in The Gulf of Aden, you can clearly notice an almost exact duplication when you listen to Call of Duty: MW3 starting at 5:04. They each have a unique touch though, making both equally enjoyable. The part from Call of Duty is obviously much more intense because of the emphasis put on the electric guitar. It almost dominates the other instruments, but not quite.
Songs:
Two Steps From Hell: Men of Honor Part II from Two Steps From Heaven
Jerry Goldsmith: Main Titles from Air Force One
I recently shared some music on Jerry Goldsmith's score for Air Force One, but I will visit it again. I almost think that Two Steps From Hell went a bit too close to Jerry Goldsmith's fantastic theme. I like Men Of Honor Part II, but I personally prefer Air Force One. When it hits 1:10 in the song by Two Steps From Hell, it sounds so similar. There is even the same drums. Of course, it still has its own unique sound, it unmistakeably hit real close to the unforgettable theme of the legendary composer.
I'm sure there are many more, but this is all I have come across lately. Any thoughts?
Sunday, November 23, 2014
The Greatest Game Ever Played
I find the theme for Brian Tyler's score for The Greatest Game Ever Played is very compelling and interesting from beginning to end. Tyler composed this piece with a classical sound to it, evoking much joy. There are two different songs in this album that play the main theme very well.
Main Title Overture
My favorite part in this whole piece begins at the 1:31 mark. I just love themes like this when I need cheering up.
End Title Overture
I like this piece just as much as the first. It is very similar to the Main Title Overture, but it begins with more strings and a piano. Some of it may sound the same, but there are distinct differences. It is almost like an alternate version of the first.
What are your thoughts?
Main Title Overture
My favorite part in this whole piece begins at the 1:31 mark. I just love themes like this when I need cheering up.
End Title Overture
I like this piece just as much as the first. It is very similar to the Main Title Overture, but it begins with more strings and a piano. Some of it may sound the same, but there are distinct differences. It is almost like an alternate version of the first.
What are your thoughts?
Friday, November 21, 2014
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag by Brian Tyler
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was released just over a year ago. Brian Tyler composed the score for the game. I think that the theme establishes the Caribbean/pirate feel quite well. It is definitely one of my favorite videogame themes.
Here is the main theme along with some additional music that incorporates the different themes Brian Tyler composed throughout this score.
Now aside from the instrumental music, there is some music with lyrics, well, because they are pirates! Here is Randy Dandy, a real fun song that can help break your moment of seriousness. There are more sea shanty songs like this one found in the Complete Edition of the soundtrack.
What are your thought's on this score?
Here is the main theme along with some additional music that incorporates the different themes Brian Tyler composed throughout this score.
Now aside from the instrumental music, there is some music with lyrics, well, because they are pirates! Here is Randy Dandy, a real fun song that can help break your moment of seriousness. There are more sea shanty songs like this one found in the Complete Edition of the soundtrack.
What are your thought's on this score?
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Captain America Themes
Alan Silvestri successfully composed a wonderful score for the original Captain America film. The time period for the film is during World War II (I think early 40's since the war ended in the film and that happened in 1945) and I think that he was perfect for the job. On the other hand, he didn't compose the score for the sequel. The Winter Soldier is a more intense, action packed film that takes place in modern society, so someone else needed to take a turn, and that was Henry Jackman. He did a great job adding the modern feel to the film and added an immense amount of intensity compared to the preceding film.
Silvestri's theme was very memorable, and was a fantastic time period piece and victory theme. Due to the short length oth this theme, I have included a few extra tracks that include the theme as well.
Jackman's theme is more modernized with the electronic sound that he included in it. I think that it is the music from the beginning of the film when they are recapturing the ship from the pirates. His theme from the original soundtrack album is significantly longer (9:41) compared to Silvestri's (1:06). Jackman didn't specifically compose a theme for his score like Alan Ailvestri, but you will notice that there is one there.
Silvestri's theme was very memorable, and was a fantastic time period piece and victory theme. Due to the short length oth this theme, I have included a few extra tracks that include the theme as well.
Jackman's theme is more modernized with the electronic sound that he included in it. I think that it is the music from the beginning of the film when they are recapturing the ship from the pirates. His theme from the original soundtrack album is significantly longer (9:41) compared to Silvestri's (1:06). Jackman didn't specifically compose a theme for his score like Alan Ailvestri, but you will notice that there is one there.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Music For A Film
I have been writing a book for a while now, and when I first heard Love & Loss by Thomas Bergersen, I thought that it was the perfect ending to it if it were made into a film. The electronic sound in the beginning creates a futuristic feel to it and the short strides of the bow on the violin and the theme all combined allow the listener to feel a sense of accomplishment, resolve, and joy. It is after the climax of the story has been reached and everything begins to calm down. The story is about to reach a closing point, a very satisfying closing.
There is also a song by Immediate Music from their latest album Trailerhead: Nu Epiq called This War Must End. I think that if my novel were to be transformed into a film, this song would be an awesome promotional trailer. It is very interesting and provides just the right amount of intensity for the action that would be in it. It has a few key areas that could be used for dialogue (when it is quiet), explosions, and other intense and important parts. The ending is the best part, and totally sounds like a cinematic trailer.
There is also a song by Immediate Music from their latest album Trailerhead: Nu Epiq called This War Must End. I think that if my novel were to be transformed into a film, this song would be an awesome promotional trailer. It is very interesting and provides just the right amount of intensity for the action that would be in it. It has a few key areas that could be used for dialogue (when it is quiet), explosions, and other intense and important parts. The ending is the best part, and totally sounds like a cinematic trailer.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Time from Inception
Inception is one of my favorite films. Hans Zimmer composed the score. Below is a video that I thought was interesting. It explains a little bit about how it was made.
One of Hans Zimmer's most iconic themes and one of his most well-known is Time. You can listen to it below. The song gradually progresses, starting out slow and quiet and easing its way into a louder, more interesting theme that introduces more instruments when it reaches its height in sound. It suddenly drops to the quiet piano theme from the very beginning to end the piece. This is the resolving sequence in the film. Though visually it didn't resolve, it certainly did in the music.
What are your thoughts on this? I have the complete soundtrack for Inception which has a few suites from the film. In the future, I will share with you the others, so stay tuned!
One of Hans Zimmer's most iconic themes and one of his most well-known is Time. You can listen to it below. The song gradually progresses, starting out slow and quiet and easing its way into a louder, more interesting theme that introduces more instruments when it reaches its height in sound. It suddenly drops to the quiet piano theme from the very beginning to end the piece. This is the resolving sequence in the film. Though visually it didn't resolve, it certainly did in the music.
What are your thoughts on this? I have the complete soundtrack for Inception which has a few suites from the film. In the future, I will share with you the others, so stay tuned!
Monday, November 3, 2014
Christmas?
I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe that Christmas is nearly at the doorstep. It isn't even Thanksgiving yet and the stores are cluttered with the decorations in preparation for the holiday. When this happens, it's time to tune in to the Christmas station.
Do you have any favorite films for the occasion? I personally like the Polar Express, though the annual rave in my family is Elf.
I actually have a great song by Alan Silvestri for you. It is the suite from The Polar Express. I have noticed while listening to this that the main theme from Silvestri's score are very similar to that of the one heard in Elf. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the score for Elf, so I will provide one from YouTube.
The Polar Express Suite by Alan Silvestri
Main Title by John Debney
The similarity of this and Silvestri's begins at the 0:54 mark, roughly.
Do you have any favorite films for the occasion? I personally like the Polar Express, though the annual rave in my family is Elf.
I actually have a great song by Alan Silvestri for you. It is the suite from The Polar Express. I have noticed while listening to this that the main theme from Silvestri's score are very similar to that of the one heard in Elf. Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the score for Elf, so I will provide one from YouTube.
The Polar Express Suite by Alan Silvestri
Main Title by John Debney
The similarity of this and Silvestri's begins at the 0:54 mark, roughly.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
Are you excited to see the last installment to the Hobbit series? I'm sure that the music is going to be incredible! I can't wait to get my hands on the Special Edition score by Howard Shore. Amazon is taking pre-orders for the album starting at $25 I think. If you enjoyed Shore's previous scores from either The Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, then I recommend that you grab yourself a copy of this great collector's item.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Crysis 2
One of my favorite game scores is Crysis 2. I have never played the game, but I like the music. What I will be focusing on are the songs by Hans Zimmer. You can hear them below:
I like the theme that Zimmer composed. It is unique, and it represents the chaos well in the world of Crysis. In case you didn't know, New York is destroyed in this game. I have actually listened to the song Epilogue more than the others above. For some reason I just love the violin in it. The beginning starts out very strange, then it fades into the main theme heard in the beginning. At 1:32, the feel changes to a nice resolving end. The violin in it reminds me of Trevor Rabin's theme from his score on the sequel of National Treasure. What do you think?
I like the theme that Zimmer composed. It is unique, and it represents the chaos well in the world of Crysis. In case you didn't know, New York is destroyed in this game. I have actually listened to the song Epilogue more than the others above. For some reason I just love the violin in it. The beginning starts out very strange, then it fades into the main theme heard in the beginning. At 1:32, the feel changes to a nice resolving end. The violin in it reminds me of Trevor Rabin's theme from his score on the sequel of National Treasure. What do you think?
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Favorites?
If you were to pick five composers that are your favorite, which ones would they be?
Now pick ten different albums composed by those top three that are your favorite.
Lastly, pick fifteen songs/tracks that are your top favorites within those albums.
This is a very hard exercise. There are so many different composers out there, some very popular, some you have never heard of. I think that composers for videogame scores have the strangest names compared to film of trailer composers. Not all of them are strange; some are normal.
Below are two artists that I personally enjoy, even though their names may be a little...odd.
Here is Borislav Slavov on New York Memories from Crysis 3
And here is Joris de Man on The Second Helghan March from Killzone 2
These are just some examples. These two tracks are two of my favorites, if I were choosing them from the videogames category. What are your thoughts? Do you prefer film scores? What are your favorites?
Now pick ten different albums composed by those top three that are your favorite.
Lastly, pick fifteen songs/tracks that are your top favorites within those albums.
This is a very hard exercise. There are so many different composers out there, some very popular, some you have never heard of. I think that composers for videogame scores have the strangest names compared to film of trailer composers. Not all of them are strange; some are normal.
Below are two artists that I personally enjoy, even though their names may be a little...odd.
Here is Borislav Slavov on New York Memories from Crysis 3
And here is Joris de Man on The Second Helghan March from Killzone 2
These are just some examples. These two tracks are two of my favorites, if I were choosing them from the videogames category. What are your thoughts? Do you prefer film scores? What are your favorites?
Into The Score now live!
Our new station Into The Score is now live! Visit the Radio tab for the link and the schedule. I am currently waiting for TuneIn Radio to add it, then you will be able to listen to it through them. I also created a new site: http://joshuarh97.wix.com/soundtracks-gizmo
I think that it looks neat. I know, it's a free website! Anyway, expect a "real" post here soon.
I think that it looks neat. I know, it's a free website! Anyway, expect a "real" post here soon.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Broadcasting On The Radio
I have started a radio station, and I think that I will kind of move SG over to there. I will continue to post once a week. The station is called Into The Score, and you can listen to it one any operating system. To listen to it now on your computer, go to this link: http://www.radionomy.com/en/radio/intothescore/index
I will have nothing but music playing at the moment, but while I get used to the interface, you will soon hear my voice. I will have a few short talks scheduled, and maybe other things but the main focus is on scores.
I will have nothing but music playing at the moment, but while I get used to the interface, you will soon hear my voice. I will have a few short talks scheduled, and maybe other things but the main focus is on scores.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
A Tribute To Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith is an iconic legend in film score history. He has scored for over 100 films including hits like Alien, Air Force One, and The Mummy. I would like to commemorate him today.
Here is two of my favorite quotes, and they happen to be his:
"The function of a score is to enlarge the scope of a film. I try for emotional penetration - not for complementing the action. For me, the important thing about music is statement. I can't describe how I arrive at the decision to make a statement, I simply feel it and react to it."
"If our music survives, which I have no doubt it will, then it will because it is good."
Do you remember the Universal Studios theme? Jerry Goldsmith was the one who composed it. It runs a short 25 seconds, but that doesn't take away the epicness of it. Let's hear it again. Ready...take two!
Jerry Goldsmith also had a good career with Disney. He Scored the music for Mulan and one of my all-time favorites: from the Walt Disney World EPCOT Center, Soarin'
In the two albums that I have fore you below, Jerry Goldsmith perfectly combined themes that brought both "emotional penetration" and a great amount of action. They would always begin with a soft theme, then plunge into the intensity of the action. Soon after, you were soothed by a return to the calmness that was presented to you in the beginning. Jerry Goldsmith was easily one of the best film composers of all time. Wouldn't you agree?
Now sit back and relax as I proudly present to you:
(I apologize in advance for any mixed up track listings)
Here is a live orchestra playing the song "The Sand Volcano".
Ah, and for Jerry Goldsmith's amazing score for the 1997 film Air Force One. Randy Newman originally composed the music that was expected to be featured in this film, but instead, it was rejected. His music was rather disrupting to the hearing and seemed to not fit the film at all. I think that he should stick with A Bug's Life. Jerry Goldsmith took the job with an impossible deadline approaching very fast. He successfully completed his incredible score in just one week! Jerry Goldsmith said that he "would never take another last minute job again."
Here is two of my favorite quotes, and they happen to be his:
"The function of a score is to enlarge the scope of a film. I try for emotional penetration - not for complementing the action. For me, the important thing about music is statement. I can't describe how I arrive at the decision to make a statement, I simply feel it and react to it."
"If our music survives, which I have no doubt it will, then it will because it is good."
Do you remember the Universal Studios theme? Jerry Goldsmith was the one who composed it. It runs a short 25 seconds, but that doesn't take away the epicness of it. Let's hear it again. Ready...take two!
Jerry Goldsmith also had a good career with Disney. He Scored the music for Mulan and one of my all-time favorites: from the Walt Disney World EPCOT Center, Soarin'
In the two albums that I have fore you below, Jerry Goldsmith perfectly combined themes that brought both "emotional penetration" and a great amount of action. They would always begin with a soft theme, then plunge into the intensity of the action. Soon after, you were soothed by a return to the calmness that was presented to you in the beginning. Jerry Goldsmith was easily one of the best film composers of all time. Wouldn't you agree?
Now sit back and relax as I proudly present to you:
(I apologize in advance for any mixed up track listings)
The Mummy
Here is a live orchestra playing the song "The Sand Volcano".
Air Force One
Ah, and for Jerry Goldsmith's amazing score for the 1997 film Air Force One. Randy Newman originally composed the music that was expected to be featured in this film, but instead, it was rejected. His music was rather disrupting to the hearing and seemed to not fit the film at all. I think that he should stick with A Bug's Life. Jerry Goldsmith took the job with an impossible deadline approaching very fast. He successfully completed his incredible score in just one week! Jerry Goldsmith said that he "would never take another last minute job again."
Monday, October 13, 2014
Game Of Thrones Main Theme by Ramin Djawadi
One of the most memorable television themes that I have heard is definitely Ramin Djawadi's from Game of Thrones. He gave this massively popular TV series a truly epic sound. There are some who say that this score didn't quite reach "what is could have been" (Richard Buxton of Tracksounds).
What are your opinions of this?
What are your opinions of this?
Friday, October 10, 2014
What Do You Think?
So I have evolved from using YouTube videos in order to share with you my music to using the 4Shared audio embed feature. It looks much better, but I want to hear from my readers. Do you like it better, are you able to see it?
I am also thinking about giving away a brand new soundtrack to one of you guys! If you have an idea for one, please let me know!
You can text me at: 302-715-1667
OR
You can email me at: soundtracks.gizmo@tech-center.com
I am also thinking about giving away a brand new soundtrack to one of you guys! If you have an idea for one, please let me know!
You can text me at: 302-715-1667
OR
You can email me at: soundtracks.gizmo@tech-center.com
The First Victim from Jaws (John Williams)
Have you ever seen any of the Jaws films?
John Williams composed the music for the first two films. I haven't gotten the chance to listen to the entire score for the first film, but I have listened to track 1 in the 25th Anniversary Edition.
This song is the epic, terrifying theme that everyone thinks of when they hear "shark attack!" The music to the popular 1975 thriller was a masterpiece. The slow beginning, hinting to something bad about to happen while injecting fear into the listener as intensity rises and the violins scream.
The First Victim
John Williams composed the music for the first two films. I haven't gotten the chance to listen to the entire score for the first film, but I have listened to track 1 in the 25th Anniversary Edition.
This song is the epic, terrifying theme that everyone thinks of when they hear "shark attack!" The music to the popular 1975 thriller was a masterpiece. The slow beginning, hinting to something bad about to happen while injecting fear into the listener as intensity rises and the violins scream.
The First Victim
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Introduction: Disney Music
When I refer to Disney music, I am talking about the music for both the films and the resorts. This subject is a big one, not only because I love the music but because there is so much of it. It is incredibly difficult to come by much of the resort music. Disney has locked it all up in their vault, carefully releasing only bits and pieces of it. The Official Album Of Walt Disney World and the Four Parks - One World albums are great additions to any collection, but both have very similar tracks and they left out a lot. The music heard in EPCOT is one of my favorites. Thanks to the many contributions, I have been able to present to you The Music Of Disney!
In these posts in the future, I will cover one film score and some music from the resorts. Sometimes I may only do one score, but I will aim at including both in most of them.
The Score for Tangled was composed by Alan Menken. It sounds like very traditional Disney music: light and happy, not too intense, and very memorable. I will be discussing the expanded edition of the score, so you may not be able to find some of these tracks in the original soundtrack found for sale on the common market.
Alan Menken also composed the score for The Little Mermaid back in 1989, so his scoring reputation with Disney is good. He took the same feel from that previous work and brought it into Tangled. I believe Disney has very high expectations when it comes to film music. It stands out from much of the other music that it out there. It all sounds very similar, yet each score still manages to bring something new and exciting into the world.
Alan Menken created a brand new theme and threw magical pixie dust over the top. The Prologue in the beginning of the album nicely introduces these themes with a neat combination of slower tip-toe sounding music and medium paced action.
Stealing The Crown introduces Flynn Rider in a great chase. It creeps along until the end when he is suddenly faced with danger.
Let Down Your Hair, Look In That Mirror, and It's My Birthday are introductions to the character that this whole movie is about: Rapunzel. These all take their own turn at the magical and fun girl up in the tower. It's My Birthday introduces you to her greatest want while briefly playing a version of the main theme.
Wanted brings you back into Flynn Rider's adventure as he is being chased. This is mostly filled with fast action, but it lightened with a comedy sound. The thing with Disney music is that it doesn't stay serious for very long, in most circumstances. Since it is aimed mostly towards children, it needs to lighten up the mood every now and then.
Much of this music has a tip-toe sound to it. Refer to the beginning of Fit To Be Tied to understand what I mean. This song introduces what sounds like danger coming at one point, but then calms down very fast after learning that there isn't any.
The Lantern Thing is where you learn about Rapunzel's greatest desire: to see the lanterns. She still isn't quite sure about Flynn, though. This plays a nice combination of both quick and slow music.
A New Life is short and sweet, but is very bright and exciting. This is where Rapunzel finally is introduced into the real world.
Horse With No Rider is the first song to this point to show such a high level of intensity. This whole scene isn't a happy one in any way, so there is no reason to lighten it up.
Snuggly Duckling begins happy, but rapidly turns the feel to that of absolute danger. Escape Route changes mood again, introducing something that sounds like the Mission Impossible theme. It finally comes to an end with smooth jazz music.
Cavern Chase is a great track of high intensity that sneaks a heroic theme that hints towards a successful getaway. Water Rising combines a chaotic and intense theme coming from a fear of danger (or in this case, death) and a sense of calmness. Around the 2:12 mark, Rapunzel's hair glows and sends the music soaring above again until it explodes in triumph.
Campfire is a relaxing and emotional piece that slows down the mood a bit, until you reach the end and it hits the note where you know that something isn't right.
To The Kingdom and Kingdom Dance are when Rapunzel is in the kingdom having a blast. These two bring into light some new instruments while it energizes the mood. It almost makes you jump up and start dancing!
A nice, calming guitar and piano play under the moonlight in Waiting For The Lights. When the lights finally show up, it changes the mood again, making you feel much joy.
Kiss Interupted sounds mysterious, kind of like the theme when you see the Lucasfilm LTD logo on some of their more recent titles.
Realization And Escape is a long track that is part of the overall wrap up of the story. It's slow beginning gradually fades into a happy mood before exploding into a huge, joyful realization. This happiness is soon killed, sending you into a dark mood that continues throughout most of the song, speeding up and lightening up a few times here and there. At the 5 minute mark, it sounds more victorious, and at 5:22, it plays the jazzy theme of the mime. The heroic mood to this continues to the end, gradually increasing.
Let Me Save Him continues this joyful theme, but it quickly declines as Flynn is stabbed after realizing Rapunzel is tied up. This launches the listener into the lat bit of high intensity that is left in this score.
The Tear Heals begins very sad, and this is perfected with the guitar and piano. Soon, the resolving sequence occurs and the music reaches a new high of jubilee which the listener is able to deeply feel emotionally.
This doesn't compare to the Kingdom Celebration, which is just exploding with happiness and nothing less. This introduces many different themes until finally hitting the finale.
To conclude this film (and this post), I included the End Credits for your enjoyment. This long song is a basic summary of what what heard throughout the film, covering some action sequences, magical moments, and finally ending with a second fantastic finale.
Though I did not cover the complete album, you can find that I covered most of it. I hope you enjoyed this!
Joshua
Soundtracks Gizmo
soundtracks.gizmo@tech-center.com
In these posts in the future, I will cover one film score and some music from the resorts. Sometimes I may only do one score, but I will aim at including both in most of them.
The Score for Tangled was composed by Alan Menken. It sounds like very traditional Disney music: light and happy, not too intense, and very memorable. I will be discussing the expanded edition of the score, so you may not be able to find some of these tracks in the original soundtrack found for sale on the common market.
Alan Menken also composed the score for The Little Mermaid back in 1989, so his scoring reputation with Disney is good. He took the same feel from that previous work and brought it into Tangled. I believe Disney has very high expectations when it comes to film music. It stands out from much of the other music that it out there. It all sounds very similar, yet each score still manages to bring something new and exciting into the world.
Alan Menken created a brand new theme and threw magical pixie dust over the top. The Prologue in the beginning of the album nicely introduces these themes with a neat combination of slower tip-toe sounding music and medium paced action.
Stealing The Crown introduces Flynn Rider in a great chase. It creeps along until the end when he is suddenly faced with danger.
Let Down Your Hair, Look In That Mirror, and It's My Birthday are introductions to the character that this whole movie is about: Rapunzel. These all take their own turn at the magical and fun girl up in the tower. It's My Birthday introduces you to her greatest want while briefly playing a version of the main theme.
Wanted brings you back into Flynn Rider's adventure as he is being chased. This is mostly filled with fast action, but it lightened with a comedy sound. The thing with Disney music is that it doesn't stay serious for very long, in most circumstances. Since it is aimed mostly towards children, it needs to lighten up the mood every now and then.
Much of this music has a tip-toe sound to it. Refer to the beginning of Fit To Be Tied to understand what I mean. This song introduces what sounds like danger coming at one point, but then calms down very fast after learning that there isn't any.
The Lantern Thing is where you learn about Rapunzel's greatest desire: to see the lanterns. She still isn't quite sure about Flynn, though. This plays a nice combination of both quick and slow music.
A New Life is short and sweet, but is very bright and exciting. This is where Rapunzel finally is introduced into the real world.
Horse With No Rider is the first song to this point to show such a high level of intensity. This whole scene isn't a happy one in any way, so there is no reason to lighten it up.
Snuggly Duckling begins happy, but rapidly turns the feel to that of absolute danger. Escape Route changes mood again, introducing something that sounds like the Mission Impossible theme. It finally comes to an end with smooth jazz music.
Cavern Chase is a great track of high intensity that sneaks a heroic theme that hints towards a successful getaway. Water Rising combines a chaotic and intense theme coming from a fear of danger (or in this case, death) and a sense of calmness. Around the 2:12 mark, Rapunzel's hair glows and sends the music soaring above again until it explodes in triumph.
Campfire is a relaxing and emotional piece that slows down the mood a bit, until you reach the end and it hits the note where you know that something isn't right.
To The Kingdom and Kingdom Dance are when Rapunzel is in the kingdom having a blast. These two bring into light some new instruments while it energizes the mood. It almost makes you jump up and start dancing!
A nice, calming guitar and piano play under the moonlight in Waiting For The Lights. When the lights finally show up, it changes the mood again, making you feel much joy.
Kiss Interupted sounds mysterious, kind of like the theme when you see the Lucasfilm LTD logo on some of their more recent titles.
Realization And Escape is a long track that is part of the overall wrap up of the story. It's slow beginning gradually fades into a happy mood before exploding into a huge, joyful realization. This happiness is soon killed, sending you into a dark mood that continues throughout most of the song, speeding up and lightening up a few times here and there. At the 5 minute mark, it sounds more victorious, and at 5:22, it plays the jazzy theme of the mime. The heroic mood to this continues to the end, gradually increasing.
Let Me Save Him continues this joyful theme, but it quickly declines as Flynn is stabbed after realizing Rapunzel is tied up. This launches the listener into the lat bit of high intensity that is left in this score.
The Tear Heals begins very sad, and this is perfected with the guitar and piano. Soon, the resolving sequence occurs and the music reaches a new high of jubilee which the listener is able to deeply feel emotionally.
This doesn't compare to the Kingdom Celebration, which is just exploding with happiness and nothing less. This introduces many different themes until finally hitting the finale.
To conclude this film (and this post), I included the End Credits for your enjoyment. This long song is a basic summary of what what heard throughout the film, covering some action sequences, magical moments, and finally ending with a second fantastic finale.
Though I did not cover the complete album, you can find that I covered most of it. I hope you enjoyed this!
Joshua
Soundtracks Gizmo
soundtracks.gizmo@tech-center.com
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Marvel Craze
Marvel Studios has fed an audience of people who are crazy hungry for these superhero movies. I think that it would be a good idea to start talking about the already released music while we all are sitting in anticipation for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and such future releases.
Lets start all the way back to the beginning: Iron Man. I like this score, though I can't say I do enough to listen to it very often. I'm giving it extra points because of how well it fits the film. After all, that's why it was made, right?
Here's some interesting quote that I found on Wikipedia:
AllMusic awarded the soundtrack three stars out of five stating that composer Djawadi "treats the superhero with a predictably heavy hand, resulting in a soundtrack that takes the slow-build menace of Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard's work on Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise and dials an industrial army that utilizes crushing percussion, huge strings, and a symphony of distorted guitars that echo Metallica's concerts with the San Francisco Symphony minus the vocals.
I think that this describes this music very well. The heaviness of the electric guitar suits the theme of this film perfectly.
Ramin Djawadi took time to share what he thought people would expect from this score:
"I'm sure people will be surprised with this score because we did do something different. I'm sure there will be some purists that will expect the typical, lush, orchestral score. Some people are going to love it and some people are going to hate it."
Driving With The Top Down
The heavy sound and feel of this sets up the overall theme of the film quite well. I like how it doesn't emphasize the electric guitar too much or too long, turning to just the classical strings at certain points. The perfectly balanced and blended guitar and classical strings sounds truly great. I believe the electric guitar should be an addition for intensity, like here, but not the main instrument because it so easily overpowers all the other instruments.
Iron Man: 2008 Version
This song is actually the theme from the old marvel cartoon show. This significantly lightens up the mood.
Trinkets To Kill A Prince is a bit mysterious because that is when Stark is captured. It gradually gets louder as Stark's progress on his Arc Reactor continues.
Mark 1 is a great song with more intensity. The creation of the revolutionary suit of armor is happening!
Firearm provides the listener with more of an intense action packed song. This one sounds really good. It brings back the sounds that were introduced in the beginning with Driving With The Top Down. The chaos of cymbals may not appeal to everyone, but I think that they sound fine when they are controlled.
Vacation's Over, Golden Egg, and Extra Day, Extra Olives
Vacation's Over calms down things and dampens the intensity of the guitar in the previous tracks. I like how absolute calmness is reached to give the ears a rest. The problems aren't yet solved, but we need a short break.
Golden Egg continues this shortly in the beginning. It sounds more mysterious and gradually increases in tension and speed. It makes you feel the unrest, something is hidden and the story goal isn't reached.
Extra Day, Extra Olives takes on a new sound that is completely different when compared to the other music.
Iron Man
This devotes just about 3/4 of its time to quietly mysterious before exploding once again into the crazy cymbals and guitar.
Gulmira
The electric guitar had its rest, now it's time to invite it back in. Gulmira sounds interesting as it switches from the guitar, to almost silence, to classical strings, and then again. I think that throughout the other tracks that I have gone over so far, this one includes the most guitar.
Are Those Bullet Holes?
Once again, the score slows down almost to a rest. A relatively sad emotion is used here.
Section 16
It sounds a bit eerie here in section 16. It reminds me somewhat of one of the Dead Space scores, but much toned down on the creepiness.
Iron Monger
This continues the eerie sound from Section 16, but quickly adds the guitar and cymbals back in to add intensity. It brings the theme from the first song back in as the victory is nearing.
Arc Reaktor
This sounds quite like Driving With The Top Down. It brings the theme back very clear with the usual instruments that cause the slight disorderly sound. This song sound very victorious, though it ends with a slight sad feel to it. The hero won, but just barely.
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Lets start all the way back to the beginning: Iron Man. I like this score, though I can't say I do enough to listen to it very often. I'm giving it extra points because of how well it fits the film. After all, that's why it was made, right?
Here's some interesting quote that I found on Wikipedia:
AllMusic awarded the soundtrack three stars out of five stating that composer Djawadi "treats the superhero with a predictably heavy hand, resulting in a soundtrack that takes the slow-build menace of Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard's work on Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise and dials an industrial army that utilizes crushing percussion, huge strings, and a symphony of distorted guitars that echo Metallica's concerts with the San Francisco Symphony minus the vocals.
I think that this describes this music very well. The heaviness of the electric guitar suits the theme of this film perfectly.
Ramin Djawadi took time to share what he thought people would expect from this score:
"I'm sure people will be surprised with this score because we did do something different. I'm sure there will be some purists that will expect the typical, lush, orchestral score. Some people are going to love it and some people are going to hate it."
Driving With The Top Down
The heavy sound and feel of this sets up the overall theme of the film quite well. I like how it doesn't emphasize the electric guitar too much or too long, turning to just the classical strings at certain points. The perfectly balanced and blended guitar and classical strings sounds truly great. I believe the electric guitar should be an addition for intensity, like here, but not the main instrument because it so easily overpowers all the other instruments.
Iron Man: 2008 Version
This song is actually the theme from the old marvel cartoon show. This significantly lightens up the mood.
Trinkets To Kill A Prince is a bit mysterious because that is when Stark is captured. It gradually gets louder as Stark's progress on his Arc Reactor continues.
Mark 1 is a great song with more intensity. The creation of the revolutionary suit of armor is happening!
Firearm provides the listener with more of an intense action packed song. This one sounds really good. It brings back the sounds that were introduced in the beginning with Driving With The Top Down. The chaos of cymbals may not appeal to everyone, but I think that they sound fine when they are controlled.
Vacation's Over, Golden Egg, and Extra Day, Extra Olives
Vacation's Over calms down things and dampens the intensity of the guitar in the previous tracks. I like how absolute calmness is reached to give the ears a rest. The problems aren't yet solved, but we need a short break.
Golden Egg continues this shortly in the beginning. It sounds more mysterious and gradually increases in tension and speed. It makes you feel the unrest, something is hidden and the story goal isn't reached.
Extra Day, Extra Olives takes on a new sound that is completely different when compared to the other music.
Iron Man
This devotes just about 3/4 of its time to quietly mysterious before exploding once again into the crazy cymbals and guitar.
Gulmira
The electric guitar had its rest, now it's time to invite it back in. Gulmira sounds interesting as it switches from the guitar, to almost silence, to classical strings, and then again. I think that throughout the other tracks that I have gone over so far, this one includes the most guitar.
Are Those Bullet Holes?
Once again, the score slows down almost to a rest. A relatively sad emotion is used here.
Section 16
It sounds a bit eerie here in section 16. It reminds me somewhat of one of the Dead Space scores, but much toned down on the creepiness.
Iron Monger
This continues the eerie sound from Section 16, but quickly adds the guitar and cymbals back in to add intensity. It brings the theme from the first song back in as the victory is nearing.
Arc Reaktor
This sounds quite like Driving With The Top Down. It brings the theme back very clear with the usual instruments that cause the slight disorderly sound. This song sound very victorious, though it ends with a slight sad feel to it. The hero won, but just barely.
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Email: soundtracks.gizmo@tech-center.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Some Favorites in the New Album Sun
I am excited to share with you some of my favorite titles in Thomas Bergersen's new album Sun that was just released today.
The album seems to basically tell a story from before time began and ends with heaven.
The first song is titled "Before Time." It's slow progression is a great introduction to the album.
Skipping to track 8, which is,Starchild, the pace is sped up more and the emotions are heightened and there is some intensity introduced. I love the theme that is in this one.
Cassandra
This theme reminds me very much of the one in Maleficent by James Newton Howard. It does have its differences though, and it still is a phenomenal piece.
Always Mine
Sun doesn't really introduce any true action music, it is more aimed at the happy emotions. Always Mine hits it just right, you may have to suck that tear back up! Some of Thomas Bergersen's music puts the volume of the vocals too high, which I'm not a big fan of. I think that he perfectly balanced them in this piece.
Empire Of Angels
This was actually the first track that was officially released. It came instantly if you pre ordered the album. This album has a more epic sound and feel to it. It almost sounds like the beginning of a journey.
In Paradisum
This song brings down the mood tremendously as it prepares you for the ending of the artist's masterpiece. This is where the listener enters heaven, where the end is supposed to be.
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The album seems to basically tell a story from before time began and ends with heaven.
The first song is titled "Before Time." It's slow progression is a great introduction to the album.
Skipping to track 8, which is,Starchild, the pace is sped up more and the emotions are heightened and there is some intensity introduced. I love the theme that is in this one.
Cassandra
This theme reminds me very much of the one in Maleficent by James Newton Howard. It does have its differences though, and it still is a phenomenal piece.
Always Mine
Sun doesn't really introduce any true action music, it is more aimed at the happy emotions. Always Mine hits it just right, you may have to suck that tear back up! Some of Thomas Bergersen's music puts the volume of the vocals too high, which I'm not a big fan of. I think that he perfectly balanced them in this piece.
Empire Of Angels
This was actually the first track that was officially released. It came instantly if you pre ordered the album. This album has a more epic sound and feel to it. It almost sounds like the beginning of a journey.
In Paradisum
This song brings down the mood tremendously as it prepares you for the ending of the artist's masterpiece. This is where the listener enters heaven, where the end is supposed to be.
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soundtracks.gizmo@tech-center.com
Sun is released!
Thomas Bergersen has just released his latest album, the sequel to Illusions, called Sun. Here is a short message that he so kindly wrote to his listeners:
"The greatest moments in life are the ones we share with others. This is how I feel as I’m releasing my new album “Sun”. For years I have been working away in complete solitude in my little studio/cave, trying to create the very best I am mentally and physically capable of. Looking back it has been a journey, constantly evolving, ever reshaping itself, like an organism itself. As I got closer and closer to the completion of it, (and my health had deteriorated noticeably from the constant 16 hour work days), a wave of panic washed over me. Suddenly I was second guessing everything. Every single note I had written was worthless. I wanted to start over again. The many supportive letters, emails, messages and comments from my followers finally convinced me I was on the right track. Taking a step back now and looking at the final product I can honestly say I am very proud of this music, and so incredibly blessed to have the support of all of you, and to be able to share it with such incredible people. If this seems a tad sentimental it’s because it really is a very special feeling to stand here at the end of a four year long journey, and be welcomed with open arms by the warm and loving audience that has so patiently awaited my emergence. Thank you for your unwavering support. I really couldn’t have done it without all of you.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas"
You can see the original post HERE.
Why not stop by and purchase a copy? Listen to some of the previews, they are amazing.
Get it on:
iTunes
Amazon
CD Baby
"The greatest moments in life are the ones we share with others. This is how I feel as I’m releasing my new album “Sun”. For years I have been working away in complete solitude in my little studio/cave, trying to create the very best I am mentally and physically capable of. Looking back it has been a journey, constantly evolving, ever reshaping itself, like an organism itself. As I got closer and closer to the completion of it, (and my health had deteriorated noticeably from the constant 16 hour work days), a wave of panic washed over me. Suddenly I was second guessing everything. Every single note I had written was worthless. I wanted to start over again. The many supportive letters, emails, messages and comments from my followers finally convinced me I was on the right track. Taking a step back now and looking at the final product I can honestly say I am very proud of this music, and so incredibly blessed to have the support of all of you, and to be able to share it with such incredible people. If this seems a tad sentimental it’s because it really is a very special feeling to stand here at the end of a four year long journey, and be welcomed with open arms by the warm and loving audience that has so patiently awaited my emergence. Thank you for your unwavering support. I really couldn’t have done it without all of you.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas"
You can see the original post HERE.
Why not stop by and purchase a copy? Listen to some of the previews, they are amazing.
Get it on:
iTunes
Amazon
CD Baby
Monday, September 29, 2014
Back to the 60's
I decided to make a trip back to the 60's. There truly is amazing music in modern day, but in order to capture entirely the scope of film scores, you must also go back to the old times.
The first song that I will be sharing with you is the overture from the score West Side Story.
The West Side Story holds a very memorable theme that most people have heard at one time in their life. The overture found in the beginning of the score represents the rest just perfectly. It begins with a slightly chaotic sound to it, but quickly changes becoming more organized in fun and light theme. It gradually introduces you to the love theme that it is integrated into the light and free sound of the instruments. Not long after, its perfect transition that slows down considerably while it sends you into the love theme allows you to feel the depth as it meets the height of its emotional appeal.
Another well timed transition starts lightening up the mood into something less serious than what was just heard. The fun instruments fade in just right so that they don’t completely disrupt what is going on. The deep emotion that is felt during this period is lifted while you are thrown back into the louder and faster music that gets things going once again. The main theme is introduced and it gradually gets faster until it reaches its ending. This is where you sit, wait, and ask for more!
The first song that I will be sharing with you is the overture from the score West Side Story.
The West Side Story holds a very memorable theme that most people have heard at one time in their life. The overture found in the beginning of the score represents the rest just perfectly. It begins with a slightly chaotic sound to it, but quickly changes becoming more organized in fun and light theme. It gradually introduces you to the love theme that it is integrated into the light and free sound of the instruments. Not long after, its perfect transition that slows down considerably while it sends you into the love theme allows you to feel the depth as it meets the height of its emotional appeal.
Another well timed transition starts lightening up the mood into something less serious than what was just heard. The fun instruments fade in just right so that they don’t completely disrupt what is going on. The deep emotion that is felt during this period is lifted while you are thrown back into the louder and faster music that gets things going once again. The main theme is introduced and it gradually gets faster until it reaches its ending. This is where you sit, wait, and ask for more!
Friday, September 26, 2014
A Classic
I was listening to an instant mix of music when this classic song started playing. It's the theme from Rocky III that appears in the album 100 Greatest Film Themes Take 3.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Here's A Short Playlist
Here is a short playlist of some handpicked favorites. Please feel free to share your favorites!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Contact Us!
We have set up a few ways that you can make contact with us, it all depends on your preference. All of these methods are open to everyone. We will respond to you as quick as possible.
Email: soundtracks.gizmo@tech-center.com
Text: 302-715-1667
Please do not attempt to place phone calls to this number. We currently do not accept calls, though we are working on opening this in the future. You may text us as much as you want in the meantime.
Doing Some Changes
So what do you think of my last post? 4shared.com added this new embed feature so that I no longer have to use YouTube videos. Would you prefer my old method, or do you favor this new one?
Please comment, I would love to hear from you!
Once I receive at least 30 comments on this blog, I will start doing some giveaways. I would also like to get recommendations on items to give away and how to perform the contest. I was thinking about giving away entries for comments and/or texts. What would probably be even more fun is to do a trivia contest. What do you think?
The Game Revolution
Video games have taken over the world. They have exploded in popularity and have skyrocketed in quality. I personally do not play video games often, but I love listening to music from popular titles. Games have gone through a revolution and the soundtracks from them have increased in quality as well. One of my favorite game composers is Brian Tyler.
Here is the main titles for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3:
Here is the theme for Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel:
Lastly, here is Tyler's "slower" theme from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag:
Here is the main titles for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3:
Here is the theme for Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel:
Lastly, here is Tyler's "slower" theme from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag:
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Disney Music
The music from the Disney theme parks is just phenomenal. Unfortunately, it is very hard to find. Some of the music can be purchased, but at a high price. My collection of music from the Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks around the world is quite impressive. I am excited to share it with you in the coming week. When the crew is together again, safely at home, I will start posting better things. Next week, Monday September 22. I have also allowed everyone to post comments, you no longer have to have an account.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Marvel, The Next Big Thing
I know, that is Samsung's promotional title for every new Galaxy phone they release. Marvel Studios has lead the superhero franchise that has brought an avalanche to the box office. They are very well made, and of course, so is the music. Following this post, I will go back to the beginning (which is Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk) and talk about the amazing scores that accompany the once-in-a-lifetime hit film series. I will climb my way up into modern day to the latest releases. Don't forget to look for the hidden link!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Nearly Two Steps From Hell (Part Two)
Nearly Two Steps From Hell (Part Two)
12. Dark Ages
12. Dark Ages
A thumping sound suddenly brings the celebration to a halt. Jerieth looks out into the distance and sees a sea of black marching straight towards them. The thick, constricting cloud of darkness once again returns, but this time with a significantly larger army. They are just sickly beings who are plagued with Fear and Bitterness, and without the dark cloud around them, they are nothing. Courageous Jerieth calls for all able bodied men to fight by his side and orders everyone else to retreat to the safety of the castle.
13. All The Kings Horses
Jerieth and his brave soldiers ride towards the dark cloud of emptiness. They recognize the glorious light that is surrounding them. The two armies prepare themselves for the violent collision.
14. Chariots Of Blood
The clouds of darkness and light clash and explode upon impact. The light still remains, but the pulverized darkness was stripped from its useless army, fully exposing them. The army of light rides straight through the evil entities, cutting them down to the ground.
15. Dominius
Though the power of the evil army is terribly weak, Jerieth still experiences some casualties.
16. Rise Of Evil
A new enemy appears, and with him returns the terrible dark cloud. The hope of the men relinquishes because of the enemy’s apparent strength. Their loss of hope allows the cloud of darkness return and conceal the evil army and increase their power. Jerieth and his men become overwhelmed because they are almost blindly fighting their enemies.
17. Bloodlust
More reinforcements start to come for the evil army. Jerieth stands up and decides to take on the new enemy who is intimidating his men. They both are strong, but Jerieth’s power is incomparable because it comes from the light. He looks into the evil enemy, strips him of his power, and drives his sword through him. The terrified darkness flees screaming along with last of the army back to their cursed land.
18. Undying Faith
Jerieth and his men return to the castle. Everyone weeps for the lives lost that night as the sun begins to rise. This unexpected attack leaves everyone in shock. Jerieth gives the men who lost their lives a respectful funeral.
19. Heavenly Lights
As the morning lightens up, the people remain deep in their sorrows, dwelling on the tragic night. It seems like there is a darkness that has returned inside them.
20. Eternal Sorrow
The people begin to go about their day and start working the fields and taking down the tents. They frequently find themselves glancing at the graves of the precious men who died. They begin to question of it was really worth it.
21. Blizzard
Jerieth, filled with sadness, jumps on his house and rides far away from his home. He traveled across a variety of lands to get to the tall mountain where they call the middle of the world. Jerieth climbed to the very top and found the rout that the evil took. He sat there in deep concentration, gathering his thoughts.
22. Equus
Friday, September 5, 2014
Slight Delay
There has been a slight delay, as you can see, to the TSFH Project. I will get it up and running ASAP, no later than Sunday. In the meantime, enjoy this amazing piece by Hans Zimmer:
Friday, August 29, 2014
Nearly Two Steps From Hell (Part One)
Everyone looks through their own unique eyeglass that allows them to see and feel things completely different from other people. This playlist is assembled based upon a story that I had thought up. The most amazing part of music is the different emotions that it makes you feel. The emotions change many times during the course of this playlist based upon what the characters are going through, doing, and feeling. You may feel and see things completely different from me and others who may be reading and listening to this, but that is the beauty of diversity of people. Let the power of music capture your mind as you become the hero, the main character in this story.
Nearly Two Steps From Hell - Part One
Deep
in the mountains, there is a broken land filled with sorrow and
hopelessness. Hatred, calamity, death, and all other evils prowl the
streets waiting for its next victim to swallow whole. The people have
become weak and useless by the evil training them to think in ways that
are against their nature. They are no longer able, let alone willing, to
stand against this entity that is destroying them. They can't regain
their strength because there is no one giving them hope, so they curl
back into their corner and weep.
1. Birth of A Hero
One day, in the magnificent royal chambers, the king and queen brought into the world a son named Jerieth. As their son grew in age, he showed incredible strength. This young boy was to be the hope that brought into the land its beauty and happiness that had been forgotten long ago.
2. Chronicles of A Hero
Jerieth, now tall and independent, stands extraordinarily strong against his evil foes. He rides his horse valiantly, shining with the bright light of hope as he cuts through the darkness of shame, envy, and doubt. He victoriously frees the people from their terrible oppressors and they once again see meaning to their lives. The colorful light comes pouring into the kingdom and all hope is restored. The people are overwhelmed with the beauty that is flooding into the land.
Everyone experiences an enormous transformation in their minds with the return of thoughts and feelings of love and peace.
3. Black Winged Messenger
Darkness still endures though. They return with a dark cloud of death all around them. Jerieth courageously stands firm and refuses to allow them to return the agony of the miserable life that they brought upon his people. He once again victoriously conquers this pitiful army and casts the dark cloud of death far away.
4. Adventures of Enchantment
The
peace that followed after these events filled the people with
unexplainable joy. Jerieth was given a special honor during a ceremony,
praising the untouchable courage inside of him.
5. Return To Base
They Decided to hold a grand celebration in honor of the victory. While the tents were being set up, Jerieth found an adventurous group to go riding on horseback with him. They ran across the mountains of bright green grass, passing people flying colossal kites painted with hundreds of different colors.
6. Sky Titans
Huge tents begin to rise up with passionate dancers and musicians crowded underneath.
7. The Brave & Mighty
Jerieth chose to go out on an adventure to explore the vast expanse that is open to them.
8. Two Steps From Heaven
They discovered a beautiful waterfall with hundreds of flowers all around them. Butterflies fluttered around them and animals scurried through the grass.
9. Fireflies
They rode up to the tallest mountain and saw the massive expanse of their land, soaking it all in while the sun began to set.
10. Adventure of a Lifetime
The first firework just launched! The group rode quickly back to the tents to join the celebration.
11. Spirit Of Moravia
With everyone gathered together at night with torches all around, music everywhere, and fireworks exploding above, everyone gathered together to dance like never before. The highly anticipated finale of fireworks begins!
Written by Joshua Howard
Co-Written and compiled by travelordie
All original songs by Two Steps From Hell
So what do you think so far? Do you like it? Are you looking forward to Part Two? I love your feedback! I will routinely release each part every Friday, so stay tuned!
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