Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Do you remember the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film? It is so cheesy I'm not sure how it became so popular. I would say the same about Godzilla.

Brian Tyler scored the 2014 film remake with his usual sounds and incredible levels of intensity. Although another great score from one of my favorite composers, this all sounds very familiar. If you pay close attention and with the familiarity with scores for Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3, then you will see (or hear) that the sounds and themes from this aren't completely original.



One of the largest incidences of theme recycling such as this is from Hans Zimmer. The Battle from Gladiator has a noticeable theme in a few parts that are impossible to miss. They are nearly identical to 2013's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl main theme which was in fact composed by Hans Zimmer despite the credit going largely to Klaus Badelt.

Brian Tyler did in fact compose the music for Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3, so it is not terrible, just slightly disappointing. The music is very similar.

On-the-other-hand, the rest of the music that is original is very good. Brian Tyler used some techniques heard in his score from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and some similar sounds from the the Terra Nova theme in Brotherhood. He may borrow from himself often, but his work is excellent and irreplaceable. I couldn't think of another composer who could have pulled off Brian Tyler's work on the Marvel films better than him (maybe Steve Jablonsky, since he shares a similar sound).

Brian Tyler has a very noticeable sound to his scores. Much of his recent work shares the same sound, not necessarily the same theme. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seems so sum up his works in one package. We will not see him return for this year's sequel, as Steve Jablonsky will be picking it up. Listen to the score below and send me your thoughts.

Batman Series (Video Game)

Not every video game score that I listen to is one that I enjoy enough to listen to over and over. Game scores have come a long way over the years and have entered the cinematic atmosphere that films have been thriving in for years. The music has become so good, it is sometimes hard to distinct whether it is from a game or movie. This of course is limited to certain scores and not all of them. Some simply do not do well when listened to outside of the game it was made for.

Today I will be focusing on the Batman series of video games:

• Arkham Asylum (2009) by Nick Arundel and Ron Fish
• Arkham City (2011) by Nick Arundel and Ron Fish
• Arkham Origins (2013) by Christopher Drake
• Arkham Knight (2015) by Nick Arundel and David Buckley

                   

Batman: Arkham Asylum Soundtrack

Arkham Asylum, the first release, has a heavy, creepy feeling to it. Batman's story is incredibly serious and dark, and this portrays the right emotions. The themes are simple, but the tracks are too short and I feel the album doesn't present enough content from the game. They do present a slight eeriness, first set up in track 1 (A Plan Revealed), so listening to this while you work is not a bad idea. There are a few action sequences, but they are short and not very loud. Track 1 is an excellent introduction and, assuming that it is the theme that plays while on the title screen, is well composed. 

Despite being relatively interesting, I was not completely impressed by this score. Sure, I may listen to it again, but it never fully grasped my attention. It is fine if you get distracted easily by really good themes and you want to listen to something while you work or read.

Batman: Arkham City Soundtrack

Arkham City is the first score in this list that really grabbed my attention enough that I was convinced to listen to it multiple times. The main theme is excellent music for the title menu and sets the mood for something less eerie than the previous release and much more epic. It still has that usual dark theme that Batman receives. This theme is definitely film worthy.

Arkham City is an entirely new score compared to its predecessor, providing much more interesting action sequences and longer lasting tracks that don't seem to stop suddenly. It captivated my attention all the way through like film scores tend to do. I am not at all saying that Arkham Asylum is a bad score at all, but I believe that some game scores fit the game just right in their repetitive, mixed and mashed state and not secluded from their original purpose.

It Was The Joker calms things down with a very intriguing and mysterious sound to it that builds intensity before entering I Think You Should Do As He Says, which introduces some choir and really begins to shape the album. The balance between interesting action and mysterious "filler" music that temporarily slows the pace is perfect. It somewhat reminds me, in certain parts, of the music from the TV shows Arrow and The Flash where the strings go rampant.

Batman: Arkham Origins Soundtrack

The binning of Arkham Origins starts off promising, going full blown into the action but quickly quiets down slightly to introduce the main theme. This album maintains higher tempos and tends to be significantly louder than previous releases. It is also chaotic, much to the liking of Dead Space 3, but not to the extreme extent that Dead Space 1 and 2 accomplished (I will feature these albums at a later date).

If Arkham City didn't provide enough action to your liking, then this album will surely appeal to you. The majority of the music is packed with some noteworthy action making this sound similar to Hans Zimmer's film music. Of course, some may disagree since it takes either an avid gamer or an accustomed listener to enjoy game soundtracks in most scenarios of game scores.

In the game, it is during winter and is obviously around Christmas time because of track 12: Carol of the Bells (Joker's Theme). This is actually pretty funny. The Joker always has some amount of comedy surrounding him in both the films and the games.

Hallucinations interestingly has hints of Molussus from Batman Begins. The comedy returns in The Thieving Magpie which is a hilarious take on a more classical sounding piece. Shadow of the Bat has some impressive cello work that I absolutely love, mostly because it is one of my favorite instruments.

The end title suite is an epic post ending, and the final ending suite is a conclusion and summary of the entire album, including the Joker's Christmas theme.

Batman: Arkham Knight Soundtrack

Arkham Knight is a great example of a more up to date and modern example of where game scores are now. There is much more music available this time around, even if you just consider volume 1. The themes are also more complex and drawn out, the action is not overdone, and there is much more character to the music. Arkham Knight sounds the closest to the actual films than any of the previous game releases when considering

There is more variance in this score that provides a relatively new listening experience, yet it still maintains the basic feel of the series with those incredible bass sections like in Remnants. The fact that this is very orchestral and does not rely on a synth for artificial sounds just enriches the music so much. Just like David Buckley's previous work on Call of Duty: Ghosts, the violin and strings are really well presented.

Although I was unable to look at volume 2 of this great music, I have a link to it above if you are interested in looking into it.

My favorites are Arkham City and Arkham Knight because they are not just interesting, but they have a way of not making it too obvious that you are listening to a game score. That is not always the reason I continue to listen to game scores or enjoy some over others. I admire creativity, and some game scores are just very interesting, even if they are obviously not from a film. 

What do you think? Do you have any favorites?

I do not post anything on Saturday or Sunday, so see you again on Monday!

Frozen

Yeah, I know. Your ears are probably bleeding from hearing Let It Go incessantly since Frozen exploded the big screen. Let me relieve this undesirable burden from you by not making you listen to any of the songs with lyrics. Yes, they are well made, but we need to stop and listen to the music behind the scenes, the stuff that you kind of catch during the movie.

There is some really great themes written by Christophe Beck that are easily missed for the way too popular lyrical songs. For starters, this has that classic Disney sound to it that all other Disney music has. With believable action and magical themes, I enjoyed this more than I expected. I have listened to this before, but given the chance to really focus on the music, I am able to really appreciate it.

The album begins with the track Elsa and Anna, a happy and light theme that incorporates the action/conflict theme (heard slightly in the beginning) gradually transitions from fun to intense. A new theme is introduced with The Trolls, one that I think is the most unique in the album. Excitement rises in Coronation Day and the party begins in Winter's Waltz, which gives us a glance of a theme from Olaf's song, I believe it is.

Like every other Disney movie, you get quite a bit of pizzicato which helps at lightening the mood and creates a great transition to lean on before or after some action. I enjoyed the more intense parts more than the quieter parts, as I feel they were slightly more interesting. Another thing that I would recommend is to go through the list of songs (either by listening to them all or skipping though) and listen to the instrumental version of Let It Go, the Idina version.

The part that I think is the most impressive about this is the piano work. I personally love the sound of the piano, so it is easy to appeal to my ears this way. It is a well assembled song that is quite impressive. All that is hiding behind those lyrics and aren't heard too easily with them. The theme is not screaming in you face either.

The Epilogue is a great summary of the whole album which contains most of the themes from the songs that you can sing. This mash of everything flows very smoothly and leaves the listener with that classic Disney feeling. The deluxe edition has some great extras (instrumental) like score demos and tracks not present in the standard edition. If you do have this soundtrack already in physical form, chances are you have the deluxe edition because I haven't seen a single standard copy even at Disney in Florida.

Avatar

James Cameron has an adventurous spirit, taking us movie-goers into his imagination of crazy things. Be is the director that brought us The Abyss and Titanic. Today's score is written by James Horner who worked on Titanic and another one of James Cameron's prized work: Avatar.

Avatar still holds the worldwide box office record at $2.7 billion. This surreal adventure of flight and blue people is one amazing experience. James Horner's excellent score truly enhances the entire experience, and whether you are watching the film or just listening to the music, there is no doubt that you will experience this massive and epic, one-of-a-kind adventure.

James Horner incorporates an interesting African-esque sound, sweeping themes, and a relaxing and delicate solo voice. I have listened to this score almost five times and haven't caught up with it yet. Sometimes you just need to keep pressing play to really get everything, just like a movie. I have seen Lord of the Rings about five or six times and have a new experience each time, realizing something new each viewing.

If you are looking for something to listen to during work (if your work allows it), this would be a must have. Its somewhat minimal in that you don't get a ton of action, but more of that jungle theme as the Avatar world is being discovered. This is combined with an amazing, delicate performance of the string instruments. Everything just flows naturally.

The last track (that doesn't have lyrics) titled War is a whole ten minutes, and includes a good balance of action from the final showdown and the resolve. Dissonances appear after the action signifying sorrow from the losses in battle which is a big transition from the light and tranquil atmosphere from previous tracks, but gradually fades into a beautiful resolve and satisfying ending.

Argo

When I look at modern art, I have no idea what to think. The first thing I do is question why it is worth as much as it is and then try to figure out what it is the artist tried to express. It is very odd.

Alexandre Desplat's score for Argo is what I would place in that category. Although the cinematic feel is very immersive, the bizarre, "panting" I guess, of people makes the music new and, well, modern. While listening to the score I kept thinking how bad their hiccups must have been afterwards.

I have never seen the film or have any idea what it is about, so I cannot criticize it, but even if I did, there is something about this score that is very interesting. Reading one of the track names with this "panting" it makes some sense even if I don't know the story. The track is called "Scent of Death" and is when this new technique first appears.

Now let me do something that I have never done here. I am going to try to guess the basic plot based on the feel of the music and the names of the tracks.

At first, I thought it sounded a little Mexican, but the story must take place in the Middle East. It is about a covert mission, which ends in Iran. The artwork has the main character's eyes concealed with shredded paper behind him. It is all about secrecy, spies. It is rated PG-13.

Well, I sucked. Firstly, it is rated R. The story is about the CIA and American hostages in an Iranian airport. You can read more at Wikipedia.

Anyway, time for you to actually listen to this score.