Orchestrated by Michael Giacchino and Chris Tilton

Conducted by Tim Simonec

Produced by Michael Giacchino

Release Date: November 18th, 2003

 Varese Sarabande Records

     A show that features the lovely Jennifer Garner doing cool things James Bond-style, along with utilizing an interesting storyline filled with continual cliff-hanger sequences that constantly attempt to throw the viewers a curveball…well, it just works! While it occasionally borders on silliness, Alias’ constant drive to pull out all the stops keeps it fun. Featuring some strong writing and delightful acting from a well-rounded cast, the final piece of the equation that elevates the show into better-than-average status would definitely be the musical work on the series by Michael Giacchino. Giacchino’s work on the Medal of Honor trilogy was, by far, the most noticeable aspect of his career to this point. As each score was released, one could pick out how Giacchino was maturing in his compositions, continually building upon each score and adding new twists to keep things interesting. The highlight came about with the final score, Frontline, which boasted a full chorus and moments which successfully entered into the realm of the epic. With such a heavily orchestral style, it is a wonder that Giacchino could turn his attention to such a stylized project as Alias with equally pleasant results, but he has done just that.

     Where the Medal of Honor series had definite inspiration from John Williams (especially in the Indiana Jones scores), Alias feels more like the material that David Arnold is providing the James Bond franchise these days. With the show matching the same hyper-editing that the latest Bond film, Die Another Day, took a shot at, it would seem to be a perfect match. Like Arnold, Giacchino mixes electronic rhythms with the performances of the Hollywood Studio Symphony in a manner that continues to show his evolution as a composer. While such a move could very well turn bad, Giacchino’s core style is never lost and his electronic writing stays rather unique. It’s rough in a few spots, but it gets better as the album progresses. Any of you familiar with the techno moments at the end of his score to the short CGI film, Los Lobos, will find that a lot of his ideas from that score are integrated into those moments in Alias (Red Hair is Better is the most obvious example). For the most part, however, the electronica-mixed orchestral moments are generally held for the action cues, with quieter moments being scored conventionally. Nothing as strong as some of the emotional cues from the Medal of Honor scores, but they serve as a pleasant break from the other cues. Giacchino’s use of themes is very welcome, and while you only get a small taste of just what is going on with them on the album, rest assured, they are there, and are made of great use in the show.

     The album is arranged with a balanced feeling between the wilder action cues and the more typical quieter moments. This works as well as it can, for the wildly differing locales that Alias is constantly jumping too keeps the music feeling disjointed. The themes that do pop up in the cues presented here do help this a little, but it can’t help but jump around a lot.

     Anyone familiar with Michael Giacchino’s previous works, or with the show itself, would do well to pick this one up. It’s a strong entry into the electronically-backed spy genre and stands up well to anything coming out of the more heavily-budgeted features.