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I really love this show. The first season was great, and the second just
managed to improve even more all the way up to the jaw-dropping finale. It's only one of two shows that I will actively keep up
with, all the more amazing when you consider just how little TV I watch.
Where Stu Philips tried to emulate the
classically-motivated scores of Williams' Star Wars, it was rightfully
decided that audiences should be treated to something different in this
new incarnation. And while it works well in the series itself, the end
result on CD can be something of a mixed bag. The opening cues of the
mini-series by composer Richard Gibbs was truly a great way to open the
new show, but the action cues are where the style hurts the most. They are
comprised of percussion only, and while it can be interesting for about a
minute or so, it starts to take a toll past the 2 minute mark. What made the
first season album
work were the musical elements that embodied an
ever-changing style that kept the listener occupied.
Bear McCreary returns for Season 2.0, and while
he keeps the essentials of the foundation from season one, he seems
willing to branch more into some conventional territory. The opening
cue, from the episode "Final Cut", presents the original Stu Philips
theme in a very satisfying rendition that is interwoven with the Middle
Eastern style that has become a staple. Even without the full sound of an actual
orchestra, the theme comes off really well, though McCreary's ending
refrains sound way too close to the the raptor theme from Jurassic Park.
His most interesting new theme is that of "love lost",
i.e. Starbuck's desire for her boy toy back on Caprica. It's a
string-based theme that sounds really good for its limited
orchestration. It tends to repeat itself over and over but it's such a
remarkable break from the more darker elements (while still maintaining the same feeling of the rest of the
music) that I didn't mind it. The most interesting use of it arrives
shortly into 'Scar' in which the typical percussion-based fight cue
gives way to the theme as Starbuck has a flashback in the middle of
battle. It's a moment that makes those percussion-based sections
actually work since it's only allowed to go on for less than a minute,
which is just enough time for the listen to be ready to move on. It returns in
the last third of the cue, but by this time it has been broken up enough
to make this on of the more effective cues of its type.
The only time this album goes off the deep end is with
"Black Market". This cue takes takes the Middle Eastern music, tops it
with some Latin-sounding rhythms, and conforms it to a "pop" style that
would feel more at home in an early Robert Rodriguez film. A heavy
guitar, performed by Danny Elfman's own Steve Bartek, is overlaid in an
almost Media Ventures fashion. If you can't tell by now, it clashes
heavily with every other cue on the album. At least its here at the very
end as a "bonus track" and not placed right in the middle of everything.
While the music has always worked well in the show,
McCreary shows that his evolving style is starting to work better as
album fare. If you've been put off by the atmospheric tracks and the
percussion-based action cues, you'll find the music here is
substantially improved and pleasing to the ears. And if you enjoyed the
stylistic leanings of the first season album, you'll find even more to
love here.
Reviewed on August 22, 2006 |
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