Music Assistant to BT: Michael DiMattia

Additional Programming and Arranging by Danny Patterson

Produced by BT

Release Date: June 1st, 2004

         Nonesuch Records

     Monster typifies the type of score I usually am less than anxious to plop into my CD player. It is primarily synth, with a smattering of live instruments (such as a guitar, drums, and a piano) and its tone is highly atmospheric. There is much in the description to turn the average soundtrack listener away. However, upon actually listening to the music, I found BT’s compositions to be competent, emotionally evocative, and even thematic to a degree that bolsters this score far ahead of what would originally be considered.

     Scoring for the type of film that Monster is proves to be a formidable task that just doesn’t call for a conventional approach. In that vein, BT was a good choice to provide the music, not that he is any stranger to the film scene. His previous work on such films as The Fast and the Furious and Driven, however, was in no way evocative of what is to be accomplished here. Where those films relied on special effects gimmicks and adrenaline-pumping sequences to push forward their story, Monster is firmly in the character-based approach, and requires a score to match. It is in this style that BT firmly wraps his music around, much to its great success.

     One could point to many different things that make it work, but in the end, BT’s score is thematic and lyrically pleasing. Even though some cues (such as Unbalanced Equation) sound like those from a horror film, the score takes more of a sympathetic look towards the characters as opposed to simply filling the space with the atmosphere of a haunted house (especially given the title of the film). The contrastable approach works well and handles the characterizations needed with great ease. This is especially true with the longing and mournful love theme that is the primary centerpiece of the thematic work.

     The release of BT’s score is unique in that it contains both an audio CD and a DVD with DTS Surround sound mixes of several score cues (as well as additional material). The DVD also includes a documentary, a trailer, and a Remixing demo (which shows how the final sound mix of a film is put together). All the segments on the DVD are quite interesting and it represents a nice gesture to those who will purchase the score. As the music was originally composed in 5.1 channel surround, quality is excellent and the recording (even on the standard audio CD) has a depth that is rarely heard, even among today's digitally pumped-up albums. It is rare that a composer so adequately handles a full surround music mix, but BT does quite a good job of it here.

     Ultimately, your enjoyment of Monster will probably be based on your viewing of the film or of your past experience with BT’s work. If either is the case, then this album is for you. Otherwise, this score is enough off the beaten path to recommend a sampling before purchase.

Disc 1 - DTS DVD Audio

1 - The Unbalanced Equation

2 - Childhood Montage

     Title Sequence

3 - A Small Sacrifice

4 - Girls Kiss

     Hooking I

5 - Virtue

6 - The Bus Stop

7 - Dark Lines

8 - Turning Tricks

      Hooking II

9 - First Kill

10 - Set and Setting

11 - Job Hunt

12 - Contemplation

13 - Bad Cop

14 - Highest Common Denominator

15 - "Call Me Daddy" Killing

16 - I Don't Like It Rough

17 - Ferris Wheel

       Love Theme

18 - Trigger Finger

19 - Ditch the Car

       Selby Discovers

20 - Madman Speech

1 - Childhood Montage (3:56)

      Title Sequence

2 - Girls Kiss (6:51)

     Hooking I

3 - The Bus Stop (9:48)

4 - Turning Tricks (6:20)

     Hooking II

5 - First Kill (3:16)

6 - Job Hunt (1:57)

7 - Bad Cop (6:04)

8 - "Call Me Daddy" Killing (4:02)

9 - I Don't Like It Rough (4:13)

10 - Ferris Wheel (8:21)

       Love Theme

11 - Ditch the Car (4:53)

       Selby Discovers

12 - Madman Speech (4:07)

13 - Cop Killing (2:48)

14 - News on TV (2:19)

15 - Courtroom (5:51)

Total Running Time: 72:00