| Signs |
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Composed by James Newton Howard |
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Orchestrated by Jeff Atmajian, Brad Dechter, Pete Anthony Conducted by Pete Anthony Performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony Produced by James Newton Howard and Thomas Drescher Release Date: 2002 |
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Signs marks the third outing for the director/composer duo of M. Night Shyamalan and James Newton Howard. Over the last few years, this pairing has produced some great scores by the likes of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. While being totally different stories, both of those films shared a lot in common in terms of style, both visually and musically. The sense of the unknown. While the same theme looks to be repeated for Signs, James Newton Howard's score decidedly branches off from the feel of his previous scores for Shyamalan. The music has a more in-your-face and less intimate feel, though at the same time this is the first Howard score that I feel sounds like a mishmash of other composer's works. If you mix Jerry Goldsmith's Total Recall with Danny Elfman's Sleepy Hollow and throw in just the slightest dash of John Williams Close Encounters of the Third Kind, this is essentially what the score sounds like. It's not that any of those scores are actually ripped off as much as its just a really close resemblance stylistically. The end result is rather interesting, and though I noticed the similarity right off, it didn't leave me actually thinking about those scores more than just an initial impression (like what usually happens with scores of lesser ilk). From the trailers, it seems like Howard's score will fit the film quite well and the whole tone is a combination of earthiness along with haunting otherworldliness. It never ceases to embrace this feeling and as such once could get a general impression of what this film is about without actually knowing anything else about it. The use of electronic sounds is also downplayed, which only serves to add to the atmosphere. With the orchestra being quite string-heavy, the score gives an unnerving feel similar to what Bernard Herrmann accomplished with Psycho. These are the moments that work most effectively, with the tenseness provided by oft-repeating string movements, but in a score of this type it is unavoidable that there will be more chaotic cues to build the horror. Thankfully, they don't appear too often on this CD (which, given the short running time would have absolutely ruined it if moments of that nature appeared too often) and when they do Howard doesn't allow things to get much out of hand. There are a few themes and motifs here, usually stated with a dark air of subtleness (at least one of which can be heard in the film's trailer). While some of them come into the lighter side of things, they don't get a chance to appear very often. Essentially James Newton Howard's version of an X-Files score, Signs works well for what it is, but whether or not any enjoyment can be gathered out of it depends on the listener. While surprisingly a quiet score for the most part, it's of the disturbingly quiet end that can make your hair stand on end during late-night listens (no wait, the hair-on-neck thing is actually caused by...nevermind). As a Howard fan, one can appreciate it for the continual evolution of his style. **** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 45:34 | |
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