The Wicker Music

By: Randall D. Larson
Date: Thursday, September 21, 2006

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS

Angelo Badalamenti has always had a remarkable flair for melodic fluidity, even in the midst of very diverse and unusual scores. Moments of melodic beauty contrast with harsh expressivity in BLUE VELVET; surrealistic musical elements of TWIN PEAKS continuously fusing with a haunting main theme that grounds the David Lynchian visual bizarreness with a measure of accessible reality; the weighty atmospheres that exude menacing fluidity in DARK WATER; the Middle Eastern sensualities for Paul Schrader's THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS; the charming poignancy supporting Jean-Pierre Jeunet's dystopian vision of the future in CITY OF LOST CHILDREN.

In the new remake of THE WICKER MAN, whose soundtrack has been released by Silva Screen, Nicolas Cage plays a loner police officer tortured by tragedies in his past (and soon to be tortured by yet new tragedies in his future). Badalamenti beautifully captures this emotional resonance in a lyrically melodic score that is grounded in melancholy and sorrow, even in the midst of its very pretty main melody, performed by voice and orchestra. "Initially creating a warm theme that works for [the main characters] and then becomes intertwined," is what Badalamenti was striving for in this score, as he notes in the CD booklet. "The thought was to try and sell something that goes beyond the roots of the genre, and we agreed that a certain kind of beautiful effectiveness does more to help the plot line... [and] to musically play on Cage's inner building up turmoil, and his relationship with Willow, will make the end truly shocking, tragic, and horrifying."


The original WICKER MAN film, a breathtakingly brilliant saga exploring the class of beliefs and philosophies, starred Christopher Lee as the Lord of the mysterious, paganistic island, Summerisle, visited by the modern policeman (wonderfully portrayed by Edward Woodward), and was scored with an inventive array of heathenistic folk music ballads and motifs by Paul Giovanni in his only film score. Badalamenti's approach is far less environmental (read: folk-music bound) and much more integrated with the emotional psychologies of the film. He crafts a trio of richly melodic themes which work together to identify characters, setting, and the unusual seductivity of the island's women. The score is at once alluring, deceptive, and inevitably tragic, wonderfully capturing those very essences of Summerisle in a most provocative and thoughtful manner. Apart from its filmic sensibilities, the score is richly melodic and tonal, moving irrevocably forward until its final, climactic finish.

www.silvascreenmusic.com


Digitmovies has released a soundtrack to Antonio Bido's 1977 giallo IL GATTO DAGLI OCCHI DI GIADA (aka Watch Me When I Kill), featuring a dark and mesmerizing score from the progressive rock combo, Trans Europe. Express. The band consists of singer-songwriter Mauro Lusini, also known as the vocalist on the Goblin album "Volo," guitarist Gianfranco Coletta, bassist Glauco Borrelli, and guitarist Adrian Monteduro. This premiere soundtrack release is taken from the original master tapes, rescued from 30 years' storage in the RCA vaults. The rhythmically-based score is darker and less pop-music styled than much of giallo music, taking on more of a rock and roll sensibility; at the same time it's not a song-styled or a purely instrumental rock score, but has distinctive filmic dramatic qualities in its approach. Writers Lusini and Coletta, the primary composers behind the score, provide an effective and atmospheric score using a rock idiom to do so. A dominant theme for electric bass, echoed by synthed sonic structures, builds a pulse that propels the efforts of macabre serial killer to kill those members of a jury who wrongfully condemned him. It's a Goblinesque score, although executed with a little more finesse and delicacy than the more brutal efforts of Argento's scoring combo. In its atmospheric developments, though, the score remains fairly static without a lot of forward movement, but some intriguing textures are created with the band's guitars and drumset, and the result is a fairly mesmerizing and disturbing sound design, including a pretty cool old-time-phonograph dance tune (track 16) complete with '78 LP surface noise, which is about as close to the lounge-music style of many giallos that this score will come. Digitmovies CD package includes notes on the film and score, and a very good reminiscence about the film and its music from director Bido.

Also new from Digitmovies this month is the first ever complete soundtrack CD to Lucio Fulci's SETTE NOTE IN NERO (aka "The psychic," 1977). Sidestepping for a moment from the style of his most celebrated horror-gore movies (L'ALDILA, ZOMBI 2, etc), here Fulci based the story on the style of classic giallo murder mysteries, with more prominent and less eye-gouging Edgar Allan Poe and supernatural overtones. The film is about a young clairvoyant woman (Jennifer O'Neil) whose psychic visions about a murder investigation may in truth be premonitions of her own fate. The score is the work of the Italian composer Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi, and Vince Tempera, who also worked on Fulci's Westerns, I QUATTRO DELL'APOCALISSE ("Four Gunmen of the Apocalypse") and SELLA D'ARGENTO ("Silver Saddle"). The predominantly orchestral score it built around a breezy, pop theme ("With You," sung in English by Linda Lee) whose melody recurs from time to time, the score varies between light melodies and darker, progressive patterns, which build an effectively suspenseful and provocative atmosphere for the film. "7 Note" is a haunting ostinato for strident violin chords and musicbox-like carillon. This carillon theme, incidentally, found its way into the soundtrack of Tarantino's KILL BILL, Vol. 1 (not the CD though), heard just before The Bride attacks Buck.

www.digitmovies.com


FILM MUSIC NEWS


Intrada will release one of Elmer Bernstein's rare science fiction scores, 1980's Saturn 3, on September 27th. The world premiere recording of one of the legendary composers' rare science fiction scores, written for Stanley Donen's film about two lovers in outer space portrayed by Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett who get attacked by an alien creature. Intrada's release is the latest entry in the label's Special Collection series and features the complete score mastered from the composer's own two-track stereo tapes. The release is limited to 2,500 copies.

Ennio Morricone's score for the 1969 sex drama, LE DONNE INVISIBLE (known in the US as THE FANTASIES OF A SENSUOUS WOMAN), available in Italy from General Music and in a couple editions from Dagored that include four previously unreleased tracks, will find yet another new special edition, this time from Japan on Avanz with two bonus tracks from Morricone's L'ABILI (another elusive 1969 score available in whole only on an out of print 1995 Italian or 2003 Spanish cd).

On October 17th, Lakeshore Records will release the soundtrack to NACHO LIBRE, the Jack Black comedy about the monk who aspires to be a professional wrestler. Danny Elfman came in at the last second to score this film when former composer, popstar Beck, withdrew from the project. There is no word yet, however, on how much if any of Danny Elfman's score will be included, and how many songs will occupy the CD space.

On other Elfman news, his concert recording, Serenada Schizophrana, will be issued on October 3rd from Sony. Excerpts from this composition were included in Elfman's score for the IMAX short film, DEEP SEA 3D, along with some original and adapted cues.

Varese Sarabande will issue Trevor Rabin's score for the World War I flying ace movie, FLYBOYS, on October 10th. Michael Giacchino's score for LOST, Season 2, and Steve Jablonsky's music for THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING, will appear on October 3rd. www.varesesarabande.com

La-La Land Records announces an October release for the 19th Anniversary Edition soundtrack to SPACEBALLS, featuring John Morris' score in its first official release; and a November release date for the premiere soundtrack release of Harold (TOP GUN, BEVERLY HILLS COP) Faltermeyer's score for 1989's cop film TANGO & CASH. Both release limited to 3,00 copies. www.lalalandrecords.com


Marco Beltrami, the composer of scores such as HELLBOY, I, ROBOT, THE OMEN (2006), and TERMINATOR 3, will work for legendary French director Bertrand Tavernier, the auteur best known for his jazz classic 'ROUND MIDNIGHT and the acclaimed A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY and LIFE AND NOTHING BUT. Tavernier's new film is called IN THE ELECTRIC MIST WITH CONFEDERATE DEAD and is based on the novel by James Lee Burke. The film is produced by Michael Fitzgerald, for whom Beltrami recently worked on Tommy Lee Jones' THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA. Beltrami's other recent scoring assignment is LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD and he has recently scored the animated TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. via filmmusic radio.com

SIMPSONS composer Alf Clausen has released his own Big Band jazz album, entitled "Swing Can Really Hang You Up The Most" by the Alf Clausen Jazz Orchestra. The veteran composer of television's most versatile 30-minute scoring challenge, THE SIMPSONS, shows off his licks in the swing arena. "It's an exciting big band jazz recording featuring an all-star group of Hollywood's finest jazz musicians playing nine of my original compositions and one of my arrangements," Clausen said of this recording. "It's a superb package, and I'm very proud of it." www.alfclausen.com

New soundtrack releases from Japan include SARU NO GUNDAN (Army Of The Apes) by Tsushima Toshiaki, music from a Japanese Sci-Fi TV drama series that was made after the hit remake of PLANET OF THE APES, a horror score for KYOFU GEKIJO UNBALANCE (Horror Theater Unbalance) composed by Tomita, Isao (a reissue with the full score, remastered), Sahashi Toshihiko's soundtrack to the upcoming feature film ULTRAMAN MEBIUS & ULTRA BROTHERS: THE MOVIE, Uematsu Nobuo's music from FINAL FANTASY III, a deluxe edition combo CD/DVD from the Nintendo game soundtrack, which includes newly arranged new tracks.

Film Music radio reports that James Horner is back on the scoring schedule for Robert De Niro's upcoming drama THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The composer left scoring duties on the film temporarily, but Universal Pictures has confirmed to Film Music Radio been brought back to the project. THE GOOD SHEPHERD stars Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie and Joe Pesci and tells the story about the early days of CIA. Universal will release the film on December 22. Horner also recently scored ALL THE KING'S MEN for director Steven Zaillian and will record his non-orchestral score for Mel Gibson's APOCALYPTO in London in October.

Speaking of Horner, tune in to On the Score at Film Music Radio next Monday the 25th when Oscar-winning composer James Horner gives a candid interview which looks at his controversial replacement of TROY's score, the fight to keep original music in THE NEW WORLD, and his new and powerful soundtrack for ALL THE KING'S MEN. It's a rare, fascinating on-demand interview that Horner fans won't want to miss. www.filmmusicradio.com

The 5th Annual Hollywood Reporter/Billboard Film & TV Music Conference taking place on November 14 and 15 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Held each year by Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, the Film and TV Music Conference examines the crucial and evolving role of music in film and television. The event provides a dynamic forum for the exchange of ideas among the top film/TV and music professionals in the industry, featuring presentations, panels, and interviews with notable film music composers, directors, executives, and other key players in the contemporary film music scene.



GAMES MUSIC NEWS

Dominus Animae, which recently released the splendid soundtrack to KOPNIG DER LETZTEN TAGE (A King for Burning) from Wojciech Kilar of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA fame, announces the release of the game score to ACT OF WAR, composed by Marc Canham and Jonathan Williams. The ambitious real-time strategy series ACT OF WAR received a score to match. With geo-political drama the backdrop to battlefield command & action, the series remains an important development in the genre. Performed by the Nimrod Studio Orchestra, comprised of orchestra players drawn from the ranks of various UK-based session players. It's described as a full orchestra score with software elements, emphasis on brass and strings. Released in 2005, the work was rearranged for use in the 2006 expansion game, ACT OF WAR: HIGH TREASON. Musically this effort clearly signifies the return of the solid military action-thriller. The subject matter was drawn from the writings of author Dale Brown, whose choice of storytelling is in the vein of Tom Clancy. partially via soundtrack.net

See: www.dominusanimae.com



Former editor/publisher of CinemaScore magazine, Randall Larson was for many years senior editor for Soundtrack Magazine and a film music columnist for Cinefantastique magazine. He is the author of Musique Fantastique: A Survey of Film Music in the Fantastic Cinema (Scarecrow, 1984) and Music from the House of Hammer (Scarecrow, 1995). In addition to Soundtrax and Music News for Cinescape.com, Randall reviews soundtracks Music from the Movies, writes for Film Music Magazine, and in many other fields.

Recommended Soundtrack sources:

www.buysoundtrax.com
www.intrada.com
www.screenarchives.com
www.footlight.com
www.arksquare.com/index_main.html (Japan)
www.intermezzomedia.com/ (Italy)
www.moviegrooves.com
www.moviemusic.com

For questions or comments, contact the author at Soundtrax@cinescape.com