Umm... What? (Serenity soundtrack review) by Mugtwaine

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Umm... What? (Serenity soundtrack review)

POSTED BY: MUGTWAINE
UPDATED: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 10:50
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VIEWED: 1354
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Wednesday, November 30, 2005 10:50 AM

http://www.moviemusicuk.us/serenitycd.htm

Quote:

Once or twice, some of brother Thomas Newman's familiar tones creep into the mix, notably the during violin and banjo passages in "Going for a Ride", "Haven Destroyed", "You're Not a Reaver" and "Rebuilding Serenity", which seem so out-of-place they could almost have been written for a contemporary western.

Gee, really? This music would be appropriate for a Western? That's weird. I thought it took place in space. Western music has no place in space.

Another truly well-researched review... Sigh.

I'm actually a fairly huge film music buff, and in my opinion this score was exactly what it needed to be.

The action's a bit frantic, but that's what Joss wanted. I can understand not enjoying the CD for that reason, but the music as written for the film can't be faulted. There are a few somewhat heroic clear moments (immediately after the first time Wash claims to be a leaf on the wind, for one), but mostly the action music is suitably ungraceful for our BDHs who are always just scraping by.

One thing David Newman does incredibly well is mutating themes. The main Serenity theme is never heard the same way twice, not only in terms of accompaniment and tone, but also in terms of harmonization and melodic contour. That one beautiful theme first heard when we see Serenity for the first time is twisted and bent to fit several key dramatic moments, most of them not nearly as happy as the opening shot and some downright upsetting.

I would in fact go as far as to say that, in terms of pure thematic flexibility and development, Newman is one of the best in the business.

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