As far as I can tell, the upcoming Academy Awards have avoided last year’s widely reviled gaffe of putting certain “technical” awards in a secondary class. It’s hard to call this progress, as we’re just returning to the status quo, but I suppose we can mildly celebrate it nonetheless.
At the beginning of this awards’ season, I assumed that Michael Giacchino’s score for The Batman would be a frontrunner. Turns out, it didn’t even make the Oscar shortlist. I then assumed that Justin Hurwitz would fill the void with his Babylon score. This came true during the Golden Globes, but then Volker Bertelmann surprised pretty much everyone by winning the BAFTA for All Quiet on the Western Front.
Where does that leave us? Unlike the last three years, where the best score winner was all but guaranteed in advance (Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Joker, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste’s Soul, and Hans Zimmer’s Dune), there’s no consensus regarding who might win. Hurwitz has been an awards favorite throughout his whole career, but so has John Williams; Bertelmann’s score is divisive, but he’s coming off of a BAFTA win; Son Lux and Everything Everywhere All at Once have a huge bastion of support; and Carter Burwell is a big name that’s continued to fly under the radar this season. It’s an eclectic slate of nominees, and although the Academy often gets knocked for their choices, these are all good scores that span a variety of styles. If the nominees didn’t feature four of the five BAFTA noms (and scores that have gotten attention all season), I’d almost call it inspired.
Read on to find out a little bit about each score and be sure to check each out as they’re all worth a listen.
Nominees:
- Babylon – Justin Hurwitz
- Everything Everywhere All at Once – Son Lux
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Carter Burwell (Interview)
- The Fabelmans – John Williams
- All Quiet on the Western Front – Volker Bertelmann (Interview) [WINNER]
BABYLON
Babylon composer Justin Hurwitz has had an enigmatic scoring career. This is only his fifth film, but he’s already at four Academy Award nominations (with one win). And with Babylon it’s easy to see why. Like Everything Everywhere All at Once, this is a huge score with labyrinthine passages, musical terra incognita that’s slowly discovered across numerous repeat listens. Yet, simultaneously, it’s also a listener-friendly, riotous jazzy experience. Hurwitz’s Golden Globes win likely positions him at the forefront, but the Golden Globes also just really like Hurwitz, so it’s hard to read too much into it.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
While All Quiet on the Western Front is certainly the most experimental nominee, Son Lux’s score for Everything Everywhere All at Once might be the biggest undertaking. Despite being scoring newcomers (although founder Ryan Lott has been involved in the periphery of the industry over the years), Son Lux attempt to capture the concept of the multiverse in their score, playing with a number of themes and seemingly disparate musical styles over the course of roughly an hour and a half. It’s a massive undertaking, and one that should be applauded not just for the scope, but also because it actually works. Theirs is probably the popular choice at this point, and the film’s own popularity and feel good stories will certainly only bolster their chances.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Carter Burwell’s third Oscar nomination seems to be sitting at the back of the line. While the film itself continues to collect awards wins, particularly for acting, Burwell has largely remained on the outside. Perhaps it’s the score’s subtle nature, whose harps, celeste, and gamelan lull the listener into a mysterious, dark fairytale. While a strong score, it’s rarely at the forefront of its film, and when attempting to garner attention, sometimes more is more.
THE FABELMANS
The Fabelmans is John Williams’ fifty-third Oscar nomination. Yes, fifty-three. But surprisingly, he’s only won five, with the last coming in 1994 for Schindler’s List. Could The Fabelmans be number six? Unsurprisingly, this is the favorite of film score traditionalists, with Williams’ score being the most classically orchestral score of the five. His is a longing, nostalgic score, tinged with the melancholy of remembrance, channeling the retrospective nature of the film. In that sense, it would be a poetic final score for Williams as well. But, lucky for us, he’s not done yet.
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Volker Bertelmann’s second Oscar nomination (his first solo) is also far and away the most divisive of the bunch. The score’s focal point is a jarring three-note motif made from a harmonium blasted through an amp stack, roaring like an air raid siren. For some, it instantly channels the horrors and fright of trench warfare; for others, it’s an out of place, movie-ruining choice. It’s interesting to see such a daring choice not only nominated, but to have a genuine chance at winning, especially after it recently took home the BAFTA.