I’m getting closer and closer to having conducted one hundred composer interviews, and yet I don’t think I’ve ever covered a Marvel score in one (let alone any superhero score). With Laura Karpman (Ms. Marvel, What If…?) joining the show, that all changes. Laura is fresh off of scoring the latest MCU film, The Marvels, starring Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel), and Teyonah Parris (Captain Rambeau), in an interplanetary adventure. As such, we spend most of the conversation digging into her score, and particularly the great lengths to which she was able to experiment with sound. Along the way we talk about composer unionization, her other new score, for the upcoming film American Fiction, and more!
One of my favorite things about Laura’s score for The Marvels is that it was appropriately odd and out there. Laura made clear that she never felt constrained during the scoring process, telling me: “I’m always looking for spaces to be weird, and there’s a lot of space to be weird in Marvel. Lots and lots and lots.” This becomes clear when you hear, among other things, the wide array of different singers and choruses on the score, the unique instrumentation (including utilizing the sounds of space itself), and aleatoric passages. American Fiction leads to a much different score, one that’s primarily jazz-based (going back to some of Laura’s music roots). But despite these stylistic differences, “[t]he thing that’s cool about both of these projects is that they really allow me to be me”
The Marvels is currently playing in theaters while Laura’s score, and much of her other music, is available on all major platforms. American Fiction is set to release on December 15, and Laura’s score is scheduled to release the same day. Meanwhile, you can find out more about Laura on her website.
Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). Enjoying these interviews? Show the love by subscribing and leaving a rating or review!
About The Marvels
“Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau.” from the MCU Website
