Despite my promises, my catch-up on this column is nonexistent; but at least I’m not falling behind too much now. Will that last? Will the winter holidays give me a chance to catch up? Or will they further inspire my […]
Clint Mansell has firmly established himself as one of the best film composers working today, so he doesn’t need to use gimmicks to draw interest to his music. But it’s easy to assume that by sampling the sounds of plants […]
We’re already well into 2022, which means I’m very late! But as they say, better late than never. It’s time for the annual tradition of covering the “best” film scores of 2021. If you don’t want to read through the […]
2021 just keeps chugging along, as April brings another dozen great scores (as well as countless other solid releases). Despite the time of year, many of these are horror scores or are otherwise anxious, unsettling works, from Ariel Marx’s discomforting […]
Loving Vincent is one of the more adventurous films made in recent memory: an ode to Vincent van Gogh animated through 65,000 hand painted frames. The film retells van Gogh’s last days (and, briefly, his early days) through what are […]
I’ve decided to start visiting years past, from before I actively listened to film music, and come up with retrospective best-of lists. Not only is it a good way to revisit missed classics and get a feel for the year […]
After listening to nearly 700 scores released in 2019, I present the definitive list of the best film scores of the year.
It’s that time of year, when everyone comes out with their ‘best of’ lists. After listening to nearly 700 film scores released in 2019, I’m ready. Up first are the most underrated scores of the year. These are ones that, […]
Clint Mansell adds cacophonous noise and jarring sounds to beautiful, classical melodies that slowly degrade as Black Swan progresses. This degradation directly mirrors the protagonist’s own descent into insanity. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is obviously thematically appropriate. However, it is too […]
In 2018 I listened to around 80 film scores and ranked my favorites (as well as a few honorable mentions that straddled the top-10 but didn’t quite make the cut). Many of these have appeared on other year-end lists, but […]
Danny Elfman’s score for Dumbo continues his trademark ominous yet whimsical style. Elfman manages to expertly create a dark score while keeping it kid appropriate and positive, all without the overabundance of memorable melodies more common in his earlier works. […]