April was a tough write-up for me, solely because there were simply so many good scores to look at (as you’ll see when you scroll to the bottom of this article). From orchestral works like Hans Zimmer’s The Survivor or James Newton Howard’s score to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore to experimental or conventional works like Alex G’s We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and Son Lux’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, there’s something for everyone this month. As always, if you think I’ve missed any scores from this month (or any past months), leave a comment or get in touch and I’ll check them out!
Once again there were (as always) too many scores released this month for me to me to cover! Make sure to scroll to the end of this article for a list of even more April scores to check out!
Have a quick read about each of these excellent scores below then give them a listen. Be sure to see what other scores you may have missed by reading past editions of this column or listen to me talk about some of these releases:
The Survivor – Hans Zimmer
When I saw that Hans Zimmer was tapped to score The Survivor, I was skeptical. After all, Zimmer’s recent sound has often been one of uncompromising bombast and scale, which seems at odds with a film that follows boxer Harry Haft’s real-life story of surviving Auschwitz. Fortunately, Zimmer shows us a side of his we rarely see. His score is minimal and intimate, somber and harrowing, with a particular use of melancholic strings. The highlight, though, is the track “Avinu Melkeinu” (the Jewish prayer recited during the Ten Days of Repentance), which features the liturgical voice of cantor Erik Contzius and taps into a chilling anxiety and anticipation.
The Northman – Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough
I was a bit let down when I heard that Mark Korven (Interview) wouldn’t be scoring Robert Eggers’ third film, The Northman. Korven had scored Eggers’ prior two films – The Witch and The Lighthouse – with great success, and it was shaping up to be one of the great modern director-composer combos. Instead, Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough took up the reins. Like Korven (supposedly) did in The Witch, Carolan and Gainsborough look heavily toward period instruments, this time the sounds of the Middle Ages. They create a sense of majesty, fit for the film’s fight for a kingdom, but one covered in a grim veneer. The filth stays, like a sonic rendition of the Strugatsky Brothers’ landmark book Hard to Be a God. It becomes an ugly, harrowing descent into eighth century Hel. I’ll always be left wondering how Korven would have scored The Northman, but I can’t say I’m disappointed in how the score turned out.
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair – Alex G (Review)
Despite being massively popular, I’d never previously heard of lo-fi singer-songwriter Alex G until hearing his score for We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Holy smokes have I been missing out, as it’s an incredible work that’s surely one of the great film music surprises of the year. The first track, “Main Theme,” leans heavily into lo-fi acoustic guitar combined with an eerie, haunting childlike voice singing overtop. It then moves into an oscillation between slight noise (on tracks like “Stitch”) and ambient, minimal electronics (on tracks like “Casey’s Walk” and “JLB’s Story”), all of which are punctuated by further forays into acoustic and those penetrating vocals. It’s as if Alex G has tapped into a mirror world, filled with chilling angst and melancholy.
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Son Lux
As has been reported constantly by now, we seem to have entered a period fixated by the multiverse. With that have come a number of movies touching on the subject, most obviously are recent MCU entries like Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But no score has captured the multiplicity of the multiverse like Son Lux’s Everything Everywhere All at Once. The trio draw on a variety of influences, and styles that at first feels disconnected from one another. But as the score progresses, everything falls into place and coalesces; the prior hour and a half becomes one in a moment of musical zen. Be warned though: this is a massive album (and one that frontman Ryan Lott has told me doesn’t even include all of the score’s cues).
A Few More Scores
As often happens, there were simply too many great scores released in April to cover, so here are a few more:
- The Bad Guys – Daniel Pemberton (Interview)
- Le monde d’hier – Valentine Duteil
- True Things – Alex Baranowski
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – James Newton Howard
- Im Nachtlicht – Alev Lenz
- Return to Space – Mychael Danna and Harry Gregson-Williams (Interview)
- The Sound of Violet – Conrad Pope
- Allons enfant (Rookies) – Avia
- Father Stu – Dickon Hinchliffe
- Operation Mincemeat – Thomas Newman
- A l’ombre des filles – Arthur Simonini
- Charlotte – Michelino Bisceglia
- Lily Topples the World – Carly Comando
- Ogre – Flemming Nordkrog
- Polar Bear – Harry Gregson-Williams (Interview)
- Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush – Cenk Erdogan and Johannes Repka
- The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent – Mark Isham
- Downton Abbey: A New Era – John Lunn
- Leave No Traces – Ibrahim Maalouf
- Navalny – Marius De Vries, Anna Drubich, and Matt Robertson
- Peace by Chocolate – David Bertok
- Plunder Quest – Massimo Sammi
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest releases? Check out my new playlist of notable new film scores (updated regularly):
