We’re getting surprisingly close to the end of the year already, with months and months of great score releases so far. But, this article hasn’t quite caught up – we’re only 2/3rds of the way through! August certainly has a fan favorite release in Sarah Schachner’s Prey, arguably Junkie XL’s best score in Three Thousand Years of Longing, and much more! 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 August 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:

Three Thousand Years of Longing – Junkie XL

Junkie XL has long been known for big, loud, bombastic scores, with little room for the personal and emotional (save for the rare score like the maligned Army of the Dead). By re-teaming with director George Miller, with whom he delivered perhaps his best score, Mad Max: Fury Road, it wasn’t unreasonable to expect something similar. But in Three Thousand Years of Longing, Junkie XL writes his most intimate score yet. It’s restrained, close to the heart, and gently covered with nostalgia and affection. His signature percussion-heavy sound is still there, but it’s enrapturing instead of pummeling. The one question, and one I’m not qualified to answer, is how authentic the Persian sound is? Is it a pastiche or something well thought and organic? I don’t know, but from my philistine view it sounds great.

Bullet Train – Dominic Lewis (Interview)

Dominic Lewis has been quietly building up some great scores, especially the very overlooked Peter Rabbit 2. Yet, although some of these have been relatively high profile (like The Man in the High Castle and The King’s Man), his is a name that hasn’t quite hit the mainstream. His latest, Bullet Train, goes one step closer to remedying that. With stars like Brad Pitt, Bad Bunny, Sandra Bullock, Michael Shannon, and more, it’s a very high-profile film, giving Lewis a great opportunity. And he nails it. Bullet Train is among the most eclectic scores I’ve heard in a while, with cues ripped straight out of the 70s, 90s pop/electronic moments, Japanese influences, and a number of “faux” songs that tricked me into thinking they were licensed. Lewis even manages a number of character motifs hidden throughout the piece. It’s a frenetic blend of sounds that whips the listener around at a speed to match that of the titular bullet train.

Prey – Sarah Schachner

Prey, and Sarah Schachner’s score, became one of the surprise hits of the year. Prior to the release, I’d only been mildly familiar with some of Schachner’s videogame work (on franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty), so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Her score is really percussion heavy, setting up the constant tension and danger prevalent throughout the film, with a nice restrained heroic theme throughout that also adds some humanity and empathy to the score. And, despite complaints to the contrary, Silvestri’s original Predator theme does appear piecemeal, at least in the very beginning.

Bodies Bodies Bodies – Rich Vreeland (aka Disasterpeace)

Bodies Bodies Bodies marks the second time that Rich Vreeland (aka Disasterpeace) has made it on this article series in the last couple months. The prior entry was for Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which couldn’t be more different than Bodies Bodies Bodies. While the former was a sweet, wholesome work, the latter is pounding edm, with a grimy party undertone. It’s dark, heavy, mysterious, and also full of some absolute bangers. This year Vreeland has really shown his versatility, quickly becoming an exciting and hard-to-predict composer.

A Few More Scores

As often happens, there were simply too many great scores released in August to cover, so here are a few more:

  • Inu-Oh – Otomo Yoshihide
  • Luck – John Debney
  • Last Seen Alive – Sam Ewing
  • Summering – Drum & Lace (Interview)
  • Delia’s Gone – David Braid
  • Nicht ganz koscher – Eine göttliche Komödie – Matthias Petsche
  • Il pataffio – Stefano Bollani
  • la Dégustation – Laurent Aknin
  • Mittagsstunde – Jakob Ilja
  • Narcosis – Jorrit Kleijnen and Jacob Meijer