As far as this column is concerned, we’re now halfway through the year! At this point, it’s hard to say whether any clear standouts have shown themselves as the “best of the year,” but there have been a lot that I’ve really enjoyed, and June is no exception. Whether it be a new Howard Shore score (Crimes of the Future), Dan Wool’s apocalyptic hellscape (Mad God), or something else, June continues the trend of strong releases. 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 June 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:

Crimes of the Future – Howard Shore (Review)

Like Mad God (discussed below), Crimes of the Future creates an ugly, bleak world. This time, it’s of our future. Howard Shore scores the project, his eighteenth (!) collaboration with director David Cronenberg. It allows Shore to play in his more unorthodox, stranger side, the type of exploration that Shore and Cronenberg often undertook in their earlier works. It’s largely a stripped-down sound, matching our projected spartan future, that balances synths with “organic” sounds. In this, Shore does his own rumination on the intersection between humanity and technology. The highlights for this writer are the various art installation tracks, particularly “Klinek” and its pounding, near-future underground dance feel.

Windfall Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans

With Windfall Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans join Cliff Martinez (with KIMI) in channeling their inner Bernard Herrmann to score a 2022 thriller. It’s a notable, surprising departure from their typical sound, which tends to be more atmospheric, creating immersive textures and soundscapes. The duo starts slow, calm yet ominous, basking in the danger and the arrogant confidence of its main characters. Before we know it, the calm has broken, revealing a tumultuous cacophony as the caper (and the previously serene façade) have fallen apart.

Mad God – Dan Wool (Review)

After seeing some promo stills near the end of spring, Mad God instantly became one of my most anticipated movies of the year. And it didn’t disappoint. The stop-motion film “thirty years in the making” enlists us as tourists of this industrial, war-torn nightmare world filled with the most exquisite environments and heinous monstrosities. It’s one of the most visually fixating films I’ve seen. So, it was easy to lose track of the score, which is a shame as composer Dan Wool does a fantastic job. Wool recognizes that the visuals are front and center here and that nothing must stand in their way. His score is filled with industrial sounds and noise, the slow rumbling engine of a great all-consuming behemoth. But there are also gentler moments, with acoustic guitar and music boxes adding touches of emotion, drawing the humanity out of this utterly inhumane film.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Disasterpeace

Rich Vreeland (aka Disasterpeace) is probably best known for his electronic score to the visceral indie horror film It Follows. With that resume he’d be the natural, obvious choice to score the heartwarming animated film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On… Though Vreeland has shown his ability time and again, I was very skeptical. But it works incredibly well. His score is a bit whimsical and utterly wholesome. Its forty-minute runtime feels almost entirely conflict free, a rare moment where nothing bad can happen. We find ourselves soothed, melting into a weird, joyous world as our worries slip away.

A Few More Scores

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

  • Hustle – Dan Deacon
  • Maika – Christopher Wong
  • Der Bauer und der Bobo – Alma and Paul Gallister
  • Jurassic World: Dominion – Michael Giacchino
  • The Valet – Heitor Pereira
  • Arsenault et fils – Robin-Joel Cool and Alexis Martin
  • Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Stephen Rennicks
  • Lightyear – Michael Giacchino
  • Spiderhead – Joseph Trapanese
  • All Those Small Things – Sean Johnson
  • The Black Phone – Mark Korven (Review; Interview)
  • Brian and Charles – Daniel Pemberton (Interview)
  • Champagne! – Sylvain Goldberg and Matteo Locasciulli
  • Fresh – Alex Somers
  • L’oubliee d’Amboise – Jerome Lemonnier