Dragon’s Domain Records brings to light this recent score from Mexican-born composer Louis Febre.  His film-scoring career began back in the late 1980s and he is known for his work on television series (The Cape, Smallville, L.A. Heat) and independent films.  Bastards y Diablos (2015) had a showing the Los Angeles Film Festival but appears not to have been more widely shown even though it was well received.  It was the first feature film directed by A.D. Freese.  Set in Columbia, the story follows two estranged brothers who undergo a sort of adventure bonding experience as they try to fulfill their father’s last wishes and reconnect with their family.

The opening main titles are for piano with strings and feature a slow, repeated harmonic line that becomes a warm thematic statement.  It shifts to have an almost melancholy feel with a warm cello statement.  Febre shifts to a more insistent arpeggio for harp and an beautifully sad lyric line in “My Last Intention.”  A slight ethnic color appears in “Bus Ride-Underground Baptism” with its guitar lines adding a reflective overlay to the warm string writing.  An almost classical feel appears as we move into “The Balcony-First Love” with the extra little trills adding extra elegance to the piano and cello thematic statement.  Febre creates these very gorgeous little thematic statements that help provide unity across the score while also adding touching musical support.  Undulating mallet percussion drives the music forward later in “La Finca en Altimira”.  Guitar, cello, and piano statements all work to provide variations on Febre’s gorgeous thematic ideas here and his small orchestral colors add an equally mesmerizing backdrop as this personal narrative plays out.  “Commandos” shifts gears just a bit with a blend of percussion.  A bit more contemporary feel begins to also enter in as we head into “To Be Alone”.  The addition of oboe in “Astronauta Enamorado” makes for an equally beautiful plaintive moment that carries over in to “El Fin Del Mundo” and a more extended track, “Rebirth”, before a final end credit track (with a slightly more modern tinge) brings things to a wonderful close.

In often brief brush strokes, Febre’s music manages to capture the soul and heart of the film as it often subtly changes gears.  It is really a beautiful little score that should reward frequent listening reminiscent of the work of Navarette times.

Happy 2020 everyone!

I appreciate your patience as we headed into the new year.  After a heady year of reviewing, composing, promo for the Violin Sonata release, and a lot more teaching, it was important to just take a real extended vacation.  During that time I wavered over whether it was worth continuing to provide this service of reviewing unique art music and film releases.  So much now comes as digital downloads and quite frankly, I really do not like listening to great music sitting at a computer with less than optimal hi-fi speakers.  I guess that means I'm a bit of a relic!

At any rate, I know there are several releases that had arrived prior to the holiday season that I do hope to get to soon.  As I debated also just bringing the blog to a close, more artists and composers started to send a note asking if I would take a listen to their work.  So, I guess at least someone is reading the material provided here!

With a busy winter schedule that includes performing in three different orchestras, completing one musical and starting another, and teaching 2 full-term college courses, I will do what I can.  Not sure we can keep up the three each week approach.  There will probably be some catch up weeks like this one.

If you are a regular reader, drop a note here.  It helps to get a sense of whether I'm just pushing great music in the dark, or if there really are some folks who want to know more about the wealth of music in our world.