July flew by for me and here we are into the end of the summer season already. I think I've managed to see about 2 movies since May in theaters, though by the looks of things, there has not been much to miss.
That said here are some picks from discs that appeared this month here. All are essentially new releases.
It is quite hard to choose between Intrada's In Harm's Way and Varese's Lonely are the Brave--both Goldsmith scores. I tend to like them both and have certainly listened to the former now quite a bit. The latter is a score that finds the composer covering a pretty good western with music that is part The Red Pony (Copland) with a touch of Viva Zapata! (North). It is a far more intimate score than I had expected and therefore one which will beg for repeasted listening and many rewards. Since both are limited edition releases, you will have to decide and hope that they are still around.
Chandos also repackaged their Vaughan-Williams film score discs in to a 2-for-1 boxed set. All the booklets are there, they use cardboard sleeves for the discs. This Rumon Gamba conducted series is simply superb and if you missed any of the previous releases, this is a great way to catch up. The music for Scott of the Antarctic may be worth the price of the set. Of course, if you have these already there is no need to trade in for the new re-issue.
Guitarist Gregg Nestor released his second film music compilation earlier this summer and it arrived here last month. You Must Remember This, reviewed earlier here this month, is really a wonderful album for guitar fans and film music fans alike. It is easily one of the most listenable compilations with a well-programmed layout and a number of great pieces, many new to disc.
Though not terribly impressed with Nicholas Hooper's first Harry Potter score, his new one for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is one of the best scores so far this year. The album is a wonderful selection of cues that narratively flows well even in its film-order presentation. "In Noctem" is perhaps one of the best new additions to the HP universe and Hooper somehow hits all the right spots emotionally in this score. Makes one almost wish he'd stay around for at least one more! But with any luck, we will see more from him in the future made available on disc as well.
Finally, Boris Elkis may not be a familiar name to you, but his score for the new David Twohy film, A Perfect Getaway, is really a great listen. His thematic development and avoidance of cliched thriller/horror sounds makes for a quite interesting listen. Ambient design appears only sporadically as does some heavy rock elements. But this is an impressive "debut" score from one of Graeme Revell's music programmers. It will hit stores later this month as the film is rolled out.
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