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La-La Land
Records presents Bear McCreary's score to the television series, "Terminator:
The Sarah Connor Chronicles." With a running time at over an hour, this
soundtrack provides a superb amount of representation of music from the
series' first season. As is the case with some of McCreary's other scores,
this soundtrack also offers song material (2 tracks) that was produced by
the composer and/or his brother, with both cues fitting in nicely alongside
the instrumentals. The sound quality of the entire soundtrack is quite sharp
and the liner notes feature contributions from the production team on the
series, including the producer, actor, and of course, from Bear himself.
La-La Land continues to do a stellar job with each of their releases (you
can tell they care about their product).
I really enjoy
Bear McCreary's style. He has introduced an original voice in the world of
film and television music and what I enjoy most about his work is that the
electronic tools he calls upon don't take away from the human drama that his
music conveys. In "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," McCreary employs a small
team of performers along with other resources such as drum kits, MIDI
programming and more. When brought together, the result produces a rather
innovative yet appealing sound. When dealing with McCreary, the production
value of the music always seems to be off the charts.
The score
for "Sarah Connor Chronicles" starts off strong, beginning with a catchy,
somewhat edgy song entitled, "Samson and Delilah." I found this opening cue
to be quite engaging (really dug the vocals) and felt that it setup the
transition to the "Opening Titles" quite well. Though this "Opening Title"
track won't bang the listener over the head with a metallic array of
Terminator sounds from the film, the subtlety of it is what can be enjoyed.
I always like it when the composer doesn't take the easy way out, which is
what McCreary could have done here.
To continue
with the impressive opening set of this album, the next track is devoted to
the title character. Sarah Connor's theme from the "Pilot" episode is a well
arranged, dramatic introduction to the character as she is seen in this
series. The understated flow brings out a sentimental melody that stuck with
me even after the soundtrack concluded. What I felt was most interesting
about it was that there are echoes from the film resonating within the cue.
especially with the closing chords. To add even further accolades about this
motif, McCreary uses it throughout the different episodes in the series,
thus connecting the show musically with the listener.
With the
action material from the series, McCreary does a good job in bringing out
the metallic drums for use in these instances. Though not as raw sounding as
the drum style from the films, it comes across a bit more refined and
polished in this format (except for perhaps the wild "Motorcycle Robot Chase").
And to be honest, the high points from this score aren't the action cues,
it's the melody and drama that come forward as the strong points, a
trademark that does McCreary proud in his work.
Aside from a
few the low impact minutes of music on the album, which can be chalked up to
writing for TV, there is an interesting vibe attached to McCreary's "Terminator"
music. I like the direction he has developed for the franchise on the small
screen and think it would be a nice, forward thinking choice if he could
land the assignment for the film's fourth installment.
It may take
you an extra listen or two to fully engage yourself in the nuances of "Terminator:
Sarah Connor Chronicles," but it's time well spent. Although the soundtrack
would have benefited from less cues, which would have resulted in a higher
mark, this is an interesting, dramatic listening experience that falls in
the category of a safe purchase.
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