Hello again, the few of you who read my blog.

This week's astoundingly memorable soundtrack cue is Ice Dance, from Edward Scissorhands, scored by Danny Elfman. It's a truly magical piece that has truly mesmerizing choir together with chimes, playing out one of the most beautiful themes I've ever heard. More interestingly, it's also incredibly simple, a simple series of octaves going up and down. It's amazing, and I encourage all to listen to it at the link below.

http://oreosite.free.fr/Downloads/07_Ice_Dance.mp3

Enjoy!

Mass Effect is another huge EA series. It's an epic space opera filled with huge worlds, massive battles, and an intense storyline. I figured, something like that needs an epic soundtrack, right? I was expecting Lord of the Rings quality to a world brimming with so much potential for great music.
Sadly, I was sorely disappointed. Jack Wall is just not good for Mass Effect, if you ask me. The feel of his music is painfully retro and not epic enough at all. The main theme is certainly worth a listen, but the rest of the soundtrack is just far too stuck in the past to enjoy.
Mass Effect Theme *****
The Normandy ****
Eden Prime **
Battle at Eden Prime ***
Saren ***
The Citadel *****
The Presidium ****
The Wards ***
Criminal Elements ***
Spectre Induction *****
Liara's World ****
A Very Dangerous Place ****
Feros ****
Protecting the Colony: ***
The Thorian: ***/**
Noveria: *
The Secret Labs: ***/*
The Alien Queen: ***
Fatal Confrontation: **
Saren's Base: **
Breeding Ground: ****
Virmire Ride: ***
Exit: ****
Love Theme: *****
Uncharted Worlds: ****
Ilos: *
Vigil: *****
Sovereign's Theme: *****
Uplink: ***
Battling Saren: ***
In Pursuit of Saren: ****
Infusion: ****
Final Assault: *****
Victory: ****
From the Wreckage: *****
The End (Reprise): ****
M4 Faunts: *
The most important theme is the main theme, first appearing (naturally) in Mass Effect Theme. It's also conveniently the best theme in the score, though still weak in comparison to other sci-fi epics. Its theme is a relatively calm and brooding French Horn piece that feels moderately epic, though it definitely lacks the power and memorable feel of similar space opera themes (Star Wars and Star Trek immediately come to mind). It is reprised at Spectre Induction, From the Wreckage, Victory, and The End (Reprise). Its best appearances are in Spectre Induction and From the Wreckage, which both take the main theme and elevate it to greater heights due to the primarily instrumental takes on the theme.
Other themes? Well, that's exactly Mass Effect's problem. It introduces two themes, each of which feature in about 3 tracks each. Sovereign's Theme is the other theme, appearing in Sovereign's Theme and Final Assault… and yeah, that's about it. It's actually not too bad, with the choir and brass utilizing an admittedly cliched tune to a very emotional degree. It actually is fairly impressive, though slightly too cliched for its own good.
It's interesting to note that the best tracks are the ones that use an orchestra. Vigil, Sovereign's Theme, From the Wreckage, and Final Assault all use orchestra to a much higher degree than many of the other tracks, and consequently, they are much easier to swallow. They all have some synth, for sure (which is frustratingly overused) but generally they ride on the orchestra or choir. As a result, they sound fantastic, showing Jack Wall and Sam Hulick's skill - they clearly had some good ideas for themes, but never bothered reusing them or reprising them in smart ways. Instead, they abandoned the best ones (and admittedly worst ones) in single tracks.
THE GOOD:
- Existing recurring themes aren't too bad at all
- Orchestral tracks are fantastic
- Admittedly inventive
THE BAD:
- Doesn't fit atmosphere
- Tracks aren't suitably epic
- Overused synth is tiresome
- Not enough recurring themes
- Some tunes sound awful
- Frustrating lack of power
- Ilos
- Noveria
- M4 Faunts
I have a rather long list of complaints for this score. First of all, the tracks do not fit the atmosphere. If the composers thought for a second that excessive synth represents a sci-fi space opera well, then they were completely wrong. The synth is simply awful where it is, never working and never changing. To me, it's like The Social Network of video game music - it almost never adapts to the feel of the moment. Ilos, for instance, is utter trash. It's just an endless barrage of sense-numbing synthetic sounds. And it lasts for a full 1 minute and 39 seconds. It is so utterly bad it's remarkable. Noveria is similarly tedious, doing nothing and not changing at all. It's horrible. It's horrible. It's horrible horrible horrible. I hated it. And it lasts a whopping 2 minutes and 14 seconds. That's long for such awful music.
Moreover, the synth is far overused. Scores like Tron Legacy used it brilliantly, but here it just fails. It completely destroys the feel of the game and it is simply frustrating.
Another complaint of mine is the lack of identity and power. The score lacks power. It's like the composers had no idea where to start or what feel to put into the music and simply played a few notes on the piano, then thought "Hey that sounds nice" and used it. It's just frustrating. So many tracks here have simply no energy at all, meandering about for the sole reason of being able to meander.
To end the score with a whimper, the geniuses behind this one toss us one last piece of trash to listen to: M4 Faunts. It's an awful lyrical piece for the Mass Effect universe. Lyrical. I ask you. Not only is it boring, with the singer sounding like he'd much rather be drinking his own bath water, but it's also 8 minutes long. It's 8 minutes of pure torture. Could a score end on a worse note?
Simply put, Mass Effect's score is awful. It's terrible. To quote Roger Ebert, but to change it slightly:
I hated this score. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated this score. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.
Overall: 3/10

James Newton Howard is one of my favorite composers. Though he collaborates with M. Night Shyamalan on horrible movies, the music is quite good - especially so in their latest work, The Last Airbender.
The Last Airbender originated as a Nickelodeon cartoon, and it had its own music that was certainly worth listening to. When Shyamalan and Howard announced they were going to compose original music, fans were disgruntled. However, the music is so good it's likely the fans will change their minds, despite the movie's quality. Simply put, it's fantastic.
Howard has composed one of the best scores of the digital age with his incredible creativity and orchestral harmony. If you enjoyed his previous scores, but longed for him to put together some true orchestral harmony without losing his very original stile (intentional misspelling), you'll find all you've wanted in this engrossing score.
Airbender Suite: *****
Earthbenders: *****
The Avatar Has Returned: *****
The Four Elements Test: *****
Journey to the Northern Water Tribe: *****
Hall of Avatars: *****
Prologue: *****
The Blue Spirit: *****/****
The Spirit World: *****/****
We Could Be Friends: *****
We Are Now the Gods: *****
Flow Like Water: *****
The order of the tracks is fairly wonky, with Prologue appearing as the seventh track. It would make far more sense with Prologue being switched with Airbender Suite.
The first major theme to appear shows up in Prologue (I treat it as the first track). It appears at the 00:56 mark, a beautiful string theme of pairs of ascending chords. It works stunningly well, and though it may not be the most stunningly memorable main theme you've heard, your mind is likely to change when you hear its reprisals.
From there, the track enters into a more ethnically centered percussive section that works rather well, but its not reprised anywhere else. The theme is later reprised again in Earthbenders at the 1:20 mark, in a calmer form played on lower strings. From there, it builds up, and becomes more firm, until ending the reprisal at 1:55. Later in the track, around 2:42, the theme is again reprised in a more bombastic manner. It's reprised again in The Four Elements Test at 3:45, in a stunning form. Though it fades out briefly, it comes back in a softer mode.
It also gets a wonderful statement at 00:52 of Journey to the Northern Water Tribe. Here, it sounds truly epic, with brass, strings, and choir all playing/singing the main theme. It then gets a brief show at 2:25 of the same track.
It's hinted at briefly in We Could Be Friends at the 3:00 mark, though it never develops.
Flow Like Water gives the theme a fantastic statement at 3:45. It's the best presentation of the theme, with the mesmerizing strings meshing perfectly with the brass statement. It works brilliantly, and it's difficult not to enjoy.
Another recurring theme for the score first appears in Hall of Avatars. It dwindles about lightly at first before playing in full at 1:30. It's a depressingly beautiful piece with strings and brass, and it works remarkably well. However, it never gets a reprisal until Flow Like Water, where the first 3 minutes are devoted almost completely to the idea. It's beautiful.
Yet another recurring theme is one played on the cello. It first appears in Earthbenders as a series of strums that work their way downwards. It makes many reappearances throughout the score, from 2 minutes in Journey to the Northern Water Tribe, to 1:20 into The Spirit World. It also gets a great reprisal in Flow Like Water's opening seconds. It appears frequently throughout the score, a dark theme that indeed flows like water, with its notes flowing downward before having higher instruments repeat the theme.
The more violent side of the tale are represented by some appropriately pompous and bombastic military-like themes. It first appears in The Airbender Suite, at 7:20. It later gets another reprise at 2:00 for The Blue Spirit. The theme explodes at 3:50, with the powerful, rising theme consistently building up afterwards.
An interesting form appears in the opening of We Could Be Friends, a surprisingly militaristic track for such a mild-sounding title. The summarized theme works surprisingly well for such a condensed form of the track.
We Are Now the Gods reprises the track for the last time at 1:45 and 2:00. It has a very John Williams feel to it, due to it being played in brass.
There are also some other themes included that never really expand anywhere. The opening of Prologue, and its ending, both include interesting thematic possibilities that are never explored elsewhere. Airbender Suite also includes some interesting ideas in its opening, and the final 2 minutes of We Are Now the Gods is an amazingly beautiful piece that should have had its own piece. Sadly, they're never reprised elsewhere.
Nonetheless, the themes are incredibly impressive and it's unlikely you won't enjoy theme.
The Good:
- Amazing themes
- Imaginative development of said themes
- Orchestral harmony is fantastic
- Militaristic side is powerful
- Flow Like Water
The Bad:
- Some beautiful themes are used only once
- Nearly every track is a suite; thus, the majority are a little too long and have too many ideas inside them.
The score is truly impressive, though its packaging isn't all that great. Almost every track is a little too long for its own good, packing too many ideas into each one. Had the packagers recorded reprisals and themes apart from each other, it would be much easier to swallow.
Nonetheless, the score is truly a powerhouse. Its incredible orchestral harmony rivals Lord of the Rings' amazing scores, and its themes, while likely not to become iconic, are still wonderful. If Shyamalan really does expand this terrible movie into a trilogy, I sincerely hope Howard is attached. As long as the scores are done by Howard, I will support the making of the movies. Howard has done an incredible job for a fantasy score, and I'm surprised that this is his first milieu into the fantasy-epic genre - his music dovetails with the feel perfectly.
Overall: 10/10

Hello all 4 of you who know/read my blog!

This week's asoundingly memorable cue from a score is the track "London", from James Newton Howard's 2006 score for drama/action movie Blood Diamond.

It's a remarkable track with beautiful buildup, beginning with a brief melody from an instrument I can't place. It then opens into a fantastic piano track, that reminds me of Scorponok from Transformers (Steve Jablonsky) albeit much slower and more beautiful. From there, it receives appropriate reprising with African voices joining in, and all in all, it's 2 and a half minutes of wonderfulness (if that's a word).

Here's the link.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/12/19/1652306/URNALImusic.mp3

Enjoy!

Gamespot doesn't allow the words that sound like klassic and "s-tie-l" to be spelled properly, because their primitive form of HTML (jk) causes the words to be recognized as new strings. Kinda sad.

So, if I ever need to use the words, klassic will be spelt as such or as clahssic, while "s-tie-l" will be spelt stile.

I will be using these words a lot in blog posts. I have tried to keep them out, but it's just too difficult.

Harry Potter has come a long way from the neglected 11 year old boy who learned he was a wizard under the most interesting of circumstances. In the past decade or so, he has fought massive snakes, taken on Voldemort several times, watched his friends die at the hands of Death Eaters, and traveled several hours backwards in time.
The movie adaptations were never quite as good as the books in my opinion, though they certainly weren't bad either. The latest movie, The Deathly Hallows, has been split into two parts due to its massive length. Part 1 was a surprisingly adept "road" movie about Harry's hunt for (spoilers) horcruxes. In fact, it was my favorite Harry Potter movie yet, due to its dark, fast tale and its fantastic buildup. Though it pulled a Halo 2 at the end by concluding it in the most frustrating manner possible, it was a great film.
All the previous films all had excellent scores, with the original done by John Williams. His work is now iconic, and rightly so - its dark theme is mysterious and entrancing. However, the recent movies have had a "rotating composer" routine, constantly switching composers for each film. It's a little frustrating to constantly have to hear new themes every time, but it's never been a problem (the composers know what they're doing).
The latest score was by Alexandre Desplat, Academy Award favorite and baroque music aficionado. His work for the Twilight saga's second installment was fantastic - would he be able to carry on his originality and memorability here?
The answer is a yes.
The Obliviation: *****
Snape to Malfoy Manor: ****
Polyjuice Potion: ****
Sky Battle: *****/****
At the Burrow: *****
Harry and Ginny: *****
The Will: ****
Death Eaters: *****
Dobby: *****/****
Ministry of Magic: *****/****
Detonators: ****
The Locket: ****
Fireplaces Escape: *****/****
Ron Leaves: *****
The Exodus: ****
Godric Hollow's Graveyard: *****
Bathilda Bagshot: ****/***
Hermione's Parents: *****/****
Destroying the Locket: *****
Ron's Speech: *****
Lovegood: ****
The Deathly Hallows: ****
Captured and Tortured: ***
Rescuing Hermione: ****
Farewell to Dobby: *****
The Elder Wand: ****
I've decided against simply running through all the tracks here, as that would be both boring and difficult for me to do. Instead, I'll give a quick rundown of the primary themes.
The Obliviation introduces a great theme. Though it doesn't really do anything for the first minute, the last two minutes present a depressing string/woodwind theme that symbolizes the depression and pain the main characters will need to go through.
It's seen several times through, with a brief reprise in Farewell to Dobby.
It's a surprisingly heartfelt and emotional effort on Desplat's part - the theme really is quite impressive where it is and it fits well. Farewell to Dobby is an amazingly emotional and beautiful piece that somehow gives an annoying character a great send-off. It's difficult not to cry when listening to the piece; it's just so brilliantly emotional. Though it's opening - a sustained woodwind note - may be briefly obnoxious, you later realize how well it works.
The next theme heard is for the Death Eaters. It's first heard in Snape to Malfoy Manor, a fittingly dark theme. Though nothing much really happens for the theme, it's not all that bad due to its mysterious, frightening nature. It's reprised in - you guessed it - Death Eaters, among other cues. Its best presentation is in Death Eaters.
Another theme is sort of the "adventure" theme. It's first heard in Sky Battle, a surprisingly bombastic theme filled with horns and power, creating a frantic atmosphere as the characters try to avoid getting killed by Death Eaters. It's awe inspiring at times and is definitely one of Desplat's most exciting efforts to hear. The clashes of symbols, the fast, speedy strings, the brass theme, the timpani banging distantly in the background - it all suits the moment incredibly well. It's not much to listen to repeatedly, but if you've seen the movie, you'll like the piece. However, if you haven't seen the scene (haha - seen the scene), the music will likely be too atmospheric. It's later reprised in Fireplaces Escape. This track is also fast and atmospheric. It uses the strings to a great extent here, with the choir providing excellent backup. In the moment it's fantastic, but as a listening experience, it is again a little difficult to enjoy.
One of the best recurring themes is the sort of "heroes" theme. It's first heard in the opening of Polyjuice Potion. The great, noble and positive theme gets a great treatment in the first minute or so of the track, before becoming more atmospheric fluff. Afterwards, it's heard in At the Burrow (one of the best tracks). A reprise can be heard in Harry and Ginny in a particularly depressing form. It's not bad, but it is a bit short. Later, it's heard again in Ron Leaves and in a more positive form for Ron's Speech.
One of the most interesting themes is found in Ministry of Magic. It's a great, hilariously mischievous piece that is definitely one of the highlights. It's not something you'll come back to all the time, but it's clever and enjoyable. The theme is later extended in Detonators.
The final recurring theme is that of the Locket. It is first heard in Dobby, at around 2:20. It then gets a full performance at the start and end of The Locket.
All in all, it's actually a very effective and impressive score. Desplat creates an emotionally charged score filled with great themes and fantastic atmosphere. It's actually even greater than it would be considering that it's written by Desplat, because he is normally very hesitant with stepping out of his comfort zone. Generally, his music retains a very "old" feel. The King's Speech is a perfect example of this. His music doesn't always go anywhere, and it hurts his overall appeal to me. However, his latest work in New Moon showed that he had ideas, and much of his originality has gone into this score. The Deathly Hallow's score is a huge departure from his usual methods, and it's a bold move on his part.
The Good:
- Desplat steps out of his comfort zone
- Excellently written score featuring fascinating harmony of instruments
- Great themes
- At the Burrow
- Ministry of Magic
The Bad:
- Action themes are hard to swallow
- Some themes are less than enjoyable (The Locket)
- Virtually no connections to previous Harry Potter scores
What's most disappointing about this score is that there's virtually no tie in to the original scores. Had Desplat included even a single track devoted to Williams' work, it would've been great. He had the potential to drive tears of nostalgia from everyone with Williams' original theme, but he holds back and includes a mere 20 second snippet of the original theme in the last 20 seconds of Polyjuice Potion. It's kind of sad to not hear any of the original tracks.
Nonetheless, the lack of any allusion to previous scores is forgivable; the score is a whole is great and powerful, though not without flaw. Its great themes are enjoyable, and though there may be unenjoyable moments (Bathilda Bagshot, Captured and Tortured), they are eclipsed by the best moments. A momentous effort by Desplat.
Overall: 9/10
As compared to previous Harry Potter scores: 8/10

I've decided to include an "Astoundingly Memorable Soundtrack Cue" blog thing. It'll be updated weekly, and basically it'll mention one particularly awesome track in a score that stood out.
This week's astoundingly memorable cue is Chevaliers DeSangreal of "The Da Vinci Code." Written by Hans Zimmer, it's the best track in the score (and possibly the only good one in the score). Though it may be a diamond in the rough, it manages to surpass most of Zimmer's previous work and stands tall as one of his best tracks ever.
Though it clocks in at 4 minutes and 9 seconds, it manages to hold your attention the whole way through due to its mesmerizing string theme and its amazing buildup. The score itself is well-worth purchasing for this track alone.
Sadly, I can't possibly put it into words - so I'm just going to post a link to the track here.

http://www.iqb.es/musica/13-chevaliers_de_sangreal.mp3

:) Enjoy!

From the makers of Wallace and Gromit came a fantastically original and funny parody of The Great Escape, titled "Chicken Run". When the title itself is a pun, you know that the movie is probably a comedy movie. And you would be right - it's a fantastically funny and cute stop-motion film. It's score is also excellent, composed by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams. Powell's work here is fantastic, and he never managed to top himself here until How to Train Your Dragon. However, this review is about Chicken Run's score, not How to Train Your Dragon's.
Chicken Run's score is absolutely fantastic. It's a brilliantly bombastic and enjoyable score that is an absolute joy to sit through. Unlike other scores, it never gets boring at points and it's simply fantastic.
Opening Escape: *****/****
Main Titles: *****
The Evil Mrs. Tweedy: *****
Rats!: ****
Chickens are Not Organized: ****
We Need a Miracle: *****
Rocky and the Circus: ****
Flight Training: *****
A Really Big Truck Arrives: ****
Cocktails and Flighty Thoughts: ****
Babs' Big Break: ****
Flip Flop and Fly: ****
Up On The Roof: *****
Into the Pie Machine: *****
Rocky, a Fake All Along: *****
Building the Crate: *****
The Wanderer: ****
The Chickens Are Revolting: *****
Lift Off: *****/****
Escape to Paradise: *****
Perhaps Chicken Run's strongest tracks are the ones that reprise the main theme. The main theme is apparent first in Opening Escape, in a stunning brass presentation of the incredible theme. Though it lasts a mere 40 seconds, it's 40 seconds of pure awesomeness. The rest of the song is merely ok; It suits the moment, but it doesn't do anything else.
Main Titles blares out the cute yet noble main theme with power and meaning, and it is remarkably effective. The amount of instruments featured is remarkable, and what's even more remarkable is that each instrument works where it is. The kazoos sound perfect where they are, as do the flutes, triangles, and (naturally) brass. It sounds like a parody of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and as a parody, it's remarkably good.
Almost all of the five star cues are reprisals of the main theme. You have slower, calmer reprisals like that of Up On The Roof, you have noble and powerful ones like Opening Escape's first 40 seconds, you have a slightly more casual version in Flight Training, and you have an outstanding choral version in the last moments of Lift Off (hence the five star/four star rating).
One of the other great themes on this score is the one featured in Into the Pie Machine. It's a delightfully evil track, symbolizing Mrs. Tweedy perfectly. Strangely, it doesn't appear in the track The Evil Mrs. Tweedy, a sorely missed opportunity. However, its presentation in Into the Pie Machine is fun and frenetic, creating a great atmosphere without sacrificing humor. It's great. It gets a great show in Escape to Paradise, one of the best action tracks on the score.
Another one of the best tracks is Building the Crate. After about a minute of meaningless meandering, the track becomes suitably powerful and driven. It's fantastic, due to its fast-paced theme and excellent variety of instruments. The last two minutes of it are so good it's remarkable.
Another prominent theme here is the Rats! theme. It's not all that great, sadly, but it does fit the moment well due to the simple absurdity of the characters. Hence, the theme itself is strange and not altogether enjoyable, though it certainly is good where it is. Thus, it deserves four stars. It's also seen in the first minute or so of Building the Crate.
The best tracks really just repeat the same theme several times in a row. So why are they so great? Because John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams didn't succumb to the mistake many other composers made: They included so much variety of the instruments. For that reason, it's easy to enjoy the speedy tunes. Hearing the track once in brass before hearing it again in strings and then accentuated in kazoos is a refreshing experience, and one that you don't hear very often anywhere else.
The Good:
- Instrumental variety lends a sense of unpredictability to the score
- Great themes
- Main Titles
- A great sense of humor
The Bad:
- Rats! is a dumb theme to listen to
- All the songs with vocals aren't that great
- However great the main themes are, they can't carry the score entirely.
Minor complaints like how the songs with vocals aren't that great can be lodged against the score, but they don't hurt it that much. The biggest issue with the score is that the score rides almost entirely off of the best themes here. That's all well and good, but not all the reprisals work perfectly and some tracks are still lacking in comparison to the others. However good individual tracks may be, they can't carry a score all the way and that's the biggest mistake Powell and Gregson-Williams made in this one.
Nonetheless, it's a great "parody" score by the duo and it's definitely a score to grab if you liked How to Train Your Dragon.
OVERALL: 9/10

Indiana Jones is a timeless film. It practically invented the action movie genre, including virtually every action movie cliche ever, from the good guy with all the girls who just won't die, to the super-ridiculously over-the-top chase scenes. I loved it. Oh, and John Williams' score is practically iconic. There really aren't many who haven't heard it before.
It's a powerfully bombastic score filled with energy and brass fanfares. It's not much of a departure from previous Williams scores, but it's still a great score and anyone should listen to it.
The Raiders March: *****
Main Title: South America, 1936: ****
In the Idol's Temple: ***
Flight from Peru: *****
Journey to Nepal: *****
The Medallion: ****
To Cairo: *****
The Basket Game: ****
The Map Room: Dawn: *****
Reunion and the Dig Begins: *****/****
The Well of Souls: ****
Airplane Flight: ****
The Desert Chase: *****
Marion's Theme: *****
The German Sub/To the Nazi Hideout: ****
The Ark: ****
The Miracle of the Ark: *****
The Warehouse: *****
End Credits: *****
Many have claimed Raiders of the Lost Ark to be mono-thematic. This simply isn't true; though it's main theme may certainly be the most memorable track, it isn't the only one. Granted, it's excellent; the brass fanfare coupled with great use of instruments works brilliantly, and the theme is so catchy it's practically unforgettable. A true ****c.
MAIN THEME
Indy's main theme is apparent several times through the score. It gets it's first full presentation in the opening track, titled "The Raiders March." It's an excellent presentation of a great track.
Later, it appears in places like the End Credits, and The Desert Chase. The Desert Chase is one of the most interesting pieces here, picking apart The Raiders March and slowly building up throughout the piece. It's great, but at times it feels like its dragging with its 8 minute length. It appears in To Cairo as well, and briefly in Flight From Peru.
All in all, almost all the presentations of the main theme are excellent on the score. It's quite impressive.
The ARTIFACTS THEME
The Artifact theme is a mysterious theme that is teased at lightly in Flight From Peru after a brief show of Marion's Theme. It is quite excellent, but sadly it doesn't get too many presentations. After being shown several times briefly, it finally gets a track completely devoted to it in The Map Room: Dawn, easily one of the best tracks. It's fantastic, with astounding buildup and great atmospheric tension. It also appears in The Warehouse, End Credits, The Miracle of the Ark (in a stunning brass presentation), among other tracks.
MARION'S THEME
Another one of the most important themes on the score, Marion's theme is a beautiful string piece that can also be called the love theme. It's great where it is, and it works brilliantly. For some reason, it shows up in Flight From Peru first, but it works well. It also appears in The Warehouse, Journey from Nepal, To Cairo, Reunion and The Dig Begins, Marion's Theme, and many others. At first it's merely teased at, but it finally gets its big show in (naturally) Marion's Theme. It's an excellent piece, and nearly all the pieces with Marion's Theme in them are carried well by this theme.
MINOR THEMES
The score also contains several minor themes, including the Medallion theme, a brief theme that is strange and not altogether that enjoyable. I didn't really like it that much, though it did carry a sort of emotional weight with it. The Basket Game also has an entertaining theme in it, though it's a bit too repetitive at times. It's playful feel ultimately benefits it, and it fits the moment astoundingly well, though it can come across as obnoxious due to its overstay at 5 minutes.
The Good:
- Main themes are fantastic
- Great buildup in various pieces
- Accurately convey the feel of the movie
- Appropriate addition of other instruments to various themes
The Bad:
- Some themes are uninteresting
- Some tracks have only brief shows of entertaining themes
- In The Idol's Temple is a horrid piece, for atmospheric reasons
The biggest flaws in the score are that some tracks are uninteresting, like The Medallion. Also, some only have brief bursts of the main theme, like The German Sub/Nazi Hideout and Ark Trek. Moreover, In the Idol's Temple is a terrible piece filled with too much atmospheric sound and no real theme inside. Thus, it's horribly difficult to enjoy.
Overall however, Raiders of the Lost Ark remains one of the best movie scores of all time, which is why I consider it to be a fantastic score. Its feel still influences soundtracks today, a major feat considering that it is 30 years old. For whatever flaws it may have, its good far outweighs the bad. As a John Williams score however, it isn't perfect - it has some trip-ups here and there (as compared to things like Star Wars or Edward Scissorhands), but they aren't too bad. As compared to scores in general, it's amazing.
Overall: 10/10

It's fast, it's catchy, it's epic at times - it's the Super Meat Boy soundtrack.
Virtually unheard of in the soundtrack world, dB soundworks is definitely one of the best artists for video game scores I've heard in a while. Why? Well, the guy really knows what he's doing. Super Meat Boy is a 2D platformer that has multiple throwbacks to the old days of Super Mario. I think I can safely say that dB soundworks
However, this review is for the soundtrack, not the outstanding gameplay.
The music is actually pretty awesome, to say the least.
Boy Meats Girl: *****
Super Meat Boy ***
Forest Funk *****
Ballad of the Burning Squirrel *****
The Battle of Lil' Slugger *****
Betus Blues *****
C.H.A.D.'s Broken Wind *****
C.H.A.D.'s Lullaby *****
Can o' Salt *****
Rocket Rider ****
Fast Track to Browntown ****
Hot Damned *****
Devil N' Bass *****
Meat Golem ***
It Ends *****
Dr. Fetus' Castle ****
Larries' Lament ****
It Ends 2: End Harder ****
Carmeaty Burana *****
Escape! ****
End Credits *****
McLarty Party People *****
Meat Spin ***
Forest Funk RETRO *****
Betus Blues RETRO *****
Can o' Salt RETRO ****
Hot Damned RETRO ****
It Ends RETRO ****
It's quite a setlist, and it's more impressive that virtually every world can have such different themes.
The entire soundtrack has a very great arcade feel to it that isn't present in such quality in other video games today. It's rare that someone so talented comes up with hilarious, catchy themes for virtually every level. The last one to do that was Koji Kondo, of Mario fame. His score for Super Mario is iconic due to its unparalleled catchiness, and I feel that dB soundworks (The writer for Super Meat Boy's score) did a job just as good, if not better.
Since there are simply too many themes to discuss, I will mention some highlights and what makes them great.
The score's first track, Boy Meats Girl, is a hilarious piece. It feels a bit too short, but it still is a fantastically funny piece that sounds both nostalgic and cute at the same time (a difficult combination for sure). Sadly, the theme is never reprised again in the rest of the score but it's a nice piece for sure.
Then, you have world one's tracks. All 3 are excellent, though the best is without a doubt The Battle of Little Slugger, a fast piece that maintains its sense of humor without sacrificing intensity. Forest Funk is also a brilliantly catchy piece, and is likely to cement itself as the most famous theme of SMB. It's reprised brilliantly in the RETRO form of it, and it fits better than what anyone would expect.
World two's tracks are also excellent, with the best being Betus Blues. It's a surprisingly interesting piece, using a minor key to convey a sense of eeriness while still being maddeningly catchy. It's reprisal in the RETRO form is possibly the best 8 bit track on the score. The two C.H.A.D themes are good, but not quite as good as Betus Blues. The boss theme is certainly excellent and quirky, and it feels appropriate given the moment, but it's just not quite as catchy as the light world theme. The dark world theme, C.H.A.D's Broken Wind, bears many similarities to the boss theme. It still is a great piece, but it definitely isn't one of the best here.
World three's tracks are nice as well. They aren't quite as good as the rest of them, but they aren't bad either. Using the salt factory theme from the original Meat Boy, Can o' Salt is a highly energetic piece with some excellent electronic instruments int here. It doesn't really have much of a theme, which is what makes its RETRO form lacking, but it still is a fun piece and it's unlikely you'll be disappointed by it. The dark world and boss theme are unimpressive in comparison to the light world theme, but they aren't all that bad either.
World four's tracks are brilliant, being dark, fast, and incredibly intense. Hot Damned is one of the best pieces of the score, with its super catchy electric guitar theme playing with a great 11 note bass theme in the background. The dark world theme is great, though not quite as catchy. It's still an excellent piece, and I liked it a lot. Sadly, the boss theme is poor in comparison to the rest of the tracks. It's theme is unenjoyable and there are periods where it sounds like nothing plays, only to be punctuated by a four-note bass riff that sounds both repetitious and boring.
World five's tracks are great. It Ends is, again, one of the best tracks available. It's dark theme is excellent in gameplay, and it is one of the more memorable ones on the score. Sadly, its RETRO form is not as good due to too many instruments playing at once in the normal version. The RETRO version tries to capture all the available themes, and it sounds to jumbled to be worth listening to. The dark world theme is a great throwback to the old 8 bit days as well, with a very peculiar theme that sounds creepy and strange. The boss theme is good as well, though not quite as good as the light world theme.
World 6 is the last world, and its themes are absolutely incredible. Though its main theme isn't that great, its boss theme - Carmeaty Burana - is possibly the best track here. It's amazing. The vocals, the theme, the energy, and the desperation are all conveyed in an amazing way and though it takes the score in an interesting direction, it's a great piece and it's difficult not to enjoy.
World Seven's theme is a frustratingly cute theme that is sure to get on people's nerves. It's annoyingly upbeat feel directly contrasts with the game's insane difficulty. It fits quite well. Strangely, there is no RETRO form but it's still a nice piece.
The Good:
- Catchy
- Carmeaty Burana is amazing
- Intense at times
- Fits well
The Bad:
- Meat Golem
- Meat Spin
- Super Meat Boy's main theme is awful
- Catchiness can only carry a score so far
There really aren't any super bad offenses of the score besides the fact that there are some less than enjoyable tracks. However, if you can overlook the worst tracks there's a ton of hilarity and catchiness to be found here. Sadly, catchiness to a score can only carry one so far; it's best track is Carmeaty Burana because it actually sounds epic. The rest are just enjoyable, but nothing truly award-worthy.
As a result, I honestly can't give it too high of a score. It's good, but it isn't amazing. It's just catchy, and as a result, I can only give this score an 8.5 in relation to other scores. However, as a score trying to be catchy and fit an arcade game, it deserves a 9.5.
IN COMPARISON TO ALL OTHER SCORES: 8.5
IN COMPARISON TO ARCADE SCORES: 9.5