Gake no Ueno Ponyo - Music by Joe Hisaishi

Just a few days ago, I had one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences I've ever had at a movie theater. I saw Hayao Miyazaki's new film, Gake no Ueno Ponyo, in Japan. Nothing out of the ordinary happened at the theater, but because I don't speak Japanese and there we no subtitles, the experience was purely about the music and visuals. I was left to interpret the movie based on those two things. It was an incredibly unique experience, and one that I won't soon forget.

Like all of Miyazaki's films, Ponyo, contains a touching and, at times, thrilling score by composer Joe Hisaishi. However, unlike their previous three films -- Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle -- Ponyo it is a decidedly lighter film, comparable to My Neighbor Totoro. Therefore, listeners can expect a less dramatic album.

One of the traits that has always attracted me to Hisaishi's music is that he is not afraid of leitmotif, a style of writing that is unfortunately dying off with amazing speed. Ponyo contains around 7-8 recurring themes and motifs. There are four primary themes -- Ponyo's theme, Sosuke and Ponyo's theme, the villain theme, and the theme for the Mother of the Sea (which also seems to act as a overall theme for the film). Each of these themes are heard numerous times throughout in several different variations.

The album runs for a fairly lengthy 68 minutes, but it's thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish minus a few moments of comedic meanderings and mickey mousing. With playful woodwinds, thoughtful strings, and even some old fashioned swashbuckling it stays interesting. And of course, no Hisaishi album would be complete without his wonderfully simple, yet beautiful piano writing and playing.

One aspect of this score that stood out to me was the use of the woodwinds. There isn't anything particularly spectacular about the writing, but to hear them so prominently and so often is a breath of fresh air. Unabashed woodwind use is unusual these days as composers, producers, and directors seem to be shying away from them for whatever reason.

Gake no Ueno Ponyo is another winner for Hisaishi. This will undoubtedly be one of the best scores of the year. The soundtrack is currently only available in Japan, but can be imported from various websites, such as Amazon.co.jp.

4/5

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - Music by James Newton Howard

After some truly lackluster scores in the past few years, James Newton Howard has given us The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep to show us that he hasn’t lost the touch that made us all love his music in the first place. The Water Horse is one of the best scores of 2007 and easily Howard’s best since last year’s Lady in the Water. It’s fun, emotional, and joy to listen to.

Before I go any further, I must admit that I’m a huge fan of Celtic music and my review will obviously reflect that. While this is primarily an orchestral score, there is still a good deal of Celtic influence and instrumentation performed wonderfully by the Chieftains. It firmly evokes the idyllic Scottish countryside where the film takes place.

The album opens with Sinéad O'Connor’s song “Back Where You Belong.” Simply put, this is a horrible song. O’Connor has a fairly unique voice, but for some reason or another it doesn’t mesh well with this song. It sounds as if she straining to hit the notes. Matters certainly don’t improve when speaking of the lyrics; they’re laughable. This is only the second song I’ve heard from O’Connor. The other, and far superior, is “One More Day” from Harry Gregson-Williams’ Veronica Guerin.

“Main Title” beings the score portion of the album. It presents a lovely theme on solo violin that only makes an appearance a few times on the album. The first half of the album is nicely balanced bouncing back and forth between warm thematic underscore and Celtic jollies. In these first cues, there a few minor themes presented such as the Lady in the Water like “Angus Feeds Crusoe.” Most predominant however is the theme for Angus and Crusoe. It’s this theme that continues to come back in various iterations throughout the entire score.

“Swimming”, a 6.5 minute cue halfway through the album, is one of the finest tracks of the year. Angus and Crusoe’s theme is presented quietly on woodwind and acoustic guitar before racing strings and brass stir up the musical pot and move into a jaunty Celtic style jig. This then gives way to a stunningly beautiful bit of music with predominant cello and choir before bursting into the first grandiose statement of the Angus and Crusoe theme.

Besides having one the best tracks of the year, Water Horse also has one of the best finales as well. Beginning with “Saving Crusoe” this action oriented portion of the album showcases Howard’s big orchestral sound at it’s finest. Of particular interest is gorgeous buildup in the final minute of “The Net” with choir, brass and strings.

The Water Horse is most likely not a score you will truly appreciate on first listen. It takes multiple listens to pick up on it’s thematic subtlety. Make no mistake though, this is one of the best albums of 2007, and after a particularly poor year for original and genuine film music, it’s great to have a score like this come in and save the day.

4/5

Breach - Music by Mychael Danna

Released in February of this year, Breach is an exceptional story espionage without the explosions and high octane adrenaline rushes of the Bourne or James Bond films. Based on the real life events and characters surrounding the arrest of FBI agent Robert Hanssen, the film stars Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Laura Linney and Dennis Haysbert. Directed by Billy Ray, who previously brought to screen the true story behind faux-journalist Stephen Glass in 2003’s Shattered Glass, Breach does a fantastic job of telling the story of a twisted man who sold American secrets to the KGB for over 22 years. Cooper, who plays Hanssen, delivers one of the standout performances of his career which has already gone unnoticed by the Golden Globes and most likely all other awards boards.

The reserved, yet compelling score is provided by composer Mychael Danna. Written primarily for light strings, piano, and occasional woodwind, this is the type of score that many composers try their hand at and never succeed. Danna, along with Mark Isham and Thomas Newman, are masters at creating subtle scores that fit their films like a glove. Breach is one of those scores, but also holds up well on its own.

The album starts immediately with the theme for Robert Hanssen. The cunning theme is presented in several different guises throughout the 35 minute runtime of the album and reaches its climax in “The Arrest.” The second primary theme presented is for Eric O’Neille (Phillippe), one of the key FBI agents who helped take Hanssen down. The somewhat reluctant theme is perfect for O’Neille who isn’t entirely sure of his life as an FBI agent.

For the first half of the album, Danna’s music is quite reticent and mysterious highlighted in the wonderful track “Gun Culture.” By the eighth track, “Double or Nothing,” the tension starts to build with a recurring pulsating string motif. By the album’s end, it’s fully satisfying.

Mychael Danna’s Breach has remained as one of the better scores of the year despite the fact that it was released in February. It melds perfectly with visuals and is a great album to put on late at night or during a rainy day.

3.5/5

Eastern Promises - Music by Howard Shore

The collaboration between director David Cronenberg and composer Howard Shore is one of the longest and most successful filmmaking relationships in Hollywood. Together, the two men have worked on--among others--The Fly, Crash, eXistenZ, Spider, A History of Violence, and most recently Eastern Promises.

There are two primary themes in Eastern Promises: the film’s main theme, presented in the first track, and the theme for Tatiana, first heard in the second track. The main theme is present in almost every track, often backed by clarinet and dulcimer or harp. Both themes are quite beautiful and are played primarily on solo violin by Nicola Benedetti. Appropriately, they evoke an eastern European feel which adds an air of authenticity in the film.

Although the album is a short 35 minutes long, it is a heavy listen. There are light breaks in the music at times, but it’s difficult to get through. It doesn’t help that main theme is repeated so often that it wears on the listener.

Shore’s Eastern Promises is a difficult album to review. The two themes are spectacular -- easily two of the best in this lackluster year of film scores, but the entire album isn’t as satisfying. One thing is certain, I would certainly pay to hear “Tatiana” played at a concert, and that counts for something in my book.

3/5

Stardust - Music by Ilan Eshkeri

Many in the film score community were left with puzzled looks on their faces when it was announced that Ilan Eshkeri would be providing the music for Stardust, a film directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name. Of course, the surprise wasn’t because Eshkeri is a relative newcomer to the score scene, but because he was originally on board for the film back in January, but it was announced that John Ottman would be taking over the position. Ottman recorded his score in Feburary, it was rejected, and the producers announced the Eshkeri was on the project again. Whether it stemmed from upset filmmakers or was simply a matter of scheduling, I’m here to talk about the score, not analyze the inner workings of Hollywood.

Eshkeri’s music for the wonderfully adventurous, witty, and romantic Stardust is the very definition of a serviceable and ordinary fantasy score. There are very few ideas presented here that we haven’t heard before, and because of that the score lacks a true identity and has a very familiar feeling for most of its runtime.

As with many scores these days, the final music is, at times, highly influenced by the temp track. John Debney’s Cutthroat Island, Harry Gregson-Williams’ Narnia, and even Wojciech Kilar’s Dracula make appearances in the film. This might not bother some listeners, but it needs to be pointed out. The other problem I have is the often boring percussion work. If the percussion is going to used as a solo instrument and be mixed so loudly, at least do something interesting with it. The orchestrations can also be somewhat bland at times and by the end of the album I had grown a bit tired of all the string ostinati.

If it sounds like I’m being ridiculously harsh, it’s because there are some really nice thematic ideas here and I can’t help but wonder if Eshkeri had been on the project the whole time and been allowed to stray more from the temp track that we would have our first great score of 2007. His adventure theme, which is used far too little, is the first bit of music from this year that I found myself humming subconsciously. The love theme for Tristan and Yvaine, presented primarily on oboe and lush strings, is quite beautiful. The flying music for Robert DeNiro’s Captain Shakespeare is fun, and the film’s finale is scored perfectly with Star Wars like brass and a grand rendition of the love theme. In between all the problems, there’s a great score that just wants to burst out.

While certainly not groundbreaking, Ilan Eshkeri’s Stardust shows that he is a composer to keep an eye on in the future. If you liked what you heard in the samples, chances are you’ll enjoy the album. It’s available for purchase now through iTunes and will be in stores on September 11. For now though, I recommend you go to the nearest cinema, sit down, and enjoy this great film. If you like your movies fun and adventurous (and you’re a fan of The Princess Bride) you won’t be disappointed.

3/5