The Mummy - Brian Tyler |
6/11/17 |
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What You Will Hear: Big choir and orchestra.
Standout Tracks: The Mummy, The Secret of the Mummy, Nick’s Theme, Prodigium, The Call of the Ancients, A Sense of Adventure, Chaos Mayhem Destruction, Forward Momentum, Liberators of Precious Antiquities, The Mummy End Title Suite Will You Be Humming Along? The main theme returns often. Cruise's character gets a them, as well. The album this makes me want to dust off: Stargate – David Arnold
Will I come back to it? With a length of just over two hours, it was difficult to get through the entire score in one sitting. I’ve complained about shorter releases a lot in the past, but this proves the opposite point. Too much can be just too much. And so, after my first listen, I was ready to write this off as another standard modern score influenced by the Remote Control school of music. But, I made the time to go through it with an open mind, and I’m glad I did. Brian Tyler seems to have gone in two very different directions with this score. On one hand, the orchestrations are as full as I’ve ever heard from him. It sounds much less synthesized than I’m used to, and it is much appreciated. Every instrument is used well, from the usual French horn to the obscure bass clarinet. You’ll hear his usual big brass and percussion, but it feels like he really tried to explore some new sounds. |
In addition to the orchestrations, the action sequences are quite thrilling. There is some originality on these cues (see: Sandstorm and Forward Momentum). It doesn’t always feel like a standard action spot on a Brian Tyler score. I'd even go as far as to say some of the brass impacts are John Williams-esque. The choir and strings just seem more vibrant and help support the brass and percussion. In a sense, Tyler’s usual “hipness” is all over the place, but the orchestra sounds more classically put together. It is an enjoyable soundscape.
But at the same time, the direction of the melodic content is as simple as it gets. The main theme is basically 4 notes and doesn’t go through much variation. It's pretty intense when given to the full choir, but not memorable otherwise. Nick’s Theme is equally as simple and similar to past works from the composer. This theme does get a lot of use throughout and the result is a collection of entertaining versions. But, it’s the usual response to a Tyler score: can you hum the main theme right now? Can you tell the difference between this hero and the hero from his last movie? The themes are fun, but originality isn’t a strong point which always makes it more difficult to enjoy.
A more succinct score presentation would have made this a better listening experience. By the twentieth track, I started to understand that I’d heard just about everything I needed to… and there were still over a dozen tracks to go. Fatigue was an issue, especially with a composer that tends to hang out in the same sonic neighborhood. But, my second (more focused) trip through helped me see the positives mentioned above. Hidden in the huge volume of music and behind the rather pedestrian themes (Nick's Theme grew on me with each variation), there is a lot of great adventure writing and fantastic use of the orchestra and choir. It’s just too long to enjoy everything at once. I’ll return for some of my favorite cues and the End Credit Suite. These tracks will give me that usual Brian Tyler fun, but with a more complete exploration of what the orchestra can do. I hope he continues to explore new areas of creativity with the orchestra in the future.
But at the same time, the direction of the melodic content is as simple as it gets. The main theme is basically 4 notes and doesn’t go through much variation. It's pretty intense when given to the full choir, but not memorable otherwise. Nick’s Theme is equally as simple and similar to past works from the composer. This theme does get a lot of use throughout and the result is a collection of entertaining versions. But, it’s the usual response to a Tyler score: can you hum the main theme right now? Can you tell the difference between this hero and the hero from his last movie? The themes are fun, but originality isn’t a strong point which always makes it more difficult to enjoy.
A more succinct score presentation would have made this a better listening experience. By the twentieth track, I started to understand that I’d heard just about everything I needed to… and there were still over a dozen tracks to go. Fatigue was an issue, especially with a composer that tends to hang out in the same sonic neighborhood. But, my second (more focused) trip through helped me see the positives mentioned above. Hidden in the huge volume of music and behind the rather pedestrian themes (Nick's Theme grew on me with each variation), there is a lot of great adventure writing and fantastic use of the orchestra and choir. It’s just too long to enjoy everything at once. I’ll return for some of my favorite cues and the End Credit Suite. These tracks will give me that usual Brian Tyler fun, but with a more complete exploration of what the orchestra can do. I hope he continues to explore new areas of creativity with the orchestra in the future.