Interstellar OST (2014) - Hans Zimmer

Review #24

ALBUM INFO

Artiste:  Hans Zimmer

Year:  2014

Genre:  Soundtrack

Duration:  72 mins

Label:  WaterTower Music

Format:  CD

TRACK LISTING

1. ‘Dreaming of the Crash’ – 3:55
2. ‘Cornfield Chase’ – 2:07
3. ‘Dust’ – 5:41
4. ‘Day One’ – 3:19
5. ‘Stay’ – 6:52
6. ‘Message from Home’ – 1:40
7. ‘The Wormhole’ – 1:30
8. ‘Mountains’ – 3:39
9. ‘Afraid of Time’ – 2:32
10. ‘A Place Among the Stars’ – 3:27
11. ‘Running Out’ – 1:57
12. ‘I’m Going Home’ – 5:48
13. ‘Coward’ – 8:26
14. ‘Detach’ – 6:42
15. ‘S.T.A.Y.’ – 6:23
16. ‘Where We’re Going’ – 7:41

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7a78GiEowpaCa7ZJs44xUU

CAPSULE REVIEW

Composer Hans Zimmer and director Christopher Nolan has been a match in heaven since the duo’s first collaboration on Batman Begins in 2005.  Since then, we had amazing music to behold from the rest of the ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy (2008 & 2012), Inception (2010), and Interstellar.  He is also scoring Nolan’s upcoming war epic Dunkirk (2017). 

Zimmer’s work on Interstellar takes a less bombastic shift into more haunting and evocative territory, perhaps in a bid to capture the film’s themes of time, memory and vast uncertainty.  The church organ is especially noticeable in the score, alluding to the spirituality of connection through time and space.  Overall, the music is fantastic to behold.

But… the standard album doesn’t include the full selection of tracks (available only digitally in the deluxe edition) used in the film, particularly suspenseful tracks like ‘Imperfect Lock’ and ‘No Time for Caution’, the latter being one of Zimmer’s most stunning compositions.  Much of the album may seem bereft of ‘action’ tracks, with quieter, atmospheric music selected instead.  This is probably the only downer in an otherwise excellent album.  I would give the Deluxe Edition 4.5 stars instead.

Highlights:

‘Cornfield Chase’ – Features the score’s most fascinating theme, a kind of rumination on the ephemeral and mysterious nature of time.  Breathtaking is the word. 

‘Dust’ – Captures the dark uncertainty of space, with a feeling of glowing light in the opening couple of minutes.  It then segues into one of the score’s more ominous melodies, performed with deep, beautiful strings.

‘Mountains’ – Astonishing music on show here, one of the score’s throwback to Zimmer’s trademark bombast.  Starts off soft with a ticking clock rhythm, and explodes into life as if we are witnessing the birth of the universe.  Performed masterfully with the church organ and synths. 

‘Detach’ – My favourite track.  With a recurring deep bass that sets the pacing, the music builds up with great force, only to settle for a moment of solitude.  It then picks up with one of the most emotional cues Zimmer has ever written, a sort of epiphany and realization that you are welcomed, in all of its majesty, to another world. 

Reviewed on Luxman Stereo Integrated Amplifier A-383, Marantz Compact Disc Player CD-63SE, and a pair of 1973 New Advent Loudspeakers.

Sound Quality:  As with most albums by Hans Zimmer, the bass is stronger than usual, so do listen with caution.  The audio balancing can be a bit frustrating—when it’s soft, it’s really soft; when it’s loud, it’s really loud.

Rating:

The Last Samurai OST (2003) - Hans Zimmer

Review #6

ALBUM INFO

Artiste:  Hans Zimmer

Year:  2003

Genre:  OST / Orchestral

Duration:  59min

Label:  Warner Sunset Records

Format:  CD

TRACK LISTING

1.       ‘A Way of Life’ – 8:04

2.       ‘Spectres in the Fog’ – 4:08

3.       ‘Taken’ – 3:36

4.       ‘A Hard Teacher’ – 5:44

5.       ‘To Know My Enemy’ – 4:49

6.       ‘Idyll’s End’ – 6:41

7.       ‘Safe Passage’ – 4:57

8.       ‘Ronin’ – 1:53

9.       ‘Red Warrior’ – 3:56

10.     ‘The Way of the Sword’ – 7:59

11.     ‘A Small Measure of Peace’ – 8:00

CAPSULE REVIEW

Hans Zimmer has been unfairly criticized for his bombastic style, recycled themes and arrangements, and the lack of subtlety in his compositions, particularly for most of his scores in the post-Gladiator period.  It was a change in direction for him as he strove for a more blockbuster-ish sound, or what I would call ‘the Zimmer modus operandi’ best characterized by his scores for the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies and those of Christopher Nolan. 

In this regard, Zimmer’s work for Edward Zwick’s underrated 2003 samurai action drama The Last Samurai can be seen as not just part and parcel of his modus operandi, but also his use of traditional Japanese instruments like the koto, shakuhachi and taiko drums allows the score to be imbued with a sense of cultural specificity.  I would compare it with how John Williams similarly did so with his score for Memoirs of a Geisha in 2005.  Williams’ score was truly brilliant, one of his greatest, and in my opinion, a class higher than Zimmer’s work here. 

But in tracks such as ‘A Way of Life’, ‘A Hard Teacher’, ‘Idyll’s End’ and ‘Safe Passage’, Zimmer shows that he could also do warm and tender arrangements of the main melodies.  The album is a mix of such subtlety and loud, invigorating sounds.  Tracks such as ‘Spectres in the Fog’, ‘Ronin’ and ‘Red Warrior’ set the mood for violent, heroic battles.  I remembered seeing the film when I was younger and didn’t know much about cinema or who Hans Zimmer was, but I somehow recalled being affected by the beauty of the music.  Now that I have the album CD, I am happy to continue listening to the score from time to time.

Highlights:

‘A Way of Life’ – starts the album with a slow, peaceful arrangement.  The strings become lusher, and the track ends on a high with a cue that acts as a prelude of what is to come – violence, action, and themes of loyalty and courage.  Sets the mood of the entire score perfectly with a buffet spread of most of the melodies that would be used again.  This might be the best track of the album.

‘To Know My Enemy’ – a piece with haunting voice work that gives way to a standout solo taiko drum and shakuhachi part that evokes tension of an ambush.

‘Safe Passage’ – this is my favourite track.  This strings-heavy piece with drums and brass builds up to a familiar melody.  The track ends off with the score’s most beautiful segment (only played twice in the whole score), an arrangement with koto that was used at the start of ‘Spectres in the Fog’.

Reviewed on Luxman Stereo Integrated Amplifier A-383, Marantz Compact Disc Player CD-63SE, and a pair of 1973 New Advent Loudspeakers.

Sound Quality:

Decent and well-recorded, though slightly inconsistent in the level of volume mixing, with the later tracks #9 and #10 being louder sounding at an unchanged volume level.  Overall, the CD is pretty good.

Rating: