Toruk - The First Flight is an unexpected delight

Toruk - The First Flight by Cirque du Soleil 
[Source: Amazon.com]

Where to even begin describing this unexpected delight?

After a lukewarm performance on Joya, I didn’t have high expectations for Toruk. If I were asked to pick a favourite Cirque du Soleil soundtrack, the scores of Bob et Bill (Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard) would never have been among my choices. Now, I would consider Toruk ranking among some of the most listenable, and ranking among one of the best.

Toruk succeeds where Avatar didn’t - it distinguishes itself beyond the broad genre of ‘tribal’ music.  The late James Horner wrote a surprisingly unremarkable score for Avatar; for a film with such acclaimed in its visuals and imagery, it certainly lacked distinction in its musical style. I would never be able to tell you what influences have been picked and make up the DNA of Toruk. It absolutely has a tribal feel and basis, but draws on electronic beats, complex percussive patterns and a huge variety of voices and instruments. Bob & Bill seem to hit their stride when it comes to creating a more cinematic and immersive feel for a soundscape.

Typical of the pair’s work with Cirque, there is no big ballad or grand use of themes and motifs. There are fragments of both but instead, the compositions seem to progress through many movements within a single track. The only caveat is that some phrases seem under-developed, but the variety is refreshing and the result is a collection of tunes that manage to cover a lot of ground. The music feels like a fusion of works from Deep Forest albums, Tan Dun operas and Damon Albarn's scores for stage. As a little side-note for big Cirque Musique fans, this record has a few cameos from superstars including Julie McInnes, Isabelle Corradi and Christian Laveau contributing vocals - it’s really cute that they contribute here.

On a whole the album is extremely unified and very listenable – there are a few brilliant tracks that distinguish themselves. ‘Lu Aw Navi’ is quintessential Cirque, a multi-layered percussive-electronic fusion that builds climactically through layering and caries the central theme of the album, and ‘Direhorses’ is an absolute revelation – a jaunty and celebratory string arrangement that is extremely emotive and elating. The new singers to the Cirque catalogue including Cumie Dunio and Elsieanne Caplette have excellent voices that blend and transcend around the music, and I hope these talented ladies end up on more Cirque recordings.

I will be interested in listening to the duo’s score for Paramour, Cirque’s ‘first’ (read: third) attempt to break into the New York theatre scene – as it’s going to require them to bring out some serious melodies and ballads that I wish were included here. However, on a whole the album is dynamic, rhythmic and enjoyable, and a terrific offering for Cirque to have in their catalogue.

Finally, we have another Cirque du Soleil soundtrack that lifts us up and takes us to another world.

'Toruk - The First Flight' by Cirque du Soleil is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com, and is also available on Spotify & physical CD.

The bewitching bells of Notre Dame

(Source: Amazon.com)

Sometimes it just doesn't seem feasible to create a product like this - a whole orchestra, brilliant core cast and a choir of 30, assembled for a complete recording of a musical that will probably never make it to Broadway. Therefore, I believe we need to chalk this recording of The Hunchback of Notre Dame up for the sheer sake of artistry.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the vastly under-rated scores of the Disney cannon. After missing out on the Oscar in 1996 it (along with the movie) disappeared into this void. Which is disappointing, considering the influences it draws upon and the complexity of its composition. This is also a score and film that doesn't shy away from complex themes and issues - the uncomfortable nature of sexuality, death, racism and [exclusion] all rear their glorious, ugly heads here encapsulated in this music. Originally the show was made in German to great acclaim in 1999, before making its long awaited English premiere in 2014. Now, it finally comes to a recording, and it couldn't be more perfect.

The cinematic feel of this recording is absolutely spine-tingling. No corners have been cut - this isn't a typical Disney musical soundtrack where you can hear a piano clomping around in the middle of the music holding it all together. The instrumentation and orchestrations behind the singers are absolute world class quality and pulls out all the stops - it potentially rivals the movie's original soundtrack. This music is powerful, oozing with grandeur and sparkling with brilliance. 'The Bells of Notre Dame' and is repeated motifs are breath-taking, as is 'God Help the Outcasts' and 'Heaven's Light'. And of course, one of the highlights is the brooding and dark twisted cry 'Hellfire'.

This feels like the only Alan Manken musical where the additional material fits into the same world, and feels like it's actually adding something to the story. 'Flight to Egypt', 'Thai Mol Piyas', 'In a Place of Miracles' and 'Made of Stone' are terrific additions, and the excellent 'Someday' which was cut from the original movie is re-purposed here (as a side note, 'Flight in Egypt' replacing 'A Guy Like You' is one of the best choices that Disney has ever made - it totally transforms the mood). A longer score has also allowed him to really flesh out brilliant themes. Stephen Shwartz might not have the same light and silly touch as the late Howard Ashman, but Schwartz manages to craft lyrics that aren't dumbed down to children. They speak esoterically and abstractly, and as such makes the material suitably feel more epic and suited to a musical.

You couldn't find another cast that would reach this level of confluence. The supporting cast are uniformly excellent, and absolutely rock their musical theatre ensemble feel and also . The remainder of the core cast include Ciara Renee's crystaline Esmerelda, Patrick Page's dark and authoratative Frollo, and Erik Liberman's flashing cheek and humour Clopain. The star of the show is Michael Arden, who brings an incredible flavour to Quasimodo. While Tom Hulcet's Quasi is quiet, refined and well spoken, Arden acts the role with a slight . But when he belts - and it's done fairly frequently - it's breathtaking and sounds like he can flatten mountains. 'Out There' made my eyes water from his emotion. Absolutely awesome.

You can tell that this soundtrack is the result of many hours of labor and passion of the collaborators - and for a measly $15 you'll get a slice this brilliance forever, along with a beautiful glossy 32 page book along with lyrics, pictures, and a forward from the creators. Please buy this soundtrack to support these gutsy, incredible artistic gambles. Everyone wins when the product is as great as this!!

'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', composed by Alan Menken with lyrics Stephen Shwartzr, is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com, and is also available on Spotify & physical CD.

Into the Heart of the Jungle

Heart of Thorns soundtrack cover (Source: Games-OST.com)

After completing the score of Guild Wars 2, original composer Jeremy Soule signed a contract where he was to exclusively write music for the Everquest series. With Soule refined to his tiny MMO cage, we now have the pleasure of Maclaine Diemer and Lena Chappelle (featuring a bit of Stan Le Pard) creating the music behind this absolutely spine tingling addition to the Guild Wars musical canon.

The music couldn't be a further departure from Soule's style. Whereas Soule's work is fantastical, this team know how to capture that fantasy sound but also create atmosphere. The score is lyrical, blending amazing orchestration (brass, strings and percussion being the strongest featured) and the traditional fantasy soundtrack with inspiration of indigenous voices and Eastern tonalities. The results are gorgeous, forlorn, and overall, exceptionally powerful.

There are no throw away tracks in this score. The thunderous 'Heart of Thorns Theme' is brilliant - a brooding, dark overture which pulsates with a rhythm driven by powerful percussion, strings, and brass. It's nothing short of awesome. Other picks are the mysterious and serene 'Quaggan Command' (dat name tho), the escalating 'Maguuma Overture', the exquisite candor of 'Tarir, the Forgotten City' and the ethnic and jaunty 'Jaka Itzel' (which along with 'Faren's Flier' provides some nice light relief to the otherwise serious score). There is also this beautiful discourse of intoxicating mystery which comes across in tracks like 'Rata Novus', 'Dangerous Beauty' and 'Taming the Jungle'. The score closes with 'Mordremoth', a final ode to the treaterous jungle which encapsulates the whole score with lightning strings, intricate rhythms and percussion and alien languages and ritualistic chanting.

There's also a very impressive preservation of themes previously appearing in the series - Soule's Guild Wars motif echoes throughout, featuring prominently on 'Leaving Tarir', and Crystal Oasis (all the way back from the original Guild Wars: Prophecies) features on 'An Exalted Lullaby'. However, the team integrates them only as brief fragments before they evolve to take on a life of their own. And I won't go into great detail on excellent battle tracks like 'Attack on Tarir' or 'Mouth of Mordremoth' - all you need to know is that they feature far more melody and structure as Soule's work, but unlike Soule, manages to actually make something enjoyable.

The recording of the orchestra isn't the highest possibly quality, but that's what makes it such a refreshing listen to after hearing so much of Soule's scores. You hear little scuffs, pages shuffle and people taking breaths, and at one point you can even hear someone's muffled cough in the background. These don't detract from the music - on the contry, it gives it a magical, living and breathing feeling. I understand there is a certain amount of instrumental patches used, but I couldn't be happier that there's a real orchestra in use to some capacity, and I hope it carries on for the next Guild Wars expansions.

I can't comment on how appropriate this music is within the game's instances, but the quality of music and melody here is extremely strong, and easily stands alone as an excellent soundtrack. My jaw dropped from the moment I hit play on a sample up until the final note had settled on the finale. I hope Diemer & Chappelle stay with ArenaNet for a long time, and I'm eagerly going to await their foray into Cantha, Elona, and beyond.

''Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns Original Soundtrack' by ArenaNet, composed by Maclaine Diemer, Lena Chappelle & Stan Le Pardl is available digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com. Available for pre-order on physical vinyl. I wish it was available on CD, but who actually buys them anymore?

Joyá-rible

The latest soundtrack by Cirque du Soleil (Source: Spotify)

I guess that Cirque du Soleil is past the point of caring about creating exquisite melodies and transportive works. Joyá is a clumsy and bombastic half-hour of music that we could've all done without, and will go in one ear and out the other whether you want it to or not.

This Spanglish (read: what white people think Mexican music sounds like) product is brought to you from the dinner show which performs at the Riviera Maya Resort in Mexico. From what I gather, the performance itself takes a backseat from the food - and it sounds like the music is an after-thought to even the background. 

The composition is very slap dash, nothing special and certainly doesn't 'feel' like a Cirque du Soleil score. There have been competitors knocking off Cirque for years with foreign sounding lyrics and 'zany' compositions, but it seems we've reached a full cycle where Cirque du Soleil is now imitating that exact style. There isn't really anything in terms of lyrics, and while there is a use of 'motifs' they are so basic it's like listening to a nursery rhyme on repeat.

One of the lines is 'Ai yi yi yi yi'. Guys, we get it, we're in Mexico.

The mix of instruments just doesn't work. The core instruments are guitar, keyboards/percussion and trumpet, with a female and sometimes male voice joining them. Even when the score tries to be upbeat, it sounds cheesy and low energy. The mixing of the CD is really bizarre too (instruments surge and pan between ears, weird effects on instruments), and there's also an unfortunately gross sounding synthesised strings plug-in that features prominently (and when it does it sounds ridiculous). The whole recording feels very lifeless.

If 'Comedy of Errors' had been in another show as a clown act, I would've commended the composers for finally making a cute, goofy and interesting cue. But it's not for a clown act - it's literally the only stand-out in the score for simply not being derivative, and even then it's not something you could listen to for an extended period of time. Nothing here is going to endure over time or become a proud hallmark of the company's musical catalog.

Even if you've been to the show, I can't think of a single reason why you'd want to listen to this boring mess. If you're a diehard Cirque fan and you need to own it, be prepared to go through some annoying lengths as the physical record is only available at the show. It's cheesy clichés galore and it sounds like hackneyed background noise at a family friendly themed restaurant - oh wait, that's *exactly* what the pitch is.

'Joyá' by Cirque du Soleil is available digitally on iTunes, Amazon.com and Spotify. Available on physical CD at Joya's Official Boutique onsite. .

Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil - All Types of Crazy

Zarkana cover art (Source: Amazon.com)

Cirque's annual music offering for 2013 is Zarkana, an attempt at a rock-opera/psychadelic/world/pop/whatever recording. There are so many things wrong with this recording and there are so many different types of crazy to be discovered.

Zarkana is poorly composed and extremely over-produced. Songs amble around with no discernible melody or development, and many that do have those elements have been extremely compromised in losing their dramatic intensity and vibrancy during the transfer from live production to this recording. Too many songs develop a fine structure then have elements added seemingly from random, from improvisations of instruments disrupting the flow to elecronica breakdowns. It's frustrating since several of their live counterparts are impeccable - here they are awkward, jarring, and nothing special. Like previous Cirque recordings that have aimed to be considered heavy rock, Zarkana's instrumentation lacks the edge and rawness that so many great rock albums have - it's too dreamy and synth heavy, and too psychedelic to be taken seriously. The concept of this recording isn't really realised, and majority of the content isn't anything interesting.

Still, it's dependable on a Cirque du Soleil record that there is always at least a handful of interesting songs. 'Zarwaq' is a unique splice of tribal chanting and percussive beats, with unfortunate interjections of synthesisers, whereas 'Asteraw' feels diluted from an array of twinkly effects and random interjections, but has a vibrant and memorable melody. The mystique of 'Rae' is ruined by a bizarre spoken word interval and omission of the stunning bugle horn, but otherwise is an entrancing amalgam of voice and piano. The jewel of the album is 'Eridanus', which has an infectious chorus, and unlike most of the record has amazing mixing with exceptional clarity. It's an excellent song and shows that Cirque du Soleil's repertoire is still expanding and conquering new genres.

The remainder of the album variates between remarkably beige ('Tourago/Guiram', 'Gienah'), to embarrassingly weird ('Tarienter/The Archer', 'Crysococca') to horrifyingly bad ('Caph', 'Jarseate'). It's a painful reminder that Cirque kicked artistic excellence out of it's view long ago and are primarily interested in settling for the average.

Seeing as Zarkana was originally conceived as a rock opera on Broadway, this is probably the one time where it would have been acceptable for a release with English lyrics. Instead, we are left with imaginary lyrics that seem to be an after-thought of a scrambled attempt to change Zarkana's image. The result is a horrible mishmash of sloppy pseudo-English vowels with no apparent rhyme or structure, sometimes with an odd English lyric thrown in. The record is sprinkled with unpronounceable and upsettingly random titles that are all kinds of crazy ('Caph', 'Crysococca', 'Zawraq').

The recording of Zarkana isn't great. The mixing and production is fairly poor, the majority of the songs are unappealing, and . There are some likeable tracks, but the majority of the album isn't worth a recommendation. Overall I'd recommend just purchasing 'Eridanus' on iTunes and giving the rest of the album a miss.

Cirque du Soleil 'Zarkana' is available from their online boutqiue and on Amazon.com. Available on physical CD and digital download. Preview the entire album for free on Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana official website.

Less Miserable About Les Mis Soundtrack

Cover of the Les Misérables highlights album (Source: Amazon).

Casting actors rather than singers in movie adaptations of musicals are always at best a necessary evil. Les Misérables has been one of the most anticipated musical adaptations of all time, and a lot of emphasis has been put on acting and pulling out emotion over singing. Unlike the usual filming process of recording tracks months before shooting begins, Tom Hooper's adaption of the world's second longest running musical featured actors singing in realtime on the set and then mixing an orchestra to suit the product after. Claims from the actors insinuate that this 'revolutionary' method allows more flexibility and emotion to be put into the singing, but the reality is that few manage to pull it off properly. Despite fantastic new orchestral arrangements and some wonderful chorus works, there is too much 'acting' in the singing, too many lacklustre singers and bad mixing really detract from what could have been an excellent recording - there are some great moments, however.

At the helm of the recording is Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, and he's just bad. He's acceptable on shorter passages and in songs that don't require such strenuous vocal demands, but star moments like 'Bring Him Home' and 'Soliloquy' are laden with dreadfully nasal vibrato it's unbearable, and he sounds like a squeaky puppy in phrases on 'One Day More' - he's also the worst contender for blubbering through lines and drawing out the emotion too much. Russell Crowe is awful - while no-one was expecting him to be Philip Quast, his gravely part-time rock voice is totally unsuitable as he lacks the vocal power that the role of Javert demands, but his timbre makes it sound as if just sounds like he is shouting as he clambers though 'Stars' and Suicide. It's remarkable how unmelodious his voice is, and shocking how amateur they both sound.

Elsewhere the cast are fine. Eddie Redmayne is surprisingly nice as Marius and Amanda Seyfried's voice is thin but lovely for a quiet Cosette, both are appropriately toned down for the movie but Seyfried is barely present on the recording. The same goes for Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham-Carter, who have the usual unremarkable vocal skills but communicate a good performance through the Thénardier characteristics. The two singers who have performed their respective roles on stage are less than stellar - Samantha Barks returns with her signature wooden-but-pleasent Éponine, as does Aaron Tviet as a passable-but-boring Enjolras who lacks any presence and authority since he sounds significantly demasculinized (look up David Thaxton for a good idea of how the role should sound). The star of the recording is Oscar touted Anne Hathaway as Fantine, who shreds 'I Dreamed a Dream' with ineffable passion and such conviction it's simply breathtaking. While she's not the definitive Fantine, her performance communicates an immensely impressive equilibrium which balances the harrowing anguish and pain of her character with a sensitive delivery of tone and melody.

The gimmick of having the singing live translates poorly from the screen to this recording, and while it's apparently a revelation when it comes to filming, it rarely works to add to the independent musical experience. There are some awful musical decisions such as in 'Castle on a Cloud', where The Grudge graces us with an appearance to cackle "COSETTTEEEE I LOVE YOU VERY MUCHHH" in our ear - it sounds absolutely terrifying out of context. On the other hand, the revised orchestral arrangements are incredibly vibrant, sumptuous and thrilling. Disregarding the vocals, 'Confrontation', 'Look Down' and 'The Final Battle' have never sounded so exciting, nor arrangements like 'In My Life', 'Red and Black' or 'Javert's Suicide' so luscious.

Regardless of both positive and negatives, the recording isn't the most pleasant listen because the mixing is, unfortunately and predictably, awful. The wonderful orchestra is captured perfectly but the recording is marred by the vocals, which are captured with only basic microphones. The result means that there is a lot of hissing and scuffs, with extraneous noises featuring, like people kicking furniture, scuffs of shoes, and over dramatic breathing and lipsmaking. It sounds as though there has been no processing or editing of the vocals - there's not even a basic reverb to unify the numerous tracks together, and it would have greatly improved their placement in the mix - it's very unprofessional and it's irritating to listen to.

There have been some revisions and rearranging to the lyrics, and while they don't do anything major like change the meanings of the song, they're also so minor it didn't really seem necessary (ie. In 'At The End of the Day' - "The winter is coming on fast . . ." becomes "The plague is coming on fast . . .". What's the point? Winter sounds more poetic anyway). 'Suddenly', the new song composed in a scramble to win the Oscar for Best Song, has the complexity of a Christmas carol and is totally unnecessary to the story (if anything, a song should have been written for Cosette). It's not really anything memorable, and I hope it never gets added to the stage show.

All that aside, there are highlights for the CD. Anne Hathaway's incredible rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' is the jewel of the album, and anything with the chorus included is wonderful - 'At The End of the Day' and 'Red and Black' are magnificent. 'The Final Battle' is riveting with the sheer grandeur of the orchestra, and for the sake of nostalgia 'One Day More' is fairly good. My absolute favourite track is the 'Epilogue' which, despite its imperfections, is a luminous adaptation which features an elegant and beautiful orchestra arrangement, thunderous chorus, and includes - finally - the Bishop in Valjean's final moments (I can't describe what that means to me).

All in all, I'm less miserable about the soundtrack than I thought I'd be. There are some awful performances from some of the most prominent actors including Jackman and Crowe, but there are some acceptable performances and Hathaway absolutely steals the show with her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream', all backed by some glorious orchestration. While mixing is horrible and very amateur, when properly done the chorus shines, and there are a few great moments. This is also only the highlights album, so you can expect another deluxe collector's special Asian limited edition to come out featuring all the tracks at double the price. I'll probably buy that one too. All in all, if you're a fan of the musical then you'll be a sucker for this CD regardless. If you're a fan of the movie and love blindly following crazes, you'll probably like this too. If you enjoy singing rather than acting, perhaps not so much.

The 'Les Misérables' Highlights album is available worldwide December 25th, and is currently available on iTunes. Available on physical CD and digital download.

Amaluna Soundtrack by Cirque du Soleil - Chaotic Mess [*]

Album artwork of Amaluna (Source: Amazon.com).

I can't remember how many times I've said "The new Cirque du Soleil CD has been released", but given the frequency of the phrase in comparison to how much I say it for every other artist I follow, I don't think it's a good thing. Claiming to "surprise by means of the unexpected" (an egregious oxymoron if there ever was one), Amaluna is a bizarre offering from the company. Under the marketing gimmick of having the whole album performed by women, it contains music from the show from composers Bob & Bill (Guy Dubec and Marc Lessard) with new and inane lyrics, pedestrian mixing, and about a dozen compositions which are not particularly strong.

The album prides itself that it is influenced from heavy rock and that the score is played by a "vivacious all-girl band". Newsflash to everyone working in the marketing team - just because the band is comprised entirely of females doesn't mean that by the music is by default innovative or high quality. The vocalists on the CD featured on the CD are also women, and quite talented - Julie Andrea McInnes's sultry alto tone is a strong contrast to Marie-Michelle Faber's airy and lithe timbre, and they breeze through the little material they receive with great skill. The most prominent vocalist on the album is Jennifer Aubury who has a colourful and clear-cut voice - while it's nothing unique, her vocal performance is strong and she delivers her material perfectly adequately. In terms of the band, their performances are fine but there's not much room for improvisation or any specific showcasing of talent.

Despite any issues with the arrangement. 'All Come Together' ('Magic Ceremony 1' from Le Best of 2) is the flagship of the album, a dreamy piece which enforces the same melody over and over again for about 5 minutes (which concludes with a spectacularly superfluous up-tempo verse tacked on the end which no-one really needed to hear or cares about). 'Hope' is a melancholic and ethereal piece which descends into a strong, pulsating rock segment, although it feels like it finishes far too soon just when it's gaining momentum. The best track on the album is 'O Ma Ley'. It's a delight, being a playful and bright number focusing on percussive and electronic beats which is really catchy, actually having a bridge that doesn't depart from the style of the song, and has a complex time meter that I can't pick out. I also love the little piano ditty 'secret track' which plays at the end of 'Run'.

The trend of Cirque CDs lately have been to have a few good songs while the rest just die of their own irrelevance, so of course the usual filter rubbish is here. 'Fly Around' and 'Tempest' are a mélange of noisy drums, cello and twangy guitar, and 'Burn Me Up' is a generic angsty pop song, but then spits out this hilariously inappropriate jazz woodwind section. 'Mutations' features some skittering rhythms, every panning gimmick you can think of, and some schitzophrenic breathing (at one point someone actually moans "OUCH!" - I screamed in the middle of the computer labs). Other tracks really suffer because they don't seem to be confined to a specific genre, like 'Running on the Edge', 'Ena Fee Alyne' and 'Enchanted Runion' which amble around with a chaotic array of instruments, tempo and style, although despite this the entire score doesn't seem to have enough variation and distinction of sound.

The production quality of this album is pretty lousy. It's not mixed particularly well - while it's an electronic album the techniques such panning, reverb, and distortion are naturally in use, but are so frequently utilised it borders on the excessive. Despite claiming otherwise, the mixing doesn't resemble a heavy rock album because it's so dull. The drums are not prominent enough and the quality of the album is too polished, which removes the raw and powerful details that make other artists so invigorating. The compositions themselves are quite mediocre in that they seem to focus entirely on one melody and keep layering it without moving to a bridge, and for what is there the arrangement of the pieces sometimes leave a lot to be desired.

There are some amateur conclusions to pieces, a lot of focusing on build ups which lead to nothing while other verses feeling as though they need extending to develop movement. There are so many bizarre moments, like McInnes muttering "SI!" at the beginning of verses in 'Run'. There's also a few weird production screw ups (like someone left their mic on at the end of O Mi Lay and you can hear the drummer fixing their sticks). To me, the weirdest element of this album is the lyrics. In the production, the lyrics are all performed in the imaginary Cirquish language. On this album, they're performed with (very clichéd and contrived) English lyrics - if this was what the composers originally wanted, why not perform the show's songs in English and then create the album in English, or vis-versa? The lyrics themselves are mundane and seem tacky since the rhymes are too convenient (one example, "I'm not a liar - I want the fire" or something like that).

The album is better that some of Cirque's recent offerings, but it is the weakest score that Bob & Bill have composed for Cirque du Soleil, and that's disappointing since Totem was a promising beginning and Les Chemins Invisbles had some excellent pieces. Despite its few strong moments, Amaluna is a short fall from the "guitar-oriented electronic anthem" style it claimed to create. It's a chaotic mess, a pedestrian production of a very mediocre score.

Cirque du Soleil 'Amaluna' is available November 19th from their online boutqiue and on Amazon.com. Available on physical CD and digital download. Preview the entire album for free on Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna official website.

Thoughts on 'Alegría the Film' Soundtrack

Just look how lovely that artwork is (Source: Cirque du Soleil Musique).

I wanted to write about this album because I just received a copy with that gorgeous artwork. I originally bought the CD around 5 years ago and was pretty pissed off that the version I received was an older issue with different artwork - so now, around 7 years later I saw this image pop up and I spontaneously bought another copy from eBay.

The soundtrack for Alegría the Film was written in 1999, by longtime Cirque collaborator Benoit Jutras. The soundtrack CD is a mix of an original score, extracts from Cirque du Soleil's Alegría (of which this movie was inspired by) and several songs that include the vocals of Canadian singer Irène Marc. While some of the arrangements on this album are a little over the top, the whole score is extremely memorable, with some beautiful melodies and a few terrific songs.

The incredibly underrated Jutras is in his typical element here, creating pieces that have his signature fusion of ethnic instruments with a romantic array of strings with extremely memorable melodies. Although he borrows chords and arrangements from other shows ('Frac's Room' has the same chord progression as 'Nostalgie' from O), and his instrumentation and arrangement is occasionally innocuously sappy, on a whole the score is extremely pleasant music and functions well as a stand alone album.

The performance of Irene Marc is a little more uneven. She boasts a wonderful voice - it embodies a raspy texture which would be appropriate for the Alegría score and it really shines on the accompanying songs. My issue with her is her diction, there are about half a dozen points in the album where, due to her sultry lower register, I can't decipher what lyrics she is singing in at least a dozen places on the album. Not that it makes much difference, since the lyrics that are audible are hit and miss, sometimes sloppy and at other times a revelation. I adore the resigned and melancholic material on 'Love Leaves Someone Behind' ("Irony falls on my seeking to find/the story that leaves no-one behind") but then the absurd phrasing on 'Let Love Live' ("I wanted change, not answers to. Questions like "why. can't they get what they need?"") and the cliched 'Child In His Eyes' ("There's so much love, courage, knowledge and hope. We all live, love, and [create?] in vain") are pretty cringeworthy - but still somehow better than anything Jim Corcoran could write. In the end it's largely irrelevant since Cirque soundtracks usually have incredible melodies with disastrous libretto, it's just a shame they've come so close.

A really disappointing aspect of this album was that the songs have been bizarrely over-produced compared to the original mixing in the movie. I can't handle 'Let Love Live' and it's classic 50s porn click-track backing, and its flamboyant instrumentation of plodding piano and the giant string section. The worst bit is that there were some lovely arrangements of the song that were featured in the movie, until it was ruined by over-producing. The same can be said about 'Child In His Eyes', which originally was a subtle acoustic rendition with an accordion in the credits, now features an electric guitar duel in the middle and synths run wild throughout. My major gripe with this soundtrack is that it does not include the original haunting and ineffably beautiful  rendition of Alegría that is featured in the movie - instead the album opens with a gloomy acoustic rendition, which is pretty ironic considering the meaning of Alegría is happiness, elation and jubilation. While the instrumentation is okay, Marc ambitiously tries to conquer two whole octaves and falls atrociously short of the mark (hah).

The uplifting instrumental 'Let Love Live' and the elegant and subtle 'Herv' are highlights of the album, and the finest moment of the album goes to 'Love Leaves Someone Behind', a wonderfully evocative ballad lamenting the consequences of love. While the lyrics of 'Mountain of Clothes' are encrypted in Marc's joyous, rocking wails, the song is also noteworthy for its awesome melody and light rock beat.

Overall the soundtrack is enjoyable. It's regrettable that some of the songs have been overproduced and the lyrics are a bit bland and innocuous, but there are some beautiful Jutras melodies  and a few really catchy songs. The CD has been out of print for about 10 years, but if you come across a copy of it for $4 on eBay, it's totally recommended.

René Dupéré's 'Xotika' Soundtrack Review

The artwork cover of Holiday on Ice' Xotika (1998).

Xotika may have been released in the last decade but, much like the brilliance of the composer, apparently no-one took any notice, or gave a second thought to it. So, almost 14 years after the release, here are my thoughts on the soundtrack.

René Dupéré, composer of Xotika.

Written for Holiday on Ice's 1998 production, the unique score to Xotika was composed by René Dupéré for the figure skating visual extravaganza. Dupéré is dreadfully underrated, and although his music has been heard by tens of millions of people through his scores with Cirque du Soleil, the French Canadian composer is relatively unknown outside Canada. Xotika is written in a standard Dupéré style, with a melody that presents itself then is repeated while being layered with additional counter-punctual accompaniments through an exotic fusion of alien synths, classical and world instruments. Élise Velle, Dupéré's wife, is also the featured vocalist on the album, showcasing her phenomenal vocal range and her unique timbre. With a range of suites, stunning ballads, and soaring instrumentals, Xotika is an absolute delight and one of Dupéré's best scores.

There are so many fantastic pieces on this album. For the instruments, 'Windspirits' is an ingenious piece which utilizes a sampled windpipe and crafts a whimsical arrangement around it and 'Finale' (Fire/Eroe) is a whirlwind of strings which produces a thunderous climax. 'Snow', the best of the instrumentals, is a light and gorgeous piece which incorporates an entire string orchestra for waltz which evokes romance, yearning and searching. 'Passione' is utterly stunning, beginning as a subtle paean to evolve into an amalgam of striking brass with entrancing strings topped with Velle's vocals for a phenomenal tour-de-force.

The three suites on the album showcase a variety of shorter tunes that are bound together by themes (Earth, Dance, and Freedom) and each piece unite had a standout piece. For the most part they're upbeat and vibrant, and craft quite a visual through their varied textures on their corresponding theme.

Élise Velle, featured vocalist on Xotika. LOOKIN' CRAZY!

There are some moments on the album I can't really stand. 'Enero' just doesn't sit with me, its mixing and instrumentation isn't as fleshed out as the rest of the album and it's much too souped up, a similar thing happening with 'Echo'. Velle's vocals become somewhat androgynous and a little too headstrong for me to enjoy the melodies. The reprise 'Journey to the Heart' unfortunately features lyrics by Jim Corcoran, a talentless hack who spews the most inane lyrics that seem to lack any structure or rhyme. My pick for the most inappropriate line on this album is 'You're sleeping when I kiss you.' Thanks for that, Jim. I'll be sure to notify the police so they can put you on supervision, you perverse sexual offender.

Anyway, any mistake on the album is forgiven and forgotten once the middle of the album is reached. 'Femininity', which is unparalleled in terms of its complexity, melody and the emotions it evokes. Words can only describe so much, because 'Femininity' is ineffable. It is like a journey, a stunning, fantastical and lyrical journey. Velle's soaring vocals reach unbelievable heights while being backed by a medieval wood-nymph like instrumentation, evoked by flutes and harps in combination with the grandeur of a complete symphonic orchestra. The result is an indescribable joyous, magical feeling (if that's what you're thinking, yes). It's probably one of the best songs I've ever heard.

Fans of Dupéré's work with Cirque du Soleil or his signature sound, fans of Velle and cinematic soundtrack lovers will all enjoy this work. Xotika has some spectacular numbers and overall the album is a solid experience. It's a shame that more people don't know about the record and its a crime in the music world that people don't know of Dupéré in general.

'The Hunter' Soundtrack Review

Couldn't find the CD cover, but it looks like this.

Australian films scores are often brushed aside and forgotten about despite possessing impressive and beautiful works that rival scores of Hollywood blockbusters. Following my rekindled love of Australian music by Michael Yezerski, an acquaintance recommended I listen to the soundtrack of The Hunter, and I'm really glad I took her advice because the soundtrack is stunning.

The Hunter is nothing less than gorgeous, with the whole score emitting this serene candour which is stunningly evocative. Co-written by Matteo Zingales, Andrew Lancaster, and Michael Lira, the score of The Hunter is a subdued, but luscious and somewhat surreal through a hybridity of instruments with generated samples. If I had to compare to it any other score I would say it's in a similar sound to Desplat's score of The Painted Veil, Newman's piano work in American Beauty, and Jeremy Soule's score for Guild Wars: Factions. Note how incredible all those scores are, and then place this soundtrack right next to them.

The score is inspired, rendering an otherworldly and empyreal offering for the ears to enjoy. With the foundation of the score being created through beautiful chords produced with a string section, the sound is embellished by a lovely subtle piano in addition to some rhythmic percussion with superb and sensitive mixing which really draws out the emotion of the score. Various moods and elements are evoked through the arrangements, with the score overall flowing as a mellow and cohesive experience.

The whole score is lovely to listen to, but a few tracks are particularly noteworthy. The titular piece 'The Hunter' is wonderful, setting the tone for the rest of the album through its characterisation of a bitter-sweet chord progression that sounds both inspirational but devastatingly tragic (I also love the percussive interlude at the end). It's followed by 'David Martin' which plays in a similar vein with the entrancing strings painting the primary motif of the score. 'Lucy Armstrong' is utterly beautiful, with a lamenting tone evoked through an incredible swelling of the bass with the distant piano. The climax of the album can be heard with a flurry of strings on 'Where Are They Now?' which is simply breathtaking and inspiring. All the other tracks are great too, but I thought I should probably discuss some in detail.

The score for The Hunter is excellent, with some achingly beautiful music. It's not obnoxious and loud, but subtle, delicate and wonderfully colourful. I feel like I've gone around in circles describing the score because it's all so good I feel like I haven't described anything in detail. The team of composers in addition to their production company 'Sonar Music' have crafted an exquisite score that resonates and is inherently evocative. Australian composers on the move, I'm keen to hear their next offering.

The soundtrack for 'The Hunter' is written by Matteo Zingales, Andrew Lancaster, and Michael Lira, and is available on iTunes Australia for $16.99.

House of Dancing Water Soundtrack - Review

If I based reviews on cover art, this would get 5/5.

The House of Dancing Water soundtrack was sneakily released in June to little fanfare, and since no one has written a review yet I thought I might as well.

I'd been eagerly waiting for The House of Dancing Water soundtrack since the shows opening last September. Directed by Franco Dragone, the multi-million dollar water show is dubbed the "worlds most spectacular extravaganza", but I was most enthusiastic to see that Benoît Jutras was once again collaborating with a show. Jutras' masterful method of composing music usually includes beautiful piano melodies, synthesised strings, samplings and usually a random erhu somewhere. This is pretty much the case with The House of Dancing Water but the soundtrack falls short on some of his previous offerings.

For this soundtrack, Jutras also seems to have taken influence from every single show he has ever written for, and just thrown it into here. The sound drips of Le Reve, Borderline, Francesco Il Musical, and every single score contribution to Cirque du Soleil. For his new material, parallels can lead to some Hollywood composers including Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer. This soundtrack is solid, but overall it's very generic background music, stamped with Jutras' typical minimalist vocals and piano, or heavily synthesised instruments that draw a lot of similarities between his previous work.

The pinnacle of the album is 'Swans', which is a vibrant and romantic paean of otherworldly beauty that swells between the simplicity of piano and guitar before culminating in a spine-tingling finale involving the choir and orchestra. 'Chandelier' subtly builds tension before developing into a harsh synthesised and rock tune with enough string arpeggios to make you dizzy. 'Boat' is a rhythmically driven mixture of dramatic male choir and epic string arraignments which gives a shout out to Pirates of the Caribbean, and the cheeky and flamboyant mixture of brass and pizzicato strings piece 'Fountain Dance' just screams Nightmare Before Christmas. 'Pyramids' is also worth a mention, the most original piece on the album, a waltz with a flurry of pizzicato strings which intersect each other and mix wonderfully with the male singer and his harmonies.

Beyond that the pieces are pretty boring, generic, and don't really develop at all. There seems to be a lot of Jutras' signature 'action' (read: chaotic and boring) music, which Jutras has taken the liberty of looping instruments endlessly before throwing in a motif here and there. Most of them ('Pagode', 'Flags', 'Journey', 'War') sound like inferior drafts that were thrown out from his other shows with similar scenes. Others are just stamped with his usual minimalist sound where nothing really happens ('Prisoners', 'Wabo' - by the way, who named these tracks? They're almost as bad as Sexy Web-). It leads you wanting to skip a significant portion of the album. The ending is a bizarre and surreal experience which basically sounds like it was ripped straight out of Nintendo's Mario Party.

My main issue with The House of Dancing Water is its main motif. The tune is beautiful, vibrant, and distinctly draws on Asian tonalities, and is memorable thanks to it making an appearance on half a dozen or more tracks in a variety of incarnations. However, the theme has already been included in three other Jutras albums, two of them commercially available. One is Robert Lepage's 2003 film The Far Side of the Moon, the other being the 2005 production Le Reve. I adore this melody, but its extremely disappointing that Jutras couldn't bother to come up with new material - the opening track 'Dancing Water' is actually a straight rip of 'Samurai' from the Le Reve album with some skittering percussion tacked on at the end - it's not even a new arrangement. Hopefully this is the last time it makes an appearance in any Jutras show.

Overall, I like the soundtrack but I don't love a huge amount of it. The score has its moments, most notably with the gorgeous 'Swans', and a few other pieces, but the whole album is just to blasé being generic background music, under the guise of Jutras' typical minimalist vocals and piano, or crazy chaotic work that I usually stay clear of when I listen to Jutras' work. The major disappointment here is the once again recycled main theme. If you're an avid Jutras fan, go ahead and make the purchase, you'll find things to like. But if you're not, I'd recommend you take a look at Le Reve or Quidam first so when you tackle this mess you can shift through and find the gold.

'The House of Dancing Water' soundtrack by Benoit Jutras was released June 10th, 2011. Australia can download the soundtrack from iTunes for $16.99.

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Bonus! Here was our initial reaction to the Mario Party like finale piece.

[talking about the finale track 'In Joy' ]
(14:40:05) lunawaif: #16 is....ugh.
(14:40:55) lunawaif: Christmas music? cheesy entertainment themes? marching band jazz improv?
(14:42:37) sfogviper: FUCKING CHRIST WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!​!!!!!!!
(14:42:45) sfogviper: #16 STARTED AND I THOUGHT iTUNES WNET IN RANDOM
(14:44:35) MSam: LOL
(14:44:42) MSam: AHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
(14:45:45) sfogviper: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA​AAAAAAAAAAAT
(14:45:50) sfogviper: NOW IT"S GONE TO THE CARRIBBEAN
(14:46:00) sfogviper: OMG IT DOES SOUND MARIO
(14:46:24) MSam: I KNOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
(14:46:40) lunawaif: I rest my case...whatever the fuck it was.
(14:47:49) sfogviper: DELETED

The Best Soundtrack of 2011

YAY CHINESE STUFF!

I know I've missed the boat by five years on this one, but this is such a fantastic album, I want people to know how much I enjoy it. The score for 'The Banquet' is simply stunning. Tan Dun's score is transportive, an avant-garde hybrid of classical and traditional styles driven by explosive rhythms and vivid melodies.

Loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, 'The Banquet' is full of epic and evocative motifs that present themselves, then emerge and re-create themselves across the score while occasionally fusing with other themes - like all excellent soundtracks should. The whole score floats together with impeccable confluence, each piece leading onto the next movement so seamlessly it's like listening to one complete soundscape.

The main theme of The Banquet is the magnificent 'Only for Love', a tune that opens the soundtrack as a ballad (sung by Jane Zhang) with a beautiful melody that layers, starting with a choir, then adding the piano, vocals and an orchestra. The melody is simple, but extremely effective and memorable, effortlessly transitioning and weaving between the score on differing instruments to create various moods - its most impressive incarnations is the closing the album, with a climax of instruments, it concludes with a whirlwind of exhilarating beauty. 'Longing in Silence' is the second principal melody, first presented by the piano and orchestra ('Waiting') as an entrancing, low-key and mellow piece, and is later presented as two vocal pieces which are beautiful pieces that include impressive vocals from both Zhou Xun and Teng Ko Erh while utilising a minimalist style of traditional Chinese instrumentation.

The score is also full of miniature motifs, including the 'Punished Souls' theme which is a foreboding, but oddly romantic tune with sporadic percussion, fluttering strings and the imperialist humming of the choir. 'Desire' sounds like a commercial jingle written to advertise diamonds, and a variation on the percussive sequences are featured without distraction on 'Play Within the Play'.  'In The Bamboo Forest', the principal battle theme, is a tour-de-force, with Manchurian pianist Lang Lang banging the fuck out of the keys with such impeccable precision and animation that it's almost as if you're sitting in the concert hall to listen to him. 'Sword Dance' is a fantastic reprise that captures the vivacious nature of the original piece but also incorporates the 'Only for Love' theme, and results one of the album's many highlights.

This is hands down my favourite album of 2011. There's nothing to fault here in Tan Dun's score for 'The Banquet'. It runs the gamut of theatrical emotion, producing beautiful, fierce, and emotive tunes, presented by a luscious orchestra, the striking percussion ensemble, and accompanied by impressive soloists. Totally recommended for the soundtrack, orchestral, or oriental enthusiast.

I just wish I could have afforded to buy the original Japanese edition with this resplendent cover...

I have no idea why this is $50, and all other editions are $20ish.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Soundtrack Review

The final Harry Potter soundtrack isn't anywhere near as good as the John William's material.

The 'Harry Potter' films will be heralded as canonical works of our generation, and since the franchise is adored by millions, it should be fitting that the finale of this series be given a phenomenal score. While I had high expectations, I think they were reasonable considering this was such a landmark movie event. Unfortunately Alexandre Desplat's score doesn't fit what I was expecting for the finale of the series, but even though the score is underwhelming compared to the original works of John Williams, having a huge number of generic battle moments and background noises, 'Harry Potter & Deathly Hallows Part 2' has some truly magical moments that compliment the film.

Some bits of this soundtrack are exquisite and compliment the movie impeccably. The score opens with the enigmatic and melancholic 'Lily's Theme', a gem on this album which highlights Desplat's esoteric approach to composing, in this case heard in the fusion of luscious strings with atmospheric drones to culminate in a beautifully bitter-sweet introduction - and a heartbreaking moment during its appearance in 'Snape's Demise'. 'Battlefield' immediately conjures up a vivid memory of the battle of Howgarts, and is one of the few engaging moments in the action where the music is powerful and imposing, managing to carry a discernible melody without drenching itself in so many generic techniques found through the album. 'Severus and Lily', the longest piece on the album, is a good representation of both Desplat and the series, led by a eerie clarinet over the top of the orchestra while beautifully utilising a solo piano and tubular bells, and it's followed by 'Harry's Sacrifice' which is short and sweet, moving and tragic. The best piece on the album is 'The Resurrection Stone', which is angelic and very mise-en-scène - the traits which made William's work so magical finally appear in Desplat's work, and the music is truly evocative and entrancing. I would say I liked the ending ('A New Beginning') but to be honest it's too brief and lacks the catharsis that you're looking for after hearing forty something minutes of battle scores.

Beyond those movements, the rest of the album is very generic. This is hardly Desplat's fault - the final episode in this saga is crammed full of action and high tension, and this is unfortunately reflected heavily in the music. Pieces such as 'Dragon Fight', 'Showdown', 'Underworld', 'Panic Inside Hogwarts' don't share a distinct motif, so while you'd never associate them with a Harry Potter score, it's also difficult to follow and truly enjoy any parts of the score with the exception of the interjections of William's original material. For the rest of the pieces, the album is very atmospheric. Songs like 'Gringots' and 'In the Chamber' don't really have much going for them or much going on. They're pleasant, full of incidental music with sporadic interjections of strings and pitched percussion, while other pieces just roll along without really doing anything except provide background noise ('The Grey Lady', 'The Diadem').

In the end, the best parts of the soundtrack are the brief reprises of the scores from the first two films by Williams, and Desplat's original themes are fairly forgettable and only few pieces are really engaging. The score is fitting and works well for what is happening on camera, but lacks the edge and memorability which made the previous (read: first three) scores so magical. This music is good and highly effective in the movie, but doesn't really stand that well on its own. I would never walk down the street listening to the majority of this album on my iPod, nor would I really care to recommend it to anyone beyond Harry Potter fans to purchase it. Besides that handful of pieces, I'd recommend you stick to the first three scores written by John Williams.

Originally posted on Amazon.

iPhone Murdered!/The Lost Thing Soundtrack Review

There will be no updates about the book for a while since my tools of photography committed suicide tonight. (I should probably record this to make sure I can say this in store tomorrow). I sat down on the couch and was about to look up something on the Internet (I think it was something on Blackboard), when I noticed my phone had limited mobile reception, and had no wi-fi connection. Whatever, I figured I'd just leave it and check to see if the Internet was being screwy. It was not, I figured the phone just had PMS or something. Then my phone prompts me to restore it, leaving a message that it needs to be formatted, then turns itself off. What a mofo!

I linked it up to the computer and it cooed and reassured me that it would be all alright if I restored it. Okay, so after I saved all of the photos when Calcifer was a puppy, I gave permission to wipe all the files on my phone out and download this ridiculously large file that was the most up-to-date software. It took about 40 minutes, then I wiped the phone's memory and then I went to install the new software. It then was like "hahaha just kidding, your SIM card isn't working". So I take it out and clean it, and the phone claims that I don't have my IMEB number (?), but when I plug it back in, the SIM message was replaced with a slightly 'in-your-face' apology. Something like "Sorry!" which pissed me off since it's not like the computer did this to me...


...OR DID IT?


Probably not. Anyway, so I looked up the serial and it says its still valid for tech support. Cool stuff. I put it back into its little packaging and I'm taking it to the store tomorrow.

A whole 9 minutes of material!

I also had the pleasure of seeing the animated short of Shaun Tan's 'The Lost Thing' on TV this week. I missed the first five minutes, but the last 15 minutes or so were just really wonderful. I know the book from Drama in Grade 12 when we read it, and it's wonderful to note that Tan's illustrations flow beautifully and aren't compromised or cheapened by the adaptation to the short. It's charming and whimsical, with the quirky characters and objects perfectly illustrated to provoke the imagination. I hope I can find it in JB soon!

The music compliments the movie perfectly. I've not heard of Michael Yezerski before, but he's composed several projects including 'The Black Balloon' (which I was planning to watch tomorrow, but damn this iPhone...). His score for 'The Lost Thing' is regretably, almost criminally, too short. But then again, that's quite fitting for the nature of the movie. It's regrettable, because it just emphasises the whimsy and charm of the movie. The longest track, 'Utopia', is a fusion of a gorgeous strings, acoustic guitars, and electronic wefts (which I'm sure are all computer generated). The masterful blend provokes such a strong sense of nostalgia, and its playful nature is so uplifting - I just adore this track.

The rest of the album consists of little tracks which span for about 1 minute (give or take around 5 seconds either way). The entire soundtrack clocks in a whopping 9 minutes. Each track employs the same quirky and playful nature of the others. All in all, it's a delight to listen to. The soundtrack is a real gem, even if it provides the same amount of airplay time as a comerical break on TV. On a side note, it sounds a lot like David Megarrity's work with 'Sonic Loom'. Really wonderful work.

Anyway, that's all from me at the moment. Goodbye until tomorrow.

On a side note, you can listen to 'Utopia' by Michael Yezerski in all its glory here. The entire album can be purchased for just $2.99 on his site, or for $4.99 on iTunes.