Friday, April 15, 2016

(2016) John Carpenter - Lost Themes II



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Anyone that knows me, knows that I have a HUGE love for classical, avant garde, movie scores & instrumental music. So when I see my main man John Carpenter is releasing another album of lost themes, i'm all over it. He's definitely one of my favorite modern composers and directors and I absolutely LOVE just about anything he's involved in. This is the guy that brought us, HALLOWEEN, ESCAPE FROM LA, THE THING, THEY LIVE & BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, amongst many others! So yeah, I get a little TREMENDOUSLY, excited. So without further ado... let's break it down.
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Track 1 - Distant Dream

This song starts off rather violently. There's no building it up at all. It's right into it. IMMEDIATELY it begins to sound like something from one of his movies. Awesome way to start this album. I have always wondered if he plays all of the instruments he composes and records. If so, that's freaking awesome. I would LOVE to own a keyboard as awesome as this one. Very cool stuff right here.

5/5

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Track 2 - White Pulse

Definitely very Poltergeist meets Halloween right from the rip. I hate that movie scorers don't get the credit they deserve. Most of us get so focused watching the movie that we never pay attention to the subtle music that lingers in the background. That's why Mr. Carpenter is different. He creates an inescapable mood, that is ALWAYS memorable. Think about it, EVERYBODY knows the Halloween theme song.

5/5

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Track 3 - Persia Rising

I'll tell you what. John Carpenter could release a 1,000 albums of his music and each one would be just as good, if not better than the last. This song once again is nothing short of amazing. The etheralness to his music always creates a landscape that can take you into his universe every time. That is both scary and thrilling at the same time.

4/5

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Track 4 - Angel's Asylum

I love how spaced out all of these pieces have sounded so far. They definitely have that "memorable" quality to them. It's a shame he didn't use any of these in any of his movies. All of these pieces would have translated to film very well. The ending of this song is AWESOME by the way. Trust me.

5/5

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Track 5 - Hofner Dawn

Ok, we finally come to a piece I don't dig a lot. I guess i'm more of a fan for his darker stuff. This is too 16 candles for me. Haha. It's not bad, just not one of the better tracks.

2.5/5

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Track 6 - Windy Death

This one started out a little "meh" but slowly builds into something quite a bit cooler. Definitely has a ending credits kinda feel to it. This piece would work great in a lifetime movie.

3/5

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Track 7 - Dark Blues "Kurt Russell"

DEFINITELY would have been perfect in one of the "Escape" movies. This is pretty much how I tell a good Kurt Russell movie from a bad one... (Excluding Overboard, cause that shit was AWESOME). All you have to do is match this kind of music to him and you know the movie will be great. Period. This song has Kurt Russell written all over it, so I am therefore changing the name of this piece to "Kurt Russell". You're welcome John Carpenter.

5/5

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Track 8 - Virtual Survivor

So far, this has been wayyyyyy better than his last "Lost Themes" album. Much, much more of the "memorable" factor. I saw he is going to do a tour this year. A MOTHER #$%&@! TOUR!!! I can't go, but GD I wish I could. I wish I could...

3/5 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Track 9 - Bela Lugosi

This track most definitely has a Dracula kind of feel to it. I think by naming it, "Bela Lugosi" he hit it on the nail perfectly. Those strings are freaking nasty as fuck! This piece is one of the better tracks fo sho!

4/5

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Track 10 - Last Sunrise

This is the kind of music you would hear in a paranormal movie while someone is investigating something. AS a matter of fact, try that to see if i'm right. Find this song and play it over someone investigating. I bet it works everytime. =0)

3.5/5

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Track 11 - Utopian Facade

I would like to see someone re-score the original "Neverending Story" movie with John Carpenter music. I wonder how hard that would be to get the music out of movies and then re-score them. I could definitely see this being the music being played on the way to the Ivory Tower.

4/5

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Track 12 - Real Xeno

Not quite the ending I was looking for, but nevertheless, awesome indeed. John Carpenter is THE MAN!

3/5

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Overall - 47/60

Overall, this was a AWESOME album put out by an ALL-TIME legend. Easily one of the greatest composers of our time, this album was AWESOME. Willowbee, out.

2 comments:

  1. Totally going to buy this album now! Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! I might get around to reviewing more soon. Good to see it helped someone!

    ReplyDelete