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Composed, Orchestrated, Conducted, and Co-Produced by:
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Howard Shore
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Co-Produced by:
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Suzana Peric
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Release Date:
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July 10th, 2001
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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The Score: (Howard Shore) "Cult scorer." Howard Shore has, over the
years, acquired just that title simply because of the kinds of films he
chooses to score. Like Carter Burwell, in a sense, Shore's assignments
typically hinge on the outer borders of the mainstream. The year 2001,
however, promises to be a change for Shore. Along with his score for the
crime thriller The Score in the summer, Shore is also composing the
music for the newest film rendition of the fantasy classic,
Lord of the Rings for the autumn. These two scores, more than any in his
career so far, will once again bring Shore the mainstream attention that many of
his fans believe he deserves. His style of writing lends itself to obscurity,
for he isn't the type to embrace bombast or melodic theme. But his scores always
have a gritty edge to them, and The Score is a perfect example of that.
The plot of the film involves a veteran master criminal who also happens to own
and run a jazz club in Montreal, so Howard Shore appropriately sets the mood of
the score to that of a fast paced, jazzy, urban atmosphere.
While many of Shore's scores aren't the best listening experiences when
divorced from their films, The Score is an exception. The music maintains
a very light, but tensely exciting rhythm in the percussion for nearly every
cue. While there is no title theme in any sense of melody, Shore offers a
staggered, six note cascade sequence, often with the brass, that permeates every
corner of the score. Some of the percussive underscore is high strung and an
obviously tense accompaniment for the sneaking around on screen, though some of
the cues, such as the third "Flashback" track on the album, exhibit more of the
jazzy nightclub feeling, relying to the bass, guitar, drums, and (oddly) vibes
to carry the constant rhythm. The mysticism behind the lifestyle of the master
criminal is enhanced by a tint of electronic programming used in a sort of
awe-inspiring pseudo-choral effect during many of the cues, also enhancing the
often cold side of technology and the big city. Shore's music does incorporate a
moderately sized orchestra, however, the moments of orchestral involvement
beyond the routine emphasis on certain base and whole notes are often flat in
tone. This problem especially occurs during louder performances of that six-note
motif/theme. Better in its adaptation to album, though, are the strictly jazz
rhythms, with a muted trumpet providing the silver screen aura to the complex
criminal action.
The nearly constant volume and rhythm, which is more intense for a prolonged
period than you may think, makes the album for The Score to be an
extremely listenable one. The pace goes largely uninterrupted, highlighted by
such tracks as the relentless "Files" cue and the stylish "Run Late" cue,
keeping the jazzy foundation of the music moving at all times. The downside of
that same characteristic of the music, though, is the fact that there is nothing
dynamic about Shore's score outside of those rhythmic performances. This is an
example of an album that definitely did not need to be longer, and could have
even benefitted by trimming a little of the fat and making it a 25 - 30 minute
album. If you try to pay too much attention to the score, it could easily become
monotonous after twenty minutes. But if you use it as a energizing background
listening experience, it is both a pleasant and motivating album. There have
been some complaints voiced about certain jazz and songs that were left off of
the album, but to be clear, this album contains only the Howard Shore score, and
no source music beyond that. It is an album that should appeal to more than just
Shore's close group of fans; it should have more of a widespread, mainstream
appeal, depending on the success of the film. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Main Title (3:48)
• 2. Customs (1:29)
• 3. Flashback (4:10)
• 4. Recon (4:59)
• 5. Sapperstein (3:03)
• 6. Ironclad (1:50)
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• 7. Files (1:15)
• 8. The Score Begins (2:00)
• 9. Set Up (1:58)
• 10. Run Late (4:00)
• 11. Suspended (7:12)
• 12. Bye Bye (2:24)
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Insert includes a list of the orchestra performers.
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