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Filmtracks Recommends: Buy it... if you enjoy the more consistent, subtle, synthetically atmospheric scores from the mystery section of the Media Ventures sound libraries. Avoid it... if you were expecting the majority of the score to be the work of Hans Zimmer, or if you prefer his synthetic scores to be bracketed by propulsive anthems. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The stylistic similarities of Zimmer and his apprentices, as well as a likewise compliment of electronic equipment, make it difficult to distinguish between the multiple artists' music in these scores. Smilla's Sense of Snow may seem a little more obvious, with two or three distinctly Zimmer-like cues surrounded by ambient underscore that could maybe be passed off as Zimmer music as well. The key word here is ambient, for Smilla's Sense of Snow is much like House of the Spirits, but without the attractive and memorable anthem. It is a subtle score... one that often barely occupies the aural landscape. Without any dominant instruments in the higher ranges, the score has the capability of droning, necessitating an increased volume of listening in order to fully appreciation the nuances and sparse sound effects that contribute to the landscape. A main title theme is broad, but severely constrained, never achieving a fully satisfying performance until the final cue, which serves as the score's only largely orchestral piece. A few standout cues in the latter half of the score (after the story goes oceanside) present restrained rhythms and background chorus mixes that were heard in The Fan and The Rock from the previous year. Even these cues, highlighted by "Chase at Sea," are heavily weighted by the dramatic and ominous mystery of the story, however. There is never an exhilarating explosion of activity by either synths or orchestra, leading to the age-old debate amongst Zimmer fans about the usefulness of scores like Smilla's Sense of Snow on album. On one side, you have the detail oriented, curious types of listeners who believe that a score like this should be turned to maximum volume and appreciated for its intricacies. On the other side, you hear (probably more) Zimmer fans utilize Smilla's Sense of Snow as a purely atmospheric, background listening experience --something non-distracting to fill the void of a silent room. Either way, if you're a fan of Zimmer's synthetically-enhanced anthems, be forewarned that this score --mostly a Gregson-Williams project-- has none of that excitement. It is a simple, predictable, and potentially boring score, but its consistency is its strongest attribute. **
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