For those who just want to see my list and don’t care about my word vomit, scroll to the bottom of this article. If you’re still reading this, then buckle up!

2023 is here, and with it comes another year of exciting new scores to dive into. While many scores connected very strongly with scoreboarders, a majority of the scores released in 2022 fell flat for me, making it nowhere near my top ten. I don’t want to be a downer, but when a 3.5 star score is number 10 on my list, that should give you an idea of how little really connected with me. Some were disappointments that had more potential than they ended up executing (The Sea Beast, Uncharted, Devotion, Wakanda Forever, Luck, Morbius, etc). Some were simply never the kind of music that I like to listen to (The Northman, Blonde, Nope, Crimes of the Future, etc.), even though I have nothing against any of these scores for what they set out to be and ended up accomplishing. But enough negativity, let's get to the good stuff!

10. EMPIRE OF LIGHT (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) ***½ - thank you to Riley KZ
File this one under pleasant surprises! I’m no fan of the vast majority of Reznor and Ross’ work, and downright despise a good chunk of it (The Social Network remains my least favorite score of all time). But after Mank turned out surprisingly solid, and with Riley singing its praises, I figured I’d give this one a spin. Easily this score’s strongest aspect is the solo piano, whether real or sampled. The duo didn’t reinvent the wheel like they so often are claimed as doing, but it’s simple, lovely stuff. The synths rear their ugly heads more often than I like, disturbing the piece with some pretty grating stuff. If they weren’t there, this would be a four star score. As is, it’s my second favorite score by Reznor and Ross.

9. PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK (Bear McCreary) ***½ - thank you to Riley KZ
In a year where John Powell’s only score dropped the ball, Bear McCreary stepped up and wrote one in his place. This one is ranked lower because it stands toe-to-toe with Powell in terms of “I don’t think my sanity can take this for much longer,” but split it into chunks and it’s good fun. The funk instrumentation, while grating if applied too liberally, gives the score a personality, and the Morricone homages are fun. By far my favorite cue is the roaring “Battle of Kakamucho,” which lets rip with a blast of fantastic action. The appearance of James Horner’s infamous danger motif in this cue is very confusing, but that’s my only quibble. Good effort all around. Thank you Riley for bugging the entire scoreboard enough to convince me to listen to this one.

8. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (James Newton Howard) ****
I’m starting to think I’m the only person who likes the Fantastic Beasts films. Sure, they’re not high art (or anywhere close to the excellence of the Harry Potter films), and this most recent one was certainly a bit confusing. But they’re still fun watches, with Mads Mikklesen giving a strong effort in replacement of the dumpster-fire Johnny Depp situation. The scores for these movies are going downhill slowly too, with this installment being surprisingly unremarkable compared to the high-flying fantasy of the first and sinister second. But JNH’s writing is still strong, there are a few fantastic cues, and is finally starting to inch towards the Williams legacy themes. With J.K. Rowling’s appalling actions as of late, it’s unlikely that a fourth film will come along soon, but if it does, no replacement for Howard should be considered.

7. THE BATMAN (Michael Giacchino) ****
I admit, it took me a while to warm up to this one. At first, it infuriated me how the phenomenal, lyrical Bruce Wayne theme was so frequently jettisoned in favor of the four note Batman theme. That theme… I still can’t decide whether I like it or not. Still, the action is generally solid, the noir stuff for Catwoman is really lovely, and the warped versions of Ave Maria for the Riddler are entertaining. If you’re looking for the best of this score, look no further than the four character suites at the end of the overlong album.
(PS: Zimmer’s Batman theme was two notes, Giacchino’s is four. The real question is this: are we increasing by two notes each time, or is it exponentially increasing by power of two? Only time will tell.)

6. TOP GUN: MAVERICK (Hans Zimmer et. al.) ****
The original Top Gun is one of my family’s favorite movies, with my mom and grandparents watching it religiously when it came out in the 80s. TG Maverick certainly didn’t disappoint, with unmatched visual excellence and a more nuanced story. The first Top Gun relied almost exclusively on needle-drops or new songs for the film, with only a few minutes of score by Harold Faltermeyer. Luckily, Faltermeyer got the chance to come back for the sequel, providing no doubt critical guidance to project newcomer Hans Zimmer and his team. With Lorne Balfe producing and conducting, Lady Gaga helping with the romance material, and a solid division between the score and the new songs (which are good), TG Maverick ended up with a far stronger score than its predecessor. While some of the action is sullied by unfriendly synth blasts, there’s more than a couple strong cues, and the excellent reworkings of Faltermeyer’s anthem the icing on the cake.

5. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (Michael Giacchino/Nami Melumad) ****
First thing’s first: I’m very happy for Nami Melumad. Her work is increasing in quality with every project she tackles, and here’s hoping she graduates to solo composer sometime soon. As far as her and Giacchino go, they make a strong duo. Easily the highlight of this score is the new material for Thor and Jane Foster (even though it once again means leaving behind any franchise continuity). When the Conti throwback guitars start chugging and horns start roaring, it’s one hell of a time. There’s some strong action, suitably creepy villain material, and so on. A nice, strong outing, and here’s hoping the next composer in line for the Thor movies (let’s face it: there will be another) gets a better film to work with.

4. VIOLENT NIGHT (Dominic Lewis) ****½ - thank you to Christian Clemmensen
Ho-ho-holy shit, is this one great score. Dominic Lewis has climbed quite high up the film scoring ladder in 2022, but none of his achievements stand out quite like this one. The thing that truly makes this score is the writing for woodwinds. It’s delightfully old-fashioned, with everything from slinking bass clarinets and bassoons to scherzos for the upper flutes and oboes. The entire ensemble is handled really well, and Lewis draws from a deep pit of classic holiday scores and traditional carols for inspiration, as well as penning a few of his own. The only complaint I have is that some of Lewis’ material struggles to stay memorable compared to the whiz-bang novelty of the action and carol interpolations. But this is a minor quibble, and if you’re a fan of whirling winds and are ever in need of a healthy dose of Christmas cheer, this score is a ho-ho-whole lot of fun. Thanks to Clemmensen for reviewing this one, because it probably would have flown under my radar otherwise.

3. MOON KNIGHT (Hesham Nazih) ****½
Before Moon Knight, the only experience I had with Hesham Nazih was the mummy parade he scored a few years ago (thanks to Jon for that review). I still hope some audio company or record label will shell out some cash for a studio recording, but if Moon Knight is all we get, consider me pleased. Nazih is no stranger to cinema, having worked in Egyptian film for years. All it took was a Marvel exec doing some research, and now we have some truly fantastic orchestral and choral writing that will hopefully serve as a launching point for Nazih on the international stage. My only complaint is that some of Hans Zimmer’s lazy modern mannerisms do creep into the work occasionally, but that’s to be expected from a work for a multibillion dollar company like Marvel/Disney. Nazih is definitely a composer to watch.

2. GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK (Bear McCreary) *****
Ragnarok: the Norse myth that tells of the end of the world, of the death of the gods, and of the rebirth of the nine realms. In other words, it’s a composer’s dream. Having already scored the first God of War reboot in 2018, Bear McCreary returned for the sequel, improving upon an already strong score with a bevy of new themes. All of them are solid. The soft, slow material ranges from ok to pretty damn good, but it’s (unsurprisingly) the bombastic heroics and rip roaring action that merits the most praise. Though it takes a while for the action to find its footing, when it does, it’s a real treat. Hearing the brand new Ragnarok motif (which sounds suspiciously like Sauron’s theme from Rings of Power) in a sonic battle against the most epic and expansive statements of Kratos’ theme is fantastic. The finishing blow is the phenomenal original song, featuring great lyrics and a knockout vocal performance from singer Hozier. If not for McCreary’s other masterwork that arrived before it, this would be the score of the year.

1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER S1 (Bear McCreary) - *****
Shocking, I know. Not content with writing a phenomenal follow up to some of the greatest scores in film history, Bear McCreary went and wrote a score that is a very strong contender for the title of Best TV Score of all time. Crammed with dozens of themes, thorough and dense writing, an impressive range of emotions, and a strong title theme from Howard Shore; this score has it all. Also impressive is that McCreary himself penned the entire work, not using any of his additional music composers and sacrificing a significant degree of his mental health to ensure his vision of the music would be realized in its entirety. he only complaint is, of course, the lack of any returning themes from Shore’s now legendary pantheon, but contractual obligations don’t count towards my star ratings. Easily my favorite work of his career since King of the Monsters.

COMPOSER OF THE YEAR AWARD:
BEAR MCCREARY
While it initially seemed that Giacchino would sweep the COTY award, in the end he could not stand in the way of the rampaging Bear. The top two scores of the year (Rings of Power, Ragnarok) were penned by him, along with the number nine slot (Paws of Fury). Also composed for television were The Serpent Queen and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Well, that’s it for this year in scores! Here’s to a plethora of great new music in 2023.

(P.S. Before you ask, Justin Hurwitz’s Babylon was simply too much for me to tolerate, even as a lover of rowdy jazz. Rarely do I listen to scores that make me feel guilty, and with how overtly horny Babylon is, I couldn't get through it with an intact integrity once the song called “My Girl’s P*ssy” started playing. As for Simon Franglen’s The Way of Water, I could talk for hours about this one, and I plan to. For now, I’ll leave it at this: if you want some reasoning for why I think both the Avatar scores kind of suck, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL5sX8VmvB8)

FINAL RANKINGS:

10. EMPIRE OF LIGHT (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) ***½
9. PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK (Bear McCreary) ***½
8. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (James Newton Howard) ****
7. THE BATMAN (Michael Giacchino) ****
6. TOP GUN: MAVERICK (Hans Zimmer et. al.) ****
5. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (Michael Giacchino & Nami Melumad) ****
4. VIOLENT NIGHT (Dominic Lewis) ****½
3. MOON KNIGHT (Hesham Nazih) ****½
2. GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK (Bear McCreary) *****
1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER S1 (Bear McCreary) *****

(Message edited on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 6:59 a.m.)

Wonderful write up! Can't complain about anything you said (especially Violent Night!), and I'm glad that Empire of Light is on your list. I loved that you added your ratings as well; it does gives me an idea of how far away some scores were in your top 10.

That Sideways video recently came up in my recommendations, and I was pretty gobsmacked. However, even if the music isn't as 'non-Western' (can't think of a better word) as it could've been, Horner still did a great job creating awesome themes. And now that Franglen knows what exactly the director doesn't want, he built up on Horner's work to create something even better (despite losing more of the already few 'non-Western' qualities). That's just my two cents, but I would love to see what you plan to write about the Avatar score!

> (As for Simon Franglen’s The Way of Water, I could talk for hours about this one, and I plan to. For now, I’ll leave it at this: if you want some reasoning for why I think both the Avatar scores kind of suck, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL5sX8VmvB8)

By the way, I've read through the comment section of that video and many people have cited that the scores for the Avatar movies are too Western-centric or cater too much to Western-centric music expectations instead of going for an authentically ethnic direction, or are they?

> Well, that’s it for this year in scores! Here’s to a plethora of great new
> music in 2023.

Very nice write up and list!

> (P.S. Before you ask, Justin Hurwitz’s Babylon was simply too much for me
> to tolerate, even as a lover of rowdy jazz. Rarely do I listen to scores
> that make me feel guilty, and with how overtly horny Babylon is, I
> couldn't get through it with an intact integrity once the song called “My
> Girl’s P*ssy” started playing.

I was listening to another 2022 score the other day and that song came on randomly right after it finished. It was definitely something of a shock but also pretty hilarious.

Then there was this other time the other day when what I thought was the finale of another 2022 score that sounded like a beautiful Patrick Doyle melody for piano and strings. But it turned out to be a piece from Patrick Doyle's Thor as I didn't realize Amazon Music had gone to shuffle!

> 7. THE BATMAN (Michael Giacchino) ****

> (PS: Zimmer’s Batman theme was two notes, Giacchino’s is four. The real
> question is this: are we increasing by two notes each time, or is it
> exponentially increasing by power of two? Only time will tell.)

Lorne Balfe has already said that his new theme for the Batman sequel has 8 notes (you'd think that Giacchinno is scoring the sequel, but no other composer ever scores any sequel with the almightly Lorne Balfe around...)

> Lorne Balfe has already said that his new theme for the Batman sequel has
> 8 notes (you'd think that Giacchinno is scoring the sequel, but no other
> composer ever scores any sequel with the almightly Lorne Balfe around...)

Or Giacchino for that matter.

> Lorne Balfe has already said that his new theme for the Batman sequel has
> 8 notes (you'd think that Giacchinno is scoring the sequel, but no other
> composer ever scores any sequel with the almightly Lorne Balfe around...)

What about his Lego Batman theme? Where does that fit into this progression?

Just an observation, no offense meant.

(Message edited on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 9:22 a.m.)

> Just an observation, no offense meant.
I'll admit: I'm not his biggest fan. I still like some of his stuff though. Two of his scores I consider to be 5/5 masterworks are Legends of the Fall and The Rocketeer.

> I'll admit: I'm not his biggest fan. I still like some of his stuff
> though. Two of his scores I consider to be 5/5 masterworks are Legends of
> the Fall and The Rocketeer.

Sorry, I was in a bit of a bad mood when I read you're thing on Avatar which is in my top 50 favourite scores of all time and with your previous comments about Titanic and Willow I kinda jumped to that conclusion, at least you like The Rocketeer.

> Sorry, I was in a bit of a bad mood when I read you're thing on Avatar
> which is in my top 50 favourite scores of all time and with your previous
> comments about Titanic and Willow I kinda jumped to that conclusion, at
> least you like The Rocketeer.

Not that you went to "absolute, conniving bastard" levels, but for future reference when you're angry: https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=48094

> Not that you went to 'absolute, conniving bastard' levels, but for future
> reference when you're angry:
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=48094

Yes, I'll make sure to do A or B next time.:)

> Not that you went to 'absolute, conniving bastard' levels, but for future
> reference when you're angry:
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=48094

good god, I totally forgot about him!

And that other guy

> good god, I totally forgot about him!

What do you mean? Owen's been arou--

*3 posts since the last forum reboot*

oh. Dang :/

> good god, I totally forgot about him!

> And that other guy

Yeah when I looked at that thread again my first thought was "Oh yeah, Hari Haran!!! Wonder what happened to him..."

A fine list with a few scores overlap with my top 10. Lovely write-up! I'm glad you liked Moon Knight so much, and Rings of Power will certainly be on my list also.

Your comment and that video on the Avatar scores had me marveling about how the two of us came to such opposite conclusions on both Avatar scores, specifically the first. I remember when I first watched that video many months ago, and my reaction was amazement that Horner came out with something so amazing given how many of his original, more bold and daring ideas were thrown out. He was so restricted from his original vision and still gave us a 5-star score with the leftovers!

It's just an interesting observation about our opposite reactions.

Again, great list and awesome write-up. Honestly, I see yours and many others and I feel so lazy since I'm likely to just post a simple list of 10 scores and call it a day.

(Message edited on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 4:26 p.m.)

Yaaaay!! Someone listened to my bullshit!!! 😝 glad you liked those recs bud, excellent write up!

> (P.S. Before you ask, Justin Hurwitz’s Babylon was simply too much for me
> to tolerate, even as a lover of rowdy jazz. Rarely do I listen to scores
> that make me feel guilty, and with how overtly horny Babylon is, I
> couldn't get through it with an intact integrity once the song called “My
> Girl’s P*ssy” started playing. As for Simon Franglen’s The Way of Water, I
> could talk for hours about this one, and I plan to. For now, I’ll leave it
> at this: if you want some reasoning for why I think both the Avatar scores
> kind of suck, watch this video:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL5sX8VmvB8 )

Heh, Babylon is definitely "horny" in many meanings of the word. Also agree it's a rather exhausting album experience, one I appreciate more than enjoy. Interested to hear your grievances with the Avatar scores, though. I've kinda made peace with Horner's original though I still don't think it's a 5/5 achievement. Franglen's sequel, though... yeah.

> FINAL RANKINGS:

> 10. EMPIRE OF LIGHT (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) ***½
> 9. PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK (Bear McCreary) ***½
> 8. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (James Newton Howard) ****
> 7. THE BATMAN (Michael Giacchino) ****
> 6. TOP GUN: MAVERICK (Hans Zimmer et. al.) ****
> 5. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (Michael Giacchino & Nami Melumad) ****
> 4. VIOLENT NIGHT (Dominic Lewis) ****½
> 3. MOON KNIGHT (Hesham Nazih) ****½
> 2. GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK (Bear McCreary) *****
> 1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER S1 (Bear McCreary) *****

Well, glad you at least liked RoP as much as you should. Paws of Fury and Fantastci Beasts 3 are probably in the 20's or 30's for me. I never bother to go that high, but both of those are very good just not Top 20 for me.

> Well, that’s it for this year in scores! Here’s to a plethora of great new
> music in 2023.

Indeed! Nice list.

> (P.S. Before you ask, Justin Hurwitz’s Babylon was simply too much for me
> to tolerate, even as a lover of rowdy jazz. Rarely do I listen to scores
> that make me feel guilty, and with how overtly horny Babylon is, I
> couldn't get through it with an intact integrity once the song called “My
> Girl’s P*ssy” started playing. As for Simon Franglen’s The Way of Water, I
> could talk for hours about this one, and I plan to. For now, I’ll leave it
> at this: if you want some reasoning for why I think both the Avatar scores
> kind of suck, watch this video:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL5sX8VmvB8 )

I think I agree on Babylon - that song clearly tickled some fancies here on the board, but it was just another off-putting bit of adolescence for me.

As for your Avatar point, I look forward to your expansion on that, because currently I don't understand. I've seen that Sideways video: like all of his, it's nice to see someone analysing film music at the musical level, but it's also unpleasant to hear what sounds like Josh Gad getting far too worked up over his own insight.

More specifically to your point, I could agree with that video in saying it's a shame that the Avatar score ended up not being as unique or ethnomusicalogically interesting or 'authentic' as it could have been... while still not seeing how that makes the score itself 'suck'. The way I see it, most scores don't even bother researching different cultural musical traditions - let alone for a sci-fi setting. Sure, once the researchers had done that work, James Cameron and co sold them short - but all that means, in terms of critically assessing the end product (rather than the production of it) is that the score isn't as novel as it could have been, and it's more western than it was going to be. It could theoretically still be better music, and a better film score, than it was going to be, had they stuck to that direction, and even if it isn't, it can still be the best film score ever - which it's not, but the point still stands (in my view, it's in the top ten of its decade at the very least).

What any of that has to do with the second score, I'm not sure - though I will say Franglen's use of soloist vocals is less interesting, and more rooted in Anglo-American pop, than Horner's was.

> FINAL RANKINGS:

> 10. EMPIRE OF LIGHT (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) ***½
> 9. PAWS OF FURY: THE LEGEND OF HANK (Bear McCreary) ***½
> 8. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (James Newton Howard) ****
> 7. THE BATMAN (Michael Giacchino) ****
> 6. TOP GUN: MAVERICK (Hans Zimmer et. al.) ****
> 5. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (Michael Giacchino & Nami Melumad) ****
> 4. VIOLENT NIGHT (Dominic Lewis) ****½
> 3. MOON KNIGHT (Hesham Nazih) ****½
> 2. GOD OF WAR: RAGNAROK (Bear McCreary) *****
> 1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER S1 (Bear McCreary) *****

To drill a bit further, could not one say that God of War (or for that matter Thor) sucks because McCreary ought to have done more ethnomusicology and research into traditional Norse music, rather than merely gesturing towards that setting in well-honed Hollywood ways? And that's for a setting that existed, not a fictional planet in a distant galaxy. Could not one say that Moon Knight gives the barest of nods to Middle Eastern music, given how much of that score is straight down-the-line modern American action style?

> Indeed! Nice list.

> I think I agree on Babylon - that song clearly tickled some fancies here
> on the board, but it was just another off-putting bit of adolescence for
> me.

> As for your Avatar point, I look forward to your expansion on that,
> because currently I don't understand. I've seen that Sideways video: like
> all of his, it's nice to see someone analysing film music at the musical
> level, but it's also unpleasant to hear what sounds like Josh Gad getting
> far too worked up over his own insight.

> More specifically to your point, I could agree with that video in saying
> it's a shame that the Avatar score ended up not being as unique or
> ethnomusicalogically interesting or 'authentic' as it could have been...
> while still not seeing how that makes the score itself 'suck'. The way I
> see it, most scores don't even bother researching different cultural
> musical traditions - let alone for a sci-fi setting. Sure, once the
> researchers had done that work, James Cameron and co sold them short - but
> all that means, in terms of critically assessing the end product (rather
> than the production of it) is that the score isn't as novel as it could
> have been, and it's more western than it was going to be. It could
> theoretically still be better music, and a better film score, than it was
> going to be, had they stuck to that direction, and even if it isn't, it
> can still be the best film score ever - which it's not, but the point
> still stands (in my view, it's in the top ten of its decade at the very
> least).

> What any of that has to do with the second score, I'm not sure - though I
> will say Franglen's use of soloist vocals is less interesting, and more
> rooted in Anglo-American pop, than Horner's was.

> To drill a bit further, could not one say that God of War (or for that
> matter Thor) sucks because McCreary ought to have done more
> ethnomusicology and research into traditional Norse music, rather than
> merely gesturing towards that setting in well-honed Hollywood ways? And
> that's for a setting that existed, not a fictional planet in a distant
> galaxy. Could not one say that Moon Knight gives the barest of nods to
> Middle Eastern music, given how much of that score is straight
> down-the-line modern American action style?

Thank you again Jack, I'm really starting to like you.

Never before has basically the entirety of something I’ve said/written been completely and thoroughly disproven so thoroughly and so quickly. Hats off to you man!