PRINTER FRIENDLY VIEW
(inverts site colors)

The equation of instrumentation and style of the music in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is largely the same, the composers' standard synthetics blended with orchestral layers, the latter this time seemingly heavier on brass. Most of the string work produces standard, low-budget suspense and horror techniques while the retro electronics are a little more engrained in the soundscape here. Keyboarded synth contributions are again somewhat glassy in tone, and the children's vocals for the trapped souls are applied sparingly but are highlights when they appear. Predictably, the manipulation of the soundscape remains the typical method of uneasy atmospherics. Some of these passages, especially in the middle of the score, are simply boring while others resort to purely noisy, dissonant thrashing with no lasting creativity. The musical narrative of Five Nights at Freddy's 2 isn't quite as tightly woven this time around, but the renderings are perhaps a notch better. The second half really devolves after promise shown in the light drama early, the composers resorting to increased dissonant pounding in those portions. But the climax of "Save the Day" is pretty good, especially in its brass presence. Factoring into the story is the diegetic use of "March of the Toreadors" from "Carmen" by Georges Bizet on a carousel-like low celesta, which is key to the story's music box element. As for the score's original themes, the most important one returns wholesale. The Newton Brothers' main theme from Five Nights at Freddy's is reprised in full, original form in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" with a shorter introductory sequence. The children's choir over arcade electronica tones were highly popular the first time, so why mess with it? This rendition is a nice companion to the equivalent cue in the first score. Outside of that main performance, you hear the Freddy's theme briefly on eerie keyboard and later choir in "No One's Home." The theme's techno undercurrents ramble coolly through the enticing "Science Fair" and barely touch the margins of "We're Free."

The choir offers a creepy rendition of the main theme at the end of "Help Her" while the idea is adapted into a more dramatic identity in "Save the Day" with nice orchestral harmonics before reverting to its normal phrasing for a brief moment at the end. Finally, it's very subtly acknowledged in the middle of "Moving On" in the bass. The only major new theme in Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is actually built into the main theme's interlude sequence, consisting of three-note phrasing that adds some freshness to both the main theme and other cues. This idea shares the basic characteristics as the franchise's family theme and has a cameo in the high ranges at the end of "Here We Go." It's developed extensively in "Together Again" but without its descending answering phrase until halfway through the cue. Later, the theme starts to suggest its role as representing the soul of the Charlotte character as it's quietly pensive early in "Charlotte's Story." Later, the theme is slightly referenced again in "Moving On" on a very somber note. The aforementioned family motif is a simple, descending piano motif of repeated, three-note phrases and lightly recurs here at 0:32 into "Faz-Talker" before providing some piano optimism at the end of "Together Again." The composers' returning terror motif is a deep bass repetition mostly on key that eventually pounds away by the killing sequences. It announces itself once again at 1:20 into "Echoes of Fear" for a moment of its blasting bass notes before a reprise later in the cue achieves even greater volume. This idea resorts to increasingly singular, dreadful pounding throughout "Activate" and continues its relentless force of will at the outset of "Deactivated." The same form of obvious horror blows out the speakers in "Home Invasion." None of these secondary themes can compare to the main one however, and the children's voices for the concept of the lost souls stack with the analog electronics and their memorable melody to keep the score afloat. A retro song riff parody in "1982 Shoe Goo" taps into some of this same energy. The Newton Brothers didn't need to change much in this music to suffice. They produce a paycheck score, and it's reasonably good at its task despite offering little new.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 44:38