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Giacchino's attitude in IF is charming at almost every moment, extremely consistent in tone with very few threatening or atonal diversions. Aside from one crescendo of ensemble force at 2:16 into "A Room With a Blue" for a suspenseful sneeze, it's a breezy score that ranges from softly dramatic to moderately humorous. A significant amount of plucked strings helps keep the pace of the score moving, the rhythmic flow often attractively upbeat. The whistling of the main theme is not always in tune, but the technique still functions to set the optimistic, workmanlike tone Giacchino was seeking for the IFs. The piano is used in much the same way as it was in Up, supplying heartbreaking moments of delicacy while pairing often with solo cello or violin. (The composer had made piano solos a staple of drama earlier in his career, and IF is clearly a return to those techniques for the composer.) Woodwinds flutter about the soundscape with ease while brass exist to provide a surprising amount of power to some of the thematic passages. A tuba applied to bouncing rhythms lends expected comedy to the affair. A few hints of contemporary guitar and synthetics help augment occasional passages prior to the open rock variant of Giacchino's suite at the end. While this instrumentation remains extremely consistent throughout, the composer's handling of the score's themes is more varied than one might think up front. The two primary ideas in the score are relatively simplistic and highly catchy, both the kinds of movie themes that can become earworms due to their short, repetitive phrasing. Giacchino fascinatingly deconstructs those themes so that their underlying chords and counterpoint lines, sometimes set as the answers in the "call and answer" form of the phrasing, can alone carry much of a cue. By stating a theme's chords and counterpoint only, the composer can suggest the concept of loss, abandonment, and loneliness, the exact feeling of incompleteness that drives so much of this narrative. When the IFs are alone and yearning for a human bond, only their theme's secondary characteristics are conveyed. When a human is lost, the same occurs with their theme. Ultimately, however, as each set of characters achieves their senses of purpose and belonging, Giacchino allows the melody to join the performances, if only fragmented and tentatively at first. This tactic can cause parts of the score to dwell in stark subtlety at times, but it's certainly merited.

The main theme of IF belongs to the IF world and all the goodness that these imaginary friends stand to provide. It's a whimsical, cheerful, major-key tune of six-note phrases with a somewhat Italian tilt to them. The phrasing is separated so that answers to each six notes can be performed as counterpoint if extra emphasis is needed for the applicable character bonds. Heard immediately on piano in "The IF Suite," the main theme builds to a rousing full ensemble statement. Whistling carries the theme at 1:20, followed by brass at 2:07 with whistling in counterpoint. A heroic version then succeeds the humans' theme at 5:02 with resolute nobility, its brass joined by tolling chimes and flowing harp to afford overflowing size. The theme then diminishes back to solo piano and cello for a sentimental conclusion, making "The IF Suite" an outstanding summary of the idea. Similar whistling opens "A Blaze of Stories" over harp, shifting to a piano and violin duet before building to another crescendo of wholesome heart, just like the suite. The cue returns to its chipper whistling over plucky strings for additional cheer. A solo piano takes the idea from the other theme's chords at 1:36 into "An Imaginary Home Companion" and opens "One Blue Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with humor on whistling, piano, and perky strings. The main theme's chords define the comedy propulsion at the end of "Advanced Placement Therapy," and only those chords open "Magical M-IF-tery Tour" before yielding a big moment for the counterpoint lines. The melody finally follows at 2:26 with synthetic whistling tones and blurting tuba bass; this is perhaps the only notable moment when the whistling does not sound real. The theme dominates in "Brief Interviews With Fastidious Friends," starting at 0:19 and shifting through many variants for the IF characters. A brief militaristic explosion for the theme at 2:14 with brass, snare, and flute is amusing, but the cue focuses back to plucked strings and woodwind comedy ramblings of the idea. Electric guitar coolness then diverts for a moment at 4:36 before heading right back to form. Only the chords occupy most of "Remembrance of Things Outcast," the theme almost peeking through at end, and those chords drive most of "Blue-min' Human" with hyper piano, wind, and brass enthusiasm, culminating in whistling for the last moments in the cue. The main theme is victoriously dramatic for the full ensemble at 0:31 into "IF-Win Statement," follows heavier drama at 3:50 into "Calvin and Jobs" for a big, happy ending, and switches to electric guitar and rock drum kit in "The ALTERNATIVE IF Suite."

The theme for the wayward humans and their memories is the score's heart, a sad character identity for both the forgotten IFs and the adults who have lost them. Its similar five-note phrases yearn endlessly, repeating over shifting harmonies to denote time past. This idea serves as the major interlude at 3:04 into "The IF Suite," developing from a piano and cello duet up to full ensemble drama. It takes half of "Trepidation Down Memory Lane" to build its chords into the theme on piano, and those chords finally warmly yield the theme in "One Man's Hospital is Another Girl's Pain" for the orchestra prior to diminishing once again to piano and cello. Those chords open "Bide and Reminisce" before woodwinds take the idea in a different direction, and the same technique is used to open "An Imaginary Home Companion" and "The Balance of Flower," the latter nice on harp before the theme itself emerges on piano from mere fragments. The human loss theme is abbreviated in phrasing and faster on winds at 0:19 into "Flowers for Benjamin," only its chords evident at the beginning of "Granny Get Your Fun" before Giacchino slowly and delicately builds the theme on top. It is very faint in the first half of "He Totally Blue It" and agonizingly deconstructed throughout much of "The Lost City of Bea" on piano, the melody finally emerging on strings over light chimes for rediscovery. This theme also switches to electric guitar and rock drum kit in "The ALTERNATIVE IF Suite," though the rock ballad format for this theme doesn't quite work as well despite being an interesting change in tone. A third theme struggles to enunciate itself in IF, and it seems to be something of a Cal and Bea theme. Ascending trios or four notes rising out of the progressions in the loss theme lead this idea during all of "Stairing Down Your Fears," condensing to solo cello in the middle of the cue. Barely evident in the early suspense of "Don't Get Imaginaried Away," this theme generally guides the start of "Advanced Placement Therapy" before outright comedy rhythms interject. It's stately on flute at 5:04 into "Magical M-IF-tery Tour," gains its footing over "Croissants and Croissants-ability" with a satisfyingly magical end, lends hope to the opening of "IF-Win Statement," and allows a solo cello to stew with it early in "Calvin and Jobs." Together, these themes combine with the consistently light and affable instrumentation to supply endless charm. The listening experience is so effortless that it can lose you at times, and the sparse dramatic passages without the actual melodies can be slow. But Giacchino hits all the right emotional chords in IF, his themes lovely and memorable in their sheer innocence of heart. That simple authenticity is a winner, but don't look past the thematic deconstructions that offer more substance than you might think.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

• Music as Written for the Film:  *****
• Music as Heard on Album:  ****
• Overall:  ****

Bias Check:

For Michael Giacchino reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.46 (in 43 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.21 (in 21,613 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 76:19