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Göransson's achievement for Turning Red is the kind of spectacle that you have to admire but not necessarily enjoy on its own, the combination of sounds he assembles so intentionally incongruous that the style of the work is as fascinatingly intelligent as it is insufferably bizarre. His intent was to provide music that is intentionally confusing and uncomfortable, matching Mei's maturation. As the composer states, "It's a crazy mix of musical genres, from New Jack Swing to '90s boy-band, traditional Chinese sounds and Western orchestra. I wanted the music to act like a mixtape for Mei." As such, the hybrid score meanders so liberally through its extreme swings of emotion and style that it enters parody territory on occasion, Göransson not resisting artificial manipulation of the recording for comedic effect, especially early. The contemporary elements are an odd merging of modern rock and somewhat dated hip-hop, the style of these contributors not always matching that of the 4*Town songs even though pieces of the songs' instrumental lines do connect to the score. The looped elements here recall Black Panther in the first handful of cues. On the other end of the spectrum is a 75-member orchestra that never truly soars in true Disney fantasy mode but does offer robust backing for the other elements of the recording when needed. A loyal collection of Chinese instruments figures heavily into the mix, solo lines frequent for dizi, erhu, guzheng, pipa, and others. Vocals for the two chanted ritual sequences also appear. Göransson applies a variety of synthetics that are far too heavily mixed into the equation, sometimes sounding downright alien and dumb; their use may be intended for comedic purposes, but their tone and forward mix cheapens the work, ruining "Panda-Monium." In fact, the recording would have benefited greatly had it merged the standard pop instrumentation with the orchestra and Chinese soloists and dropped the zippy, distracting electronics. The sounds of all these contributors clash so thoroughly that they sometimes obscure Göransson's themes, which are faithfully developed at nearly every moment of the work. The constructs of these ideas flash tons of potential and are sometimes quite compelling, but their haphazard renderings diminish their impact and memorability.

There are three major themes in the score for Turning Red, and none of them relates directly to the songs. The theme for Mei is highly likeable and attractive when allowed to flourish. It's performed by flute and the dizi (Chinese bamboo flute) most regularly, introduced at 0:10 into "Turning Red" in boy-band style and emphasizing the Chinese flavor with the dizi at 0:11 into "Meilin Lee." These seemingly opposed mashups of style shift to ultra-cool modern attitude and ethnic flavor at 0:23 into "Temple Duties" but are toned back in subsequent performances, like those late in "Turning Panda." The idea triumphs over the panda theme in a large tonal performance at 1:34 into "Panda-Monium" but returns to solo flute late in "Ancestors" and opening "Inconvenient Genetics," with a whimsical extension at 2:46 into the latter cue. Mei's theme remains redemptive and pretty early and late in "Keeping the Panda," shifting to worry at 2:15 into "Red Moon Ritual" and becoming defiant in the middle of "I'm Keeping It." The theme experiences a downright odd hybrid synthetic and Chinese style at 0:13 into "Making It Right" but is toned back to somber winds in the latter half of "The Real Ming." It enjoys an upbeat outburst with full ensemble, ethnic elements, and synths at 2:07 into "No Going Back" and realizes confidence at 0:22 into "Let Your Inner Panda Out" with modern swing attitude to close out the cue and score. The most self-contained and targeted theme in Turning Red is the panda theme for the various characters' transformed selves, performed by erhu (a Chinese fiddle), synthesizers, and bianzhong (Chinese bells). It combines structural fragments of other themes at 0:40 into "Turning Panda" and explodes at 0:38 into "Panda-Monium" for brass, wild percussion, and synthetic effects. The theme achieves a more dramatic stance at 1:07 into "Ancestors," is hinted in the middle of "Tyler's Deal," and transfers to frantic dizi at 0:04 into "Grandma's Warning." The performance of the panda theme at 0:52 into "Red Moon Ritual" for full ensemble, chanting, and percussion is excellent, and Göransson pushes it into full action mode over powerful synthetics at 0:27 into "Unleashing the Panda." The strange electronic accompaniment ruins the suspense for the theme at 0:32 into "Stadium Ritual," though it becomes massive on brass later in that cue.

The panda theme by Göransson for Turning Red comes to dominate the middle and final thirds of the score, though its performances aren't always appreciable despite serving as the action identity of the work. The composer offers the idea at 1:06 into "Pandas Unite" with enthusiasm but very awkward harmonics, for instance, and while the tough transitions from the score to source-like ritual music to song are handled well, the whole is a bit much to handle apart from context. Mei's mother, Ming, has a theme that represents Chinese traditions most closely, performed by guzheng (a Chinese plucked string). Heard in "Family," the idea interrupts Mei's theme at 0:34 into "Meilin Lee" and at 0:33 into "Temple Duties." Hints of Ming's theme shift to synthesizers in the middle of "Inconvenient Genetics" but realize closure at 2:32 into "Red Moon Ritual" in the prettiest, fullest rendition yet (over notable percussion) and in the warmer harmonics opening "No Going Back." Arguably the best melody in Turning Red is an offshoot of progressions in Mei's and Ming's themes, perhaps serving as an interlude to the former but also appearing with Mei's father, Jin, so it may be an identity for him. This theme is afforded romantic melodrama in "Jin's Family Dinner," is reduced to guzheng in "Dad Talk," mingles with Ming's theme early in "No Going Back," and exits at 0:39 into "Let Your Inner Panda Out" with a happy sense of resolution. The family's mystical moments are handled with pipa (Chinese lute) and Chinese opera percussion, highlighting "Red Moon Ritual" and "Stadium Ritual" despite fighting with the modern synthetics. Altogether, these themes and instrumental diversity make Turning Red the most unique listening experiences ever to grace a Pixar film. For listeners who were turned off by the unusually distinct character of Dan Romer's Luca, then this entry will be an infinitely greater shock to your system. Nothing quite like the cue, "The Aunties," exists in film music, much less animation, and for that alone, Göransson deserves credit. At the same time, the intentional dichotomies and outrageous clashes of culture and sounds in this score make it an abrasive and haphazard listening experience. With the boy band songs anonymously average and the score never quite comfortable with its styles despite a strong narrative, Turning Red is an alluring challenge on album. It's a vibrant and shrewd score that Göransson arguably overcomplicated with obnoxious, unnecessary synthetics. Be prepared to have your mind blown.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 76:55