CD Reviews: Daredevil and The Quiet American
Daredevil **
GRAEME REVELL
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 448 2
15 tracks - 40.09
Daredevil is probably Graeme Revell's finest work, but whether
that means much is another matter. If there's one thing that can't really
be argued, it's that Daredevil's score takes a different route than
most of its "supehero film" predecessors, aiming for darker, more ambient
territory.
The very first track, "Daredevil Theme," opens with low, heavy drums,
immediately signaling that Revell will once again rely on urban percussion
as the foundation for a score. But just as the music seems as a by-the-numbers
exercise, an interesting theme starts to emerge. Not grandiose like Superman,
nor sweepingly Wagnerian like Batman, the theme for Daredevil
is something new and exciting -- it's heroic, yet downplayed. Thankfully,
Revell limits his usage of the theme and doesn't simply play it every time
Ben Affleck does something cool. Other leitmotifs float through the score,
including a run of the mill piano theme; a haunting vocal piece that appears
too infrequently; a subdued guitar idea for Elektra; and a suitably menacing
four-note motif for Bullseye.
Motifs aside, the overriding percussive sound design approach creates
a suitably dark mood for the film, but it does not necessarily function
as well apart from it. The score would have been that much better if Revell
didn't settle for his stock Crow-like percussion or techno material and
instead tried his hand at more complex action music. Then again, he has
always relied on that style, and it may have been the reason he landed
the assignment to begin with.
It's also worth noting that Revell seems to have avoided copying temp
tracks here -- a bonus since this is a problem that has plagued much of
his other work. However, "Elektra" does feature the one millionth take
on James Newton Howard's "swimming" cue from WaterWorld, complete
with lame voice augmentation effects (one of many suspiciously midi moments
in the score). And we can all picture some producer leaning over Revell's
shoulder and suggesting he use a lead guitar in the heroic transformation
scene just like Elfman's in Spider-Man's similar sequence [which
was itself rescored from its original brass-driven approach] .
If you're a fan of Revell's work, you should definitely pick this up
-- it's his best yet. And if you've never bothered with him before, this
one may be worth giving a chance. -- Luke Goljan
The Quiet American ***
CRAIG ARMSTRONG
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 426 2
12 tracks - 48:04
Craig Armstrong's first work after the hugely successful Moulin Rouge
is The Quiet American, which finds him reuniting with Australian
director Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector). Set in Saigon in 1952,
The Quiet American tells the story of an arriving American aid worker
and his relationship with a British journalist and his Vietnamese mistress.
The title track finds Armstrong blending Eastern influences into a lush
orchestral backing that includes the haunting vocals of Vietnamese singer,
Hong Nhung. The simple yet effective piano theme is doubled by various
sections of the orchestra but also countered by tasteful electronics. The
electronic element, heard throughout the album, blends well with the traditional
sounds of the mainly string orchestra. The combination is reminiscent of
Icelandic singer Bjork's music, and sounds distinctly European.
Unfortunately, many of the following cues do not stand up to the strong
statement made by the opening track. Instead of strong thematic development,
we simply hear the elements of the title track rearranged in various combinations.
Tempos are consistently slow and only pick up slightly on tracks like "Drive
Up Holy Mountain/The General," featuring lively acoustic percussion.
"Brothers in Arms" shows off the Metro Voices Choir, which provides
a wonderfully subdued performance rather than the more usual over-the-top
type of choral scoring. "Do You Still Miss Him?" finally delivers some
variation, with oboe accompanied by strings and choir, followed by more
of Nhung's exotic vocals.
The recording quality is superb and well balanced, with something interesting
always happening in the mix. Nonetheless, most of the music simply can't
keep pace with the excellent title track, which features all the album's
best moments. It's like an extended EP, where you get the hit single, and
the rest of the CD is not much more than the chill-out mix and dub version
of the original song. Don't believe me? Just check out the "End Title"
music, which turns the score's elements into a pop single and adds English
lyrics to replace the original Vietnamese!
Still, it's an enjoyable listen and can't go unrecommended -- though
if you prefer soundtracks that offer variety, you might want to pass.
-- Ian D. Thomas
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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