I hear there is a hula album in the works. Tell me about that because it sounds very exciting.
[Laughs] I feel like this is an album I’m putting out that was literally just for me that I want to do. Nobody asked for this. I’m a huge fan of Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, all of these guys that were doing this sort of quasi-exotic music in the ’60s. It was a mishmash of a lot of different elements, it’s from all over the world, but it has this sort of tropical vibe to it. I love that music so much and so I did an album that had every theme I’ve ever written, but in that style. Make it feel like one of those old RCA stereo records, and I was just so happy I got the chance to do it. That is coming out from Mutant Records, I think it’s July, but we just released the single that has two tracks from “Lost” on it.
It just literally came out of this dumb thing that I was like, “Oh, it’d be fun to do this. Anyone want to do this?” And they were like, “Yep, let’s do it.” So we did and it was a really exciting thing to do, because it really had nothing to do with anything other than just wanting to have fun. You’ll be hearing more about that in the coming weeks. I guess we’re going to do something at Comic-Con. It’s just another fun way to kind of look at all the work that was done and present it in a different way. We’ll see what happens.
Mutant is proud to present Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino's latest album, Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1, featuring iconic scores from Giacchino's extensive portfolio rendered in the retro lounge style of Exotica from the 1950s.
“It's no secret that we at Mutant are huge fans of Michael Giacchino,” says Spencer Hickman, Co-Founder of Mutant. “We're excited to release a retrospective of his astonishing three decades as a composer. Rather than just curating a simple compilation of his previous works, Michael went back into the studio, rearranged and re-recorded every major theme from his career. These tracks have been recorded in an Easy Listening style inspired by such greats as Martin Denny and Les Baxter, creating not just a unique and incredible look back at some of the most beloved movie and television themes of the modern age, but also bringing a fresh, exciting take to the beautiful journey he has taken us all on with him. It feels like you are discovering these songs for the very first time: timeless, beautiful, and a joy to listen to. These newly recorded themes transport you to a far-off sunset, looking out at the ocean, complete with a cocktail in hand, providing a much-needed escape from the stress of modern times, and we can all agree that is something we all crave right now.”
Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1 spans nearly two decades of Michael Giacchino’s music, from his early video game scores to his television hits and blockbuster films. The album transforms these works through the lens of Exotica, replacing epic strings and thundering drums with vibraphones and marimbas.
“This album was inspired by the work of Arthur Lyman and Martin Denny,” says Giacchino. “What would they do with the Star Trek theme? Or video games like Medal of Honor? It was a way for me to play in that world I loved so much growing up. I thought it would be fun to create a fantasy world, where this album was recorded back in 1967 and then lost, only to resurface today.”
The album showcases Giacchino’s unerring talent for melody, stripping down grand symphonies to their essential elements while retaining their aesthetic and emotional core.
“So much was rooted in the big orchestral sound, so it was really about scaling it back. The real trick is figuring out the little fun hooks and things you can add along the way. There were no rules; I was up for anything. It was a way to re-engage with the material and be creative in a new way.”
Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume 1 includes an array of reinterpreted pieces from Michael Giacchino’s career. Highlights include ‘Primordial Forest’ from the 1997 video game The Lost World: Jurassic Park, ‘Life and Death’ from Lost, the theme from Ratatouille, ‘Roar!’ from Cloverfield, ‘Enterprising Young Men’ from Star Trek (2009), ‘A Man, A Plan, A Code, Dubai’ from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and a Super 8 suite.
Featuring package design by Luke Insect, and liner notes by Charlie Brigden.
1 Primordial Forest (The Lost World Jurassic Park) 2:10 2 Medal of Honor 3:01 3 Bristow and Bristow (Alias) 3:09 4 Secret Weapons Over Normandy 3:26 5 The Incredibles Suite 3:07 6 Take a Hike (LOST) 3:21 7 Life and Death (LOST) 3:52 8 Sky High 2:31 9 Space Mountain 3:12 10 The Family Stone Waltz 2:11 11 Le Festin (Ratatouille) 2:20 12 Ratatouille 2:20 13 ROAR! (Cloverfield) 2:04 14 Casa Cristo (Speed Racer) 2:34 15 Land of the Lost 2:33 16 Enterprising Young Men (Star Trek) 2:50 17 Married Life (Up) 3:49 18 Let Me In 2:26 19 LAX (LOST) 3:37 20 The Turbomater (Cars 2) 2:21 21 A Man, A Plan, A Code, Dubai (Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol) 3:03 22 Monte Carlo 2:52 23 Super 8 Suite 3:04
I'm not a huge MG fan - I do have Ratatouille, The Incredibles and his Trek and Apes scores and that's it. I think Ratatouille is his best score. But this does sound an interesting CD!
Really makes me smile. It's like the cheesy re-recordings of old, but he's just doing it himself rather than waiting for some group on Pickwick to do it Loving the arrangements that I've heard. Lots of fun.
This reminds me, I still need to get to properly know that sci-fi concept story album he released, which I bought on CD a few years back. I'll dig it out, which will no doubt lead to a Michael Giacchino Score Replay Fest.
Listening to this right now (via Qobuz); it's just the perfect summer cocktail album.
Fun to hear all the Giacchino themes in smoothed up exotica jazz lounge versions. It's quite different from his previous concept album "Travelogue Volume I"
Loving the arrangements that I've heard. Lots of fun. 
