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| CD Review: Helter Skelter |
| Posted By: Ian D. Thomas on May 15, 2005 - 10:00 PM |
CD Review: Helter Skelter
Helter Skelter *
MARK SNOW
BSX BSXCD1001
19 tracks - 60:15
I have to admit that I normally wouldn't judge a CD by its cover, but
this one looked just awful. Take a look at it. Does that guy even look
like Charles Manson? No, he looks like an actor with a beard scowling
into the camera. Manson is crazy. This guy doesn't look crazy. This CD
and I were off to a bad start. And it got worse...
The first thing you hear when you hit the start button is the world's
worst cover of the classic Beatles' track "Helter Skelter." I'll try
and be delicate here, so I don't offend anyone: It basically sounds
like it's being performed by a Fabulous Thunderbirds tribute band while
playing a Tuesday night gig at the local brew pub out in the suburbs.
It's that bad. For the first time in my life, I wanted to grab the disc
out of my machine and crush it with my bare hands. From the crappy drum
sounds and forced vocals, to the pathetic guitar solo, this track
stinks like nothing else I've heard in quite some time.
The next 18 tracks aren't much better. The simply named "Titles" starts
with the latest cliché du jour: impassioned, pseudo-ethnic,
wordless female vocals. I don't think I have to say much more about how
tired we all are with this trend. Won't someone put an end to it, once
and for all?
And "Sword" isn't really music as much as it is sound design. Creepy
sounds and drones that move about in a murky, dense reverb does not
equal musical composition. Adding in Penderecki-like string plunks and
plinks doesn't help matters, either. It sounds like they were copied
and pasted in because they're, well, kind of creepy sounding. Just ask
Stanley Kubrick or William Friedkin, both who used Penderecki's music
over 25 years ago!
Sadly, the rest of the album isn't much better, with most of it
sounding like you dragged an empty bathtub to a construction site,
filled it with cooked oatmeal and stuck your head in it. Scrapes,
bangs, mechanical-type noises and drones all awash in a dense fog of
delay and reverb. "Come to Now" is the worst, with about two minutes of
what sounds like someone shooting hoops in an empty airplane hangar. By
the way, this score was nominated for an Emmy.
Basically, the problem seems to be that Mark Snow is trapped in the
'90s. The entire sound palette he's using is from the previous decade,
and it really shows. One track in particular, "Sunrise Arrest," is a
full-on '90s rave scene Chemical Brothers-type dance floor number.
Look, the story takes place in the 1960s, right? And the movie was made
in 2004, right? Snow's approach doesn't make any sense at all.
Normally, when I hear a score that doesn't work for me, I try and
consider the reasons why. Does it just not work outside of the film?
Did the director and producers push for a more homogeneous sound? In
short, I try to relieve the composer of guilt. But it's hard to absolve
Mark Snow of guilt in this case. He's a classically trained musician
who studied at Julliard, and has since become one of the most
successful TV composers in history. Certainly at this point in his
career he should have the clout to pick and choose his assignments, and
to work only with top notch talent. So why not push the boundaries? I
just can't imagine he'd be content (despite his millions) to be known
only as Mark X-Files Snow.
A very disappointing and uninspired CD, Helter Skelter can only be
recommended for hardcore Mark Snow fans, or those who need to hear
exactly what's wrong with soundtracks today. --
Ian D. Thomas
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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Today in Film Score History:
January 17 |
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| Charles Bernstein begins recording his score for Love at First Bite (1979) |
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| Harry Robinson died (1996) |
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| John Williams begins recording his score to Return of the Jedi (1983) |
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| Rolf Wilhelm died (2013) |
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| Ryuichi Sakamoto born (1952) |
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