Best Video
Game Score of 2012
3. The Journey by Austin Wintory
The Journey soundtrack is an
evocative, ethereal, and haunting feast for the ears. The opening cue on the
album, Nascence, starts off with a beautiful string piece. The album closes
with a stellar performance by Lisbeth Scott in the cue, I Was Born for This. I
am looking forward to Wintory’s next projects!
Rating: ***1/2
Rating: ***1/2
2. Assassin’s Creed 3 by Lorne
Balfe
Jesper Kyde started the legacy of
the Assassin’s Creed soundtracks. They weren’t amazing, but they did the job.
Now, Lorne Balfe has taken over and created a whole new world for the Native
American assassin Connor and main character, Desmond. Balfe has definitely
surpassed himself this time.
Rating: ***1/2
Rating: ***1/2
1. Halo IV by Neil Davidge
I was disappointed when I heard
that the composers for the original Halo scores weren’t going to compose for
the 4th Halo entry (Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori). However,
Neil Davidge did a remarkable job. This is an action packed score! It has an
air of science fiction, but also plays like a blockbuster film score. This was
hands-down, my favorite video game score of ’12.
Rating: ****
Rating: ****
Best
Animated Score of 2012
3. The Lorax-John Powell
John Powell is well versed in
composing for animated films. The Lorax is no exception. It goes from comedy to
drama and from choral grandeur to melodic themes. The Lorax is an eclectic
collection to be sure! The highlights include the cues, Valley Exodus and
Thneedville Chase. This is very entertaining album to listen to.
Rating: ****1/2
Rating: ****1/2
2. Rise Of The Guardians-Alexandre Desplat
Rise of The Guardians is a fun, fantasy score. It took a
little while to grow on me. But once several cues in, I really began to enjoy
this score. Desplat utilizes lots of percussion, which I really enjoyed and the
whole album has an organic sound to it. It is by no means “synth sounding.” The Rise of the Guardians is definitely a highlight of '12!
Rating: ****1/2
Rating: ****1/2
1. Pirates, Band of Misfits-Theodore Shapiro
This soundtrack could be summarized by one word: Fun. It has
jaunty pirate rhythms, fast paced action, paradoxical cues, and a swashbuckling
main theme. There is bit of “mickey mousing” which keeps the action from
getting too serious. The only annoying factor was the cue, “Girl Guides” which
has an irritating march popping up in the most random places during the cue. It
probably was a scene that one could appreciate only in the film, but include it
in the soundtrack? However, that being said, Pirates: Band of Misfits is a very
fun soundtrack and my favorite animated movie score of the year.
Rating: ****1/2
Rating: ****1/2
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