Slow Reviews Soundtracks: A NinSheetMusic Column

[Ruto]

Hahaha thanks!

I had to buy the program for the show, it was $10 and the tickets already cost me $90+ (I think). Sort of highway robbery but then I had to after I found out he was signing them

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: Nintendo DS Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Super Music Collection by Jun'ichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Morikazu Aoki, and Hitomi Sato

So this is the second Pokémon soundtrack I'm reviewing (the first being Pokémon Black and White) and luckily this one is not nearly as monstrous. However, at 149 tracks, it is fairly formidable, so this will probably end up being quite a long review. Alright, it seems like most of the main themes were handled by Sato and Ichinose, with Masuda composing all battle music as well as a couple of the "night" remixes of routes, some Dialga/Palkia themes, and some assorted remixes of his past themes. The only tracks that Aoki is credited with are "Get a Berry" and "Forget a Technique," in addition to "Battle Tower" which don't quite merit this composer any other mentions on this list. Shame, considering all the wonderful music composed by him for Ruby and Sapphire. Oh well. On to the review.

The album has quite a distinctive sound to it. Just as Ruby and Sapphire overused the trumpet and occasionally the strings, Diamond and Pearl heavily feature a jazz organ of sorts, a contrabass, and some other strange bass instrument that underlies many of the tracks. Interestingly, all of the city and route themes have both day and night versions, typically with the night being more relaxed and the day being more upbeat. It's a clever idea, but for the most part isn't overtly noticeable--there are of course great exceptions.

PART I: CITY AND TOWN THEMES
I'll start, this time, with a look at city and town music. This category starts off strong with Sato's wonderful "Twinleaf Town (Day)." It's heartfelt and quite beautiful. I really like how it's pretty while not boring or slow. The instruments are perfectly used. The night version feels like it uses "quieter" instruments for a more relaxed effect. In this version, the strings and mallets make the piece flow more smoothly. Ichinose's "Sandgem Town" brings the organ into play, as well as playful mallets which make this a fun (if forgettable) piece. Sato's "Jubilife City" suffers a similar fate. The music isn't bad, but there's nothing compelling or wonderful about it. Her "Oreburgh City" is slightly more memorable, and is more fun. The town music thus far (excepting Twinleaf Town) is all instantly recognizable, but not amazing on its own. All of this changes with "Floaroma Town" in which Sato brings a lilting, elegant waltz, using a bouncing harp and strings as well as what sounds like a muted trumpet to make a very pretty theme. The night version is even better; it uses incessant strings to make it flow beautifully.

Another great track is found in "Eterna City" in which Ichinose uses horse clops, a lazy swing eighths tempo, and a wonderful flute and later harmonica to carry the melody. It's pretty and fits the old fashioned city well. "Hearthome City"'s happy melody and incessant percussion makes even the night version sound upbeat. "Solaceon Town" is quite nice, though I do feel that this theme was quite overused in the games. The jazzy piano in "Veilstone City" is just lazy and catchy enough to make this a worthy theme, before it explodes into a full-blown jazz piece. I think one of the truly fantastic pieces from the games is "Canalave City." The beautiful piano mingles with strings in a flowing piece that I really do love. "Snowpoint City" uses the piano in several lone notes before developing a bit, but it suffers from being less memorable and--let's face it--good than the others. "Sunyshore City" has a wonderful intro before becoming annoyingly upbeat with that omnipresent organ underlying everything. "Pokemon League" is a beautiful piano piece. I like "Fight Area" simply because of its overwhelming "Pokémon-ish-ness." It just sounds like it belongs in a Pokémon game, with courageous brass and a blatantly adventurous tone. Finally, "Valor Lakefront" brings a relaxing, quietly beautiful piece that is great for all the areas it appears in. Sounds a bit lonely and, well, like the beach. The night version focuses more on strings to carry the piece a bit more smoothly.

PART II: BATTLE THEMES
Next, battle themes, all composed by the lovable Jun'ichi Masuda. The battle themes really shone this generation, with most of them being great even in spite of their overusage in the game and excessive timpani. "Battle! Wild Pokémon" is, in particular, one that I usually cannot stand due to repetitiveness and the crazy amount of times you hear it. But here, it isn't so bad. "Battle! Trainer" is also great; in fact, it's probably my favorite of all the Trainer battle themes. I really like "Battle! Gym Leader"; it's catchy and borrows some of the melody from the infamous "Lighthouse" from Pokémon Gold and Silver. A higher key version of this song is used for "Battle! Elite Four." "Battle! Team Galactic" and "Battle! Team Galactic Commander" are jazzy and chaotic, using a similar theme. I quite enjoy them. "Battle! Team Galactic Boss," on the other hand, is minimal, quiet and menacing on its own, deviating greatly from the normal team battle themes. I like that contrast. I have to say, though, probably my favorite battle theme this game is "Battle! Dialga, Palkia" in its tenseness and strangeness. I love the use of the piano, it gives the music a new dimension. I love "Battle! Champion" this region, with relentless snare drums and an amazing head-pounding rhythm. "Battle! Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf" is pretty fantastic in its tenseness and general cool melody featuring a relentless slap bass in the background. "Battle! Legendary Pokémon" is fairly lackluster, never really developing much.

PART III: ROUTE THEMES
Next, route themes, and that is where Diamond and Pearl really shines. No doubt players will get nostalgic at the cheery, smile-inducing "Route 201 (Day)" which tells players to have fun and go places, while the night version suggest it might be past your bedtime. "Route 203" is the least good of the route themes, with the organ being overused to a point where I might actually turn my music down to avoid hearing it. It picks up in the latter half but that intro is enough to scare me away. "Route 205" is beautiful in its elegance, and encourages exploration everywhere. "Route 206," however, is a worthwhile track which sounds epic and like an adventure. From the opening with excessive pizzicato strings, it's sure to evoke smiles. However, one of the most absolutely fantastic of the route themes is found in "Route 209" which sounds to me like rain. The elegant piano dips into the song throughout, with flowing strings and brave snare drum backing up the beautiful melody carried by a trumpet before picking up with other percussion and becoming briefly more exotic. In contrast, "Route 210" finds a theme that is great simply because of its sound of plowing ahead, no matter what. While 209 sounds like standing under an umbrella and admiring the beauty of the rain, 210 suggests forgetting the umbrella and recklessly running ahead through the mud. "Route 216" is a very surprising track. Rarely does Pokémon ever use music like this for routes. It begins with a brass instrument being dark, and continues to be slow for a while before exploding into a great theme for the most snowy place in the history of Pokémon. The night version uses the piano to its advantage. "Route 225" is probably, along with Route 209, the route music that epitomizes Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The electric guitar, synthesizers, and rockin' atmosphere really gives a great idea of what the games are. I enjoy how the night version is in a considerably higher key. Finally there is the excellent "Route 228," written for the desert routes. It's quite jazzy, and here is another of Sato's pieces that are wonderfully different in the day and night versions. The day version focuses on an excellent brass ensemble with piano underlying, while the night version, in addition to being in a higher key, focuses exclusively on the rather show-offy piano part, with brass backing it up. I love the theme.

PART IV: REMIXES OF OLDER THEMES
Next we come to the remixes of older themes. The first is the Pokémon Center theme, which also got both day and night versions. The day is the typical Pokémon Center theme, but the night was excellently handled. It's melancholy and lonely and is a great example of what the potential for the day and night themes is. "Friendly Shop" contains the excellent remix of the shop theme, upbeat and sounding like a supermarket in this version. There's quite a piano part in this version. There's the omnipresent, happy-go-lucky "Take Along" as usual. "Gym" is more marchlike than ever, in one of my favorite versions of the theme. The synthesizer-led "Battle Tower" is an effective remix. Finally, "Contest Assembly Hall" and "Super Contest" are great remixes of the contest themes first heard in Ruby and Sapphire. Oh, and we can't forget "Opening Demo," the inevitable remix of the main theme.

PART V: CHARACTER THEMES AND TRAINER SPOTTED THEMES
I personally love these themes as they are typically the catchiest of the bunch in Pokémon games. A problem I have with this particular game is that the themes for the three main characters (Rival, Dawn, and Lucas) all kind of suck. I see how the rival's theme might fit his reckless personality, but it doesn't stop it from being annoying. And truthfully, I don't even know where Dawn and Lucas's themes are trying to go. Not my personal favorites. "Enter the Elite Four" is jazzy but forgettable. The only other character theme is the epic piano solo "Champion Cynthia" which really caps off the character. As far as the spotted themes go, they're a bit hit and miss with this region, though there are definitely winners. "Spotted! Youngster" does what it needs to do but, as usual, isn't really memorable. "Spotted! Lass" is cute, though, and I enjoy its teasing style. The brief "Spotted! Twins" uses mallets in a cute fashion. "Team Galactic Enters" is quite a good piece, epitomizing Team Galactic well, if briefly. Another winner is "Spotted! Biker" which has a mocking grandeur in its melody, with excessive timpani and wonderful mallets and trilling flutes giving the impression of a big-band style march. The accordion in "Spotted! Hiker," however, gets fairly old fairly quickly in this very brief piece. "Spotted! Ace Trainer" is fairly annoying in its supposed coolness. I don't care much for it. The crazy synthesizers and electric guitar in "Spotted! Black Belt" is surprisingly catchy this region. I really, really like the creepy themes this time. "Spotted! Sailor" is jazzy and sleazy with its saxophone, and it's admittedly catchy. "Spotted! Collector" is unapologetically creepy, though, with great orchestration. It's a fun theme. And the jazzy "Spotted! Gambler" is really fun. I like the sleazy brass quite a lot. On the other hand, I really can't stand the annoying symphony bells in "Spotted! Aroma Lady." This category ends well with the awesome piano ragtime, "Spotted! Artist." It's just all around good jazzy fun.

PART VI: OTHER LOCATION AND ACTIVITY THEMES
Here are the themes that don't quite fit in the "route" or "city" categories. "Lake" is Ichinose's try for an elegant piece, but it is generally more annoying and repetitive than anything. "Laboratory" is the excellent theme for Professor Rowan, heard in the opening selection, and here performed on the piano. "Oreburgh Gate" uses pizzicato strings and doesn't develop much. "Oreburgh Mine" does not serve well with repetitive bells, either. However, "Mt. Coronet" is beautiful in its almost horrific ensemble piece. Beginning slow and then developing, it's an excellent cave theme. I actually like "Eterna Forest" with its odd time signature (is that 5/4 I hear?) and mystery, though it is repetitive after a while. "Eterna Galactic Building" is wonderfully jazzy and dark, a great villainous theme (if it is somewhat brief for my liking). This game also houses my favorite of the "Bicycle" themes, this one using more timpani and sounding more adventurous in contrast to all the others which sound playful. The tenseness of "Team Galactic Headquarters" is alright but doesn't really leave an impact. However, "Deep Within the HQ!" is worth a listen, if only because its random beeps and noises will leave you very curious. I love the "Spear Pillar" theme which borrows from the motif Masuda introduced in "Battle! Dialga, Palkia." I really enjoyed the mystery of "Victory Road" this region, with a great violin/piano/flute/random percussion ensemble--though at only 36 seconds it is ridiculously short. Ichinose redeems himself, though, with a great theme for "Jubilife TV." It uses nostalgic beeps along with a march-style tempo and rockin' synthesizers. Truth be told, I didn't care much for the dreamy "Surf" waltz this time around, though the style did work way better than the awful surf theme in Black and White. A great, if repetitive, march is found in the stampeding "Sinnoh Underground" with timpani and piano performing in great unison. However, all of this is made strange by the bizarre, banjo-led "Capture the Flag Underground!" which was an unapologetically country-style deviation from anything I would have expected. One of Ichinose's best contributions was "Old Chateau," a fantastic haunted house theme using mainly piano, strings, and timpani in addition to some creepy synthesizers and bells. Love this piece overall. "Great Marsh" is one of the winners on this soundtrack. It is by far the most upbeat, happy, song I've heard from Pokémon that still manages to leave an impression. Love the exotic percussion and dancingly happy tempo. Ichinose uses an electric guitar to lead yet another of his excellent "Game Corner" themes. I absolutely love Masuda's slot winning themes, though, because he referenced his Mt. Moon theme from Pokémon Gold and Silver in honor of Clefairy being featured on the slot games. He also proves to be a master of tenseness, however, with "Lake Crater" which features a simple four-note main theme. I enjoy the carelessly cheery "Amity Square" as it features some fun instruments and melodic ideas. The two dances, "Easy Dance" and "Difficult Dance" both work well, the first attempting cuteness and the second coolness (both achieving their goals, more or less). But Ichinose's "Stark Mountain" is where he goes all-out in a full-blown frightening exotic theme. It's quite catchy and works well in context. "Deciding Battle! Pokémon League" is the theme for inside the Pokémon League, and it's also full-blown with incessant piano and even using a haunting chorus briefly. Especially the intro is fantastically done.

PART VII: PART OF THE STORY
Only a few themes are mentioned here. First is Professor Rowan's theme, introduced in "Opening" then used in "Laboratory" and "Hall of Fame." It's instantly recognizable due to its strange time signature and epic-sounding melody. Secondly and lastly is the "Ending" theme which begins slow and beautiful before developing into  fast-paced theme that's also heartfelt.

General consensus: While not on the same scale technically or musically as Black and White, Diamond and Pearl offers some quality themes and deserves a listen. Don't download if repetitive music is not your thing.

Rating: *****

Track listing (excellent tracks in red)
DISC ONE
1. Opening Demo
2. Opening
3. Special Program "Follow the Red Gyarados!"
4. Twinleaf Town (Day)
5. Rival
6. Route 201 (Day)
7. Lake
8. Happening at the Lake!
9. Battle! Wild Pokémon
10. Victory Against a Wild Pokémon!
11. Dawn
12. Item Acquisition
13. Sandgem Town (Day)
14. Laboratory
15. Take Along
16. Pokémon Center (Day)
17. Recovery
18. Spotted! Youngster
19. Spotted! Lass
20. Battle! Trainer
21. Victory Against a Trainer!
22. Jubilife City (Day)
23. Get an Important Item
24. Friendly Shop
25. Route 203 (Day)
26. Battle! Rival
27. Oreburgh Gate
28. Get a Technique Machine
29. Oreburgh City (Day)
30. Oreburgh Mine
31. Gym
32. Battle! Gym Leader
33. Victory Against a Gym Leader
34. Get a Badge
35. Spotted! Twins
36. Level-up
37. Floaroma Town (Day)
38. Get a Berry
39. Route 205 (Day)
40. Team Galactic Enters
41. Battle! Team Galactic
42. Eterna Forest
43. Let's Go Together!
44. Eterna City (Day)
45. Eterna Galactic Building
46. Battle! Team Galactic Commander
47. Victory Against Team Galactic!
48. Evolution
49. Congratulations on Evolution
50. Bicycle
51.  Spotted! Biker
52. Route 206 (Day)
53. Hearthome City (Day)
54. Route 209 (Day)
55. Spotted! Hiker
56. Solaceon Town (Day)
57. Get a Pokétch Application
58. Route 210 (Day)
59. Veilstone City (Day)
60. Valor Lakefront (Day)
61. Canalave City (Day)
62. Route 216 (Day)
63. Snowpoint City (Day)
64. Team Galactic Headquarters
65. Battle! Team Galactic Boss
66. Deep Within the HQ!
67. Mt. Coronet
68. Spear Pillar
69. Legendary Pokémon Appears!
70. Cataclysm!
71. Battle! Dialga, Palkia
72. Sunyshore City (Day)
73. Victory Road
74. Spotted! Ace Trainer
75. Pokémon League (Day)
76. Fight Area (Day)
77. Route 225 (Day)
78. Route 228 (Day)
DISC TWO
1. Twinleaf Town (Night)
2. Route 201 (Night)
3. Pokémon Center (Night)
4. Wi-Fi Communication
5. Sandgem Town (Night)
6. Lucas
7. Jubilife City (Night)
8. Jubilife TV
9. GTS
10. Surf
11. Canalave City (Night)
12. Forget a Technique
13. Route 203 (Night)
14. Spotted! Black Belt
15. Oreburgh City (Night)
16. Route 205 (Night)
17. Spotted! Sailor
18. Eterna City (Night)
19. Sinnoh Underground
20. Capture the Flag Underground!
21. Spotted! Aroma Lady
22. Floaroma Town (Night)
23. Old Chateau
24. Solaceon Town (Night)
25. Great Marsh
26. Route 206 (Night)
27. Spotted! Collector
28. Veilstone City (Night)
29. Game Corner
30. Success at the Slots
31. Great Success at the Slots
32. Spotted! Gambler
33. Route 209 (Night)
34. Snowpoint City (Night)
35. Route 216 (Night)
36. Lake Crater
37. Battle! Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf
38. Route 210 (Night)
39. Discovery with Poké Radar!
40. Sunyshore City (Night)
41. Spotted! Artist
42. Amity Square
43. Get an Accessory
44. Hearthome City (Night)
45. Contest Assembly Hall
46. Poffin
47. Super Contest!
48. Contest! Dress-up
49. Easy Dance
50. Difficult Dance
51. Contest! Announcing the Results
52. Contest Victory!
53. Route 228 (Night)
54. Valor Lakefront (Night)
55. Fight Area (Night)
56. Battle Tower
57. Route 225 (Night)
58. Stark Mountain
59. Battle! Legendary Pokémon
60. Mystery Gift
61. Pokémon League (Night)
62. Deciding Battle! Pokémon League
63. Enter the Elite Four!
64. Battle! Elite Four
65. Victory Against the Elite Four!
66. Champion Cynthia
67. Battle! Champion
68. Victory Against the Champion
69. Hall of Fame
70. Congratulations on Entering the Hall of Fame!
71. Ending

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky by Arata Iiyoshi

This soundtrack is a bit of an oddity. I quite like it. The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games have quite a cult following, and not only is the gameplay fun and addictive, the plotlines are moving and filled with twists. And the music is excellent. Here's the thing. The music is not very high quality. Most of it sounds like it could be from a GBA game. But the really surprising thing is the number of good quality compositions behind the low quality. And it's not like the music quality is AWFUL--it definitely gives the music a distinctive feel. Perhaps this style works best for this music.

I am not familiar with any of Iiyoshi's other works and to be honest I have not bothered to even look him up on Wikipedia before writing this review. So I am not sure if this is a first job for him, or what, but he shows a lot of ambition. At 141 tracks this album is longer than the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire one by a good thirty tracks or so. And all the songs are carefully thought out. The problem is that while he shows ambition and has several really good compositions, so many of the dungeon themes suffer from a lack of memorability. So a lot of the tracks won't get a mention here.

There's a sense of brave and courageous adventure throughout the score, most blatantly in the main theme of the game, "Pokémon Exploration Team Theme." It uses brass to give a really happy and yet courageous feeling. I find it funny how Iiyoshi uses the theme with chimes and pizzicato strings in "Top Menu Theme" to make it more timid. You'd hardly recognize that it was the same motif. The same idea of adventure is expressed in "Mt. Horn" which has blaring brass and excessive timpani to convey a grand adventure. And "Temporal Tower" definitely sounds like a final showdown. The main theme is brought back in "Ending Theme" which makes an impact. A lot of the music is just on a grand scale, ahead of its time. "Northern Desert" has a sweepingly slow, lazy waltz that could really make someone sway with the music. Another example is the surprisingly dangerous "Dark Forest" which manages to leave an impact. The three that really leave an impact as being powerful are "Through the Sea of Time" which despite its brevity might leave you in tears, "Time Gear" which arranges the theme into a 3/4 tempo, and "In the Hands of Fate" which is the Time Gear theme on a smaller scale--using mainly chimes. It's worth noting that "Dialga's Fight to the Finish!" uses a similar idea.

There are also some pieces that really showcase the lighter side of the orchestra. "On the Beach at Dusk" conveys a serene happiness that gives me chills, despite the simplicity. There's also the adorable, sleepy"Goodnight" which is nostalgic and moving. "Waterfall Cave" might surprise you in its moodiness for a dungeon theme. It's pretty mellow and serene. The simple happiness in "At the End of the Day" is cute and smile-inducing, while "Defend Globe" is so heartfelt that it's almost ridiculous to be in a video game. The elegance in "Treeshroud Forest" and the quiet beauty in "Hidden Land" is hypnotic. The "Hidden Highland" is surprisingly dark but still is one of the more beautiful pieces on the album--again sounding more like a film score. The ticking in "Temporal Spire" is reflective and moody. And several of the ending tracks are downright tear-jerking. "Don't Ever Forget..." is quite poignant and sorrowful, as are the few tracks that follow it, setting up the ending theme brilliantly. "In the Morning Sun" is similar. "In the Nightmare" is beautiful and also a bit chilling. "Steam Cave" is pretty much the definition of moody music, with a relentless slap bass in the background playing the same incessant note throughout.

That's not to say the soundtrack doesn't have its playful moments. Often these are a highlight. From the wacky, off-kilter "Spinda's Café" to the laid-back fun of "Marowak Dojo," the playful tracks really add some fun to the album without detracting from the beauty in other tracks. "Treasure Town" is a cute Irish jig."Guildmaster Wigglytuff" manages to be silly and still be quite an impressive piece, while "Team Skull" suggests Skuntank's fumes through dissonant and creepy chords which are also quite fun. "Apple Woods" is a quiet waltz, bouncy and serene. Elsewhere, "Outlaw!" lets loose in full-blown chaos. The chimes in "Cave and Side Path" are quite fun to hear, with minimal percussion before it gets to other instruments scattering around chaotically. The mystery and sway of "Foggy Forest" and "Crystal Crossing" will most likely captivate you. Two really playful tracks despite their overlying creepiness are found in "Dusk Forest" and "Deep Forest" with its tempo which is bouncy, devilish and impish. "Shaymin Village" is also quite fun with a slow, happy waltz tempo. The excellent Tiny Woods remix in "Murky Forest" is as threatening and creepily happy as always--always good for a listen. There are always the relentless bongo drums in "Southern Jungle" which make me think the player is being chased by cannibals or something. "Team Charm's Theme" really brings a rockin' atmosphere in a theme song for the trio led by Lopunny.

Overall, Iiyoshi shows a lot of diversity, though most of the dungeon themes are stereotypical video game music--catchy and brief, with little memorability. Download if you're into that kind of thing, or if you think the really moving tracks are worth a download. Overall not bad.

Rating: *****

Track listing (excellent tracks in red):
1. Pokémon Exploration Team Theme
2. Top Menu Theme
3. Welcome to the World of Pokémon!
4. On the Beach at Dusk
5. Beach Cave
6. In the Depths of the Pit
7. Title Theme
8. Wigglytuff's Guild
9. Guildmaster Wigglytuff
10. Goodnight
11. Wigglytuff's Guild Remix
12. Drenched Bluff
13. Job Clear!
14. Treasure Town
15. Heartwarming
16. Growing Anxiety
17. Oh No!
18. Mt. Bristle
19. Boss Battle!
20. Time Gear Remix
21. The Gatekeepers
22. Outlaw!
23. I Saw Something Again...
24. Waterfall Cave
25. Kecleon's Shop
26. Team Skull
27. Spinda's Café
28. Ludicolo Dance
29. Apple Woods
30. Craggy Coast
31. Cave and Side Path
32. Mt. Horn
33. Foggy Forest
34. Steam Cave
35. Upper Steam Cave
36. Amp Plains
37. Far Amp Plains
38. Monster House!
39. Rising Fear
40. Northern Desert
41. Quicksand Cave
42. Quicksand Pit
43. Crystal Cave
44. Crystal Crossing
45. At the End of the Day
46. In the Future
47. Planet's Paralysis
48. Chasm Cave
49. Dark Hill
50. Sealed Ruin
51. Sealed Ruin Pit
52. Dusk Forest
53. Deep Dusk Forest
54. The Power of Darkness
55. Treeshroud Forest
56. Brine Cave
57. Lower Brine Cave
58. Hidden Land
59. Hidden Highland
60. Battle Against Dusknoir
61. Time Gear
62. Through the Sea of Time
63. In the Hands of Fate
64. Temporal Tower
65. Temporal Spire
66. Temporal Pinnacle
67. Down a Dark Path
68. Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
69. Time Restored
70. Don't Ever Forget...
71. Have to Get Home
72. Farther Away...
73. A Wish for Peace
74. Memories Returned
75. Ending Theme Intro
76. Ending Theme
77. Epilogue Theme
78. Mystifying Forest
79. Do Your Best, as Always!
80. Shaymin Village
81. Sky Peak Forest
82. Sky Peak Cave
83. Sky Peak Prairie
84. Sky Peak Coast
85. Sky Peak Snowfield
86. Sky Peak Final Pass
87. Blizzard Island Rescue Team Medley
88. Surrounded Sea
89. Miracle Sea
90. Aegis Cave
91. Defy the Legends
92. Concealed Ruins
93. Mt. Travail
94. In the Nightmare
95. Palkia's Onslaught!
96. Dark Crater
97. Deep Dark Crater
98. Random Dungeon Theme 1
99. Random Dungeon Theme 2
100. Random Dungeon Theme 3
101. Marowak Dojo
102. Pelipper Island
103. Sympathy
104. Beyond the Dream
105. Air of Unease
106. Star Cave
107. Deep Star Cave
108. One for All, All for One!
109. Murky Forest
110. A Fun Exploration
111. Fortune Ravine
112. Fortune Ravine Depths
113. It Can't Be...
114. Defend Globe
115. Defend Globe (Ending)
116. Spring Cave
117. Lower Spring Cave
118. Spring Cave Depths
119. Here Comes Team Charm!
120. Southern Jungle
121. Boulder Quarry
122. Illusion Stone Chamber
123. Limestone Cavern
124. Deep Limestone Cavern
125. Team Charm's Theme
126. For a New Life
127. Barren Valley
128. Dark Wasteland
129. Spacial Cliffs
130. Dark Ice Mountain
131. Living Spirit
132. Icicle Forest
133. Proud Achievement
134. Vast Ice Mountain
135. Vast Ice Mountain Peak
136. In the Morning Sun
137. A New World
138. It's Not a Miracle
139. Thoughts for Friends
140. A Message on the Wind
141. Life Goes On! (Ending)

[Bespinben]

You, sir, have won my internet. I'm going to organize my response on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis (meaning my second paragraph, the next one, will be in response to your second paragraph.

I've tried various occasions to gather details on Iiyoshi-san, but all I can come up with is that, outside of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 1 and 2, he supervised the Super Smash Bros. Brawl arrangements of Skyworld (Kid Icarus), Dark World (LoZ: Link to the Past), and White Land (F-Zero). On the matter of the vastness of PMD2 soundtrack, I think that THAT in itself contributed to the forgetability of a few dungeon themes. In contrast, I could name for you any song from PMD1: Blue/Red Rescue Team upon hearing it, simply because the soundtrack is half the size as it's sequel (and maybe because of my bias that I slightly prefer PMD1 soundtrack over PMD2).

Possibly my favorite variation of the "Time Gear" motif that occurs in "Sacrifice" (i.e. "Through the Sea of Time), "In the Hands of Fate", and other songs is the "Fogbound Lake" theme. The way all of the parts interact in "Fogbound Lake" create a wondrous polyphonic texture, and is truly the epitome of the beautiful music in this game.

I'm really happy you gave mention to "Steam Cave", that's another one of my favorites. The moodiness really reflects the feelings of dread you might have as you approach the possibility of discovering your identity once you meet Uxie atop Fogbound Lake.

I've compared the PMD2 Sky "Murky Forest" and PMD1 "Tiny Woods" tracks a number of times, and I don't believe it's a remix at all. In fact, on a passive listen, one might even mistake Murky Forest to be a direct audio port of Tiny Woods. The only differences I could note were extremely subtle intonation differences due to having slightly different soundfonts. Oh, and I likewise enjoy "Outlaw!" - the chromatic runs really make it very fun and chaotic.

Thanks for your excellent review Slow  I really enjoyed it.

[SlowPokemon]

Hmm which one is Fogbound Lake? I don't have a song on my album called that--what's it called on my album?

As far as Murky Woods, yeah the sounds are slightly different in a couple place--I think it can be compared to what the music developers for HGSS did for the Gameboy Sounds; just recreated the piece while not really changing anything. So remix isn't really the best word. It's the same for all of the Sky Peak songs which were primarily remixes of the first games' themes.

But yeah I like the soundtrack. It's good for casual listening because the tracks don't loop and the songs are easy to get into.

[Bespinben]

Hmm which one is Fogbound Lake? I don't have a song on my album called that--what's it called on my album?

Time Gear - (track 61). I have a tendency to use fan-assigned names from before Explorers of Sky was released (ex: "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" as opposed to "Don't Ever Forget"). The first minute is all build-up, and then you have a wondrous climax.

[SlowPokemon]

Ah, yeah! That's one of my favorite tracks on the album. I've had it on my ipod for some time now. Just I never thought to write a review.

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: TV Anime Pocket Monsters Original Soundtrack Best 1997-2010 by Shinji Miyazaki

Okay, so technically Jun'ichi Masuda and Go Ichinose and Hitomi Sato and the rest COMPOSED these tunes, but Miyazaki orchestrated all of them for the anime. I'm doing a fast review this time, only pointing out some highlights. This album, for those of you that don't know, has selections from the first four generations of games, orchestrated for use in the anime series.

First off, the music is very high quality. These pieces have never sounded better as far as that goes. All of them were done very well. So I have no qualms calling this album essential to any Pokémon music-lover. The pieces just seem so much more in their elements when they're orchestrated.

Part I: Kanto
The Kanto pieces are quite enjoyable. "Opening" is here in what's probably its finest incarnation. It sounds fantastic, actually. I think that this is what Masuda envisioned this piece as while composing for the limited Game Boy. "Guide" is a great remix of the playful song that will surely leave you smiling. "Pokémon Center" is also a worthy remix, probably the best version that exists (though SSBB's version was great as well). The route music here is wonderful. "The Road to Hanada - From Moon-viewing Mountain" (Route 4) is overflowing with nostalgia, while "The Road to Shion - From Kuchiba" is a faster version of the Route 11 theme (which was my personal favorite route music from Red/Blue). The battle music is even better. "Battle (VS Trainer)" is easily my favorite version of the song, with chaos flying through your headphones as electric guitar and percussion blast into your ears. The cutest, though, is "Cycling," which uses a wavering, cute flute to carry parts of the melody.

Part II: Johto
Johto has several standouts which are wonderful. Most immediately impressing upon me was the poignant "Enju City" (Ecruteak City) which had a beautiful piano/strings combo that hit me hard in the heart. "Route 38" was also a beautiful version. This song only sounds great when it's performed as a blatant, brass-led march, but Miyazaki incorporated strings effectively as well. Another good one was "Fight! Trainer (Jouto)." Especially because of the old 8bit-style intro after a slow string section, and interesting twanging throughout. "Surfing" is another great one. Gold/Silver had my favorite surfing theme besides Ruby/Sapphire, and it's beautiful here (though I probably like the HeartGold/SoulSilver version about the same or better). Next up are two expertly handled remixes: "Eye Contact! Rocket Gang" takes a classic version of the theme, while "The Radio Tower Takeover" uses instead a slow, incredibly creepy string version that you probably wouldn't recognize unless you were looking for it. The jazzy, exotic "Nibi City" (Pewter City) is also worthwhile if you liked the original. "Ending" uses a pleasantly relaxed version of the theme. To be honest, I would have preferred an upbeat version, but this is still quite pretty.

Part III: Hoenn
Hoenn probably has my favorite remixes. I love the "Opening Selection" which arranges the typically upbeat and adventurous theme into a more heartfelt version. I like it a lot. "Kotoki Town" also sounds very pretty here, with rolling strings and a flowing melody. An interesting choice was "Victory over a Gym Leader!" which is actually five seconds longer than the Pokémon Gym remix which precedes it. It sounds good here, not annoying in the least. I was pleasantly surprised. "Cross the Sea" is utterly unrecognizable in a slow piano movement rather than the fast and bouncy version heard in the game. "The Oceanology Movement" also uses the harpsichord prominently (and almost exclusively) in a very fun piece that sounds stately and noble. Two city remixes are up not long afterwards, of two of my favorite songs. "Hiwamaki City" (Fortree City) uses mallets and wonderful pizzicato strings to make a bubbly, happy orchestrated version, and "Minamo City" (Lilycove City) may be my favorite track on the album, with a beautiful ensemble including an accordion to perform the piece. "Ceremony - Fire Mountain" is also an interesting arrangement of Mt. Pyre, although it's too bizarre and creepy to listen to often. "Enter the Magma Gang!" is very well-done, with playful mallets towards the beginning establishing Team Magma's theme. "Fight! Aqua Magma Gang" is also great (I just really like that theme though). "Fight! Elite Four" is a great piece, especially in the intro with clapping in the background allowing for a playful beginning before breaking out the brass and electric guitar. "Abandoned Ship" dropped the upbeat style of the original in favor of more awe and wonder--don't worry, it suits the piece.

Part IV: Sinnoh
Sinnoh had wonderful remixes. But there are too few! And there are THREE versions of the Laboratory theme...which is okay I guess but really nothing special. It didn't do so much for the game in my opinion. However, they are immediately followed by the absolutely BEAUTIFUL "Futaba Town (Day)" (Twinleaf Town) which is definitely one of my favorites on the whole album. If you're going to check out one track on the whole album to decide whether you want to download it or not, this would be the one. "Route 201 (Day)" is also great; I always liked this cute little song. "Hakutai Woods" (Eterna Woods) is quite mellow, with synthesized piano and what sounds like whistling carrying the main melody. "Eye Contact! Pokémon Collector" is also great, with beautifully dissonant, creepy instruments meshing to form the sleazy, unnerving trainer theme. I also very much enjoyed "Route 206 (Day) which is a bit of a typical route theme but which is quite nostalgic for me personally. "Eye Contact! Artist" is all around good fun, with the jazzy theme not using the piano at all (let alone exclusively, like the original piece). An impressive remix is "Difficult Dance" which rather than keeping the coolness motif of the original piece, instead takes a sweeping, elegant waltz which will make you want to sway with the music.

Rating: *****

Track listing (excellent tracks in red):
1. ~Opening~
2. ~Opening~ II
3. ~Opening~ III
4. The Road to Tokiwa - From Masara
5. The Road to Tokiwa - From Masara II
6. Battle (VS Wild Pokémon)
7. Fanfare - Got a Pokémon
8. Guide
9. Pokémon Center
10. Pokémon Center II
11. The Caves of Moon-viewing Mountain
12. The Road to Hanada - From Moon-viewing Mountain
13. Purin's Song
14. A Trainer Appears (Boy Version)
15. Battle (VS Trainer)
16. Battle (VS Trainer) II
17. Pokémon Gym
18. Pokémon Gym II
19. Battle (VS Gym Leader)
20. The Road to Shion - From Kuchiba
21. Cycling
22. Pokémon Tower
23. Pokémon Tower II
24. Pokémon Flute
25. The Sea
26. The Sea II
27. The Final Path
28. Last Battle (VS Rival)
29. ~Ending~
30. Title
31. Route 29
32. Fight! Wild Pokémon (Jouto)
33. Enju City
34. Fight! Rival
35. Bug Catching Contest
36. Bicycle
37. Route 38
38. Fight! Trainer (Jouto)
39. Surfing
40. Eye Contact! Rocket Gang
41. The Radio Tower Takeover
42. Route 26
43. The High-speed Liner
44. Nibi City
45. Fight! Champion
46. Ending
47. Title ~Main Theme~
48. Opening Selection
49. Kotoki Town
50. Fight! Wild Pokémon
51. Touka City
52. Gym
53. Victory over a Gym Leader!
52. Congratulations for the Evolution
53. Cross the Sea
54. The Oceanology Museum
55. Enter the Aqua Gang!
56. Contest!
57. Hiwamaki City
58. Minamo City
59. Recovery
60. Ceremony - Fire Mountain
61. Enter the Magma Gang!
62. Hideout
63. Fight! Aqua Magma Gang
64. Fight! Ancient Pokémon
65. Champion Road
66. Champion Road II
67. Fight! Elite Four
68. Abandoned Ship
69. Proclaimed Stone Chamber
70. Fight! Regirock - Regice - Registeel
71. Laboratory (Opening)
72. Laboratory (Opening) II
73. Laboratory (Opening) III
74. Futaba Town (Day)
75. Route 201 (Day)
76. Fight! Wild Pokémon
77. Masago Town (Day)
78. Hakutai Woods
79. Eye Contact! Pokémon Collector
80. Route 206 (Day)
81. Eye Contact! Karate King
82. Eye Contact! Artist
83. Super Contest!
84. Difficult Dance
85. Fight! Gym Leader
86. Route 210 (Day)
I highly recommend you find and download this, Pokemon fans.

[Cobraroll]

No mention of the Contest! theme? I found it amazing. Petalburg city was also great.

Also, was it bad of me to go through track by track and rename them to the respective English names when I got the soundtrack?

[SlowPokemon]

Nah I typically do that with the games, but here it felt "pure" to keep them with their original names.

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: Dark Shadows by Danny Elfman

About the artist: Danny Elfman, who prior to scoring films was a member of the band Oingo Boingo, began working on films in the mid-1980s, beginning with Tim Burton's Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Burton and Elfman have held a long-standing collaboration; Elfman has scored all of his films besides Ed Wood, which was produced during a falling-out between the two in the 1990s, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which was an adaptation of a musical written by Stephen Sondheim. Although Elfman has written the music for many well-known, non-Burton works such as Men in Black and Spiderman, and even the title themes for television shows The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives, it is with Tim Burton that he creates his more memorable efforts like Edward Scissorhands and Batman. More recently, he composed the score for Cirque du Soleil's show Iris.

Upon first hearing of the film Dark Shadows, I can imagine your reaction.

"Hmm? A new remake of a creepy 1960s soap opera? Who's directing that, Tim Burton? Hahaha...wait, what? Oh, well let's hope he's not using Johnny Depp for the main...what's that? Again? Oh. Well, is he at least not super pale with sunken eyes this time?"



"...Wow. Okay. Well, he's not including Helena Bonham Carter, the mother of his children, again. Right?"



All joking aside, yes, Burton's regular crew is back. Maybe you're growing a bit weary of this by now. However, also returning is the expert composer, Danny Elfman. And this time he's gone for what sounds closer to a horror film score than anything I've heard from him in the past.

Part of this, from what I can gather, is that the fun scenes were all accompanied by hilariously bad era-specific songs. Still, I'm not complaining. This style is quite becoming.

What we hear in the beginning is a breathtaking opening piece, "Dark Shadows Prologue (Uncut)." Starting out with an eerie bass flute motif that we hear occasionally throughout the score, then segueing into tragic string movements, it begins to grow progressively more uneasy before letting all hell break loose. I have not yet seen the film, so can't vouch for what happens at this part, but I'm willing to bet it's horrifying and/or scary. This is clever and effective scoring, and he also introduces the main theme for Dark Shadows, a five-note motif heard quite frequently over the soundtrack. The theme is used very well with synthesizers in "Shadows (Reprise)," and my personal favorite version makes up the all-too-brief end track, "We Will End You!" If you were going to look for any sort of main theme, I'd recommend looking at that last track.

There's some great scary mood music in several of the tracks, particularly "Vicki's Nightmare" and the companion tracks "Killing Dr. Hoffman" and "Dumping the Body." A great example is "The Angry Mob," one of my favorites for its scary tone and progressively horrifying sound. Some of the tracks incorporate bizarre synth sound effects, particularly the trippy "Hypno Music" and later in "Lava Lamp" and"House of Blood." "Burn Baby Burn / In-Tombed" uses vibes in another great piece, while "Roger Departs" is more light and poignant with string sections. However, the end suite tracks are where the action can truly be heard. "Final Confrontation," "Widows' Hill (Finale)," and "The End? (Uncut)" are all great for their purely excellent nature.

Overall, I really enjoyed this score. I listened to it several times (it's probably less than an hour altogether) and it hasn't lost any effect. In fact, I could go on to say that I didn't find a single weak cue on the album. It's not as perfect as Elfman's masterpiece, Edward Scissorhands, but it definitely comes from the same man. The horror-film style is excellent when used by Elfman. I'm looking forward to what I'm assuming will be a zany score for Frankenweenie later this year--and of course we can't forget Men in Black 3 in a couple weeks. This album managed to get me excited about Elfman during a time when I thought he had lost his touch a bit. I'd recommend this to any Elfman fan.

DOWNLOAD: if you are interested in a more horror-oriented score rather than the typical lilting or zany efforts of Danny Elfman.
DON'T DOWNLOAD: if you are expecting this to be a rehash of Elfman's excellent earlier scores from the 1980s/1990s, because it's definitely a different style.

Rating: ***

Track listing (excellent tracks in red):
1. Dark Shadows Prologue (Uncut)
2. Resurrection
3. Vicki Enters Collinwood
4. Deadly Handshake
5. Shadows (Reprise)
6. Is It Her?
7. Barnabas Comes Home
8. Vicki's Nightmare
9. Hypno Music
10. Killing Dr. Hoffman
11. Dumping the Body
12. Roger Departs
13. Burn Baby Burn / In-Tombed
14. Lava Lamp
15. The Angry Mob
16. House of Blood
17. Final Confrontation
18. Widows' Hill (Finale)
19. The End? (Uncut)
20. More the End?
21. We Will End You!

[SlowPokemon]

An In-depth Look at the Music of Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a legacy. With books, films, and entire theme parks devoted to it, the series has been a huge pop culture phenomenon during the last decade. Having just visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal's Islands of Adventure, I feel Pottermania taking its course and feel like now would be a good time to review all the music of the Harry Potter films, even those two which I already have. So let's start with the first film.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by John Williams
John Williams is the man who started it all. He launched the franchise's music and set the tone for what the other films should be. In addition, he gave Harry Potter one of the most instantly recognizable main themes which appears in all the other scores, if only fleetingly--"Hedwig's Theme." There are several different movements of the theme, beginning with a whimsical floating melody on what sounds like a celesta or something similar, followed by a majestic, sweeping waltz typically taken up by the entire string section, and finally a 4/4 section which typically is associated with Quidditch or some other dangerous scenario. It's a brilliant, truly magical piece of music which Williams uses not-so-sparingly throughout the first and second films. Another theme that Williams introduces is the "Harry's Wondrous World" theme, which starts with the second section of Hedwig's Theme before breaching into a warm, beautiful piece with several variations. While this theme is quite good, it's worth noting that it is not quite as effective as Hedwig's Theme. And now we come to the actual score beyond these two themes. There is some wonderful music here and it is not hard to see why it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Here are some tracks worth looking at. "Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and The Journey to Hogwarts" contains music that is bustling, fun, and silly before seguing into a beautiful reprisal of Hedwig's Theme. "Hogwarts Forever! and The Moving Stairs" is stately and noble, perfect for the mysterious but welcoming Hogwarts castle. "The Norwegian Ridgeback and A Change of Season" is downright wacky, the silly opening being quite comical, contrasting with the second half which contains a beautiful reprisal of the Harry's Wondrous World theme. "Leaving Hogwarts" is the last highlight for me, an overall great end to the album before the oddly-positioned Hedwig's Theme. There are some other good motifs here, like one consisting of three startlingly creepy notes for Voldemort or a fun, wondrous one for Diagon Alley, but really the tracks I mentioned are the highlights. This was a successful start to the series, and an album that any fan should possess.

Rating: *****
Best track: "Hedwig's Theme"
Also check out: "Harry's Wondrous World," "Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and The Journey to Hogwarts," "Hogwarts Forever! and The Moving Stairs," "The Norwegian Ridgeback and A Change of Season," "Leaving Hogwarts"

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by John Williams
It's Williams round two for this score, and of course it will be similar to the first. That's honestly the biggest complaint here--we've heard a good portion of this music before. However, while Hedwig's Theme and other motifs like Voldemort or Diagon Alley make more appearances, and Harry's Wondrous World actually merits a spot on the soundtrack a second time, there is still plenty of exciting, great new music. Williams seems to concentrate mostly on character themes this time rather than music specifically designed for scenes. The scene-specific music is here (sort of), but it takes a backseat to the themes heard within them, a welcome departure from the first score. Just listen to "Fawkes the Phoenix" to hear the majesty and downright gorgeousness in the bird's theme, or "The Chamber of Secrets" to hear to a similar theme but in a distinctly minor key, sending shivers down your spine. Williams seems to relish in his comedic march theme, "Gilderoy Lockhart," his frenzied, out-of-control piece "The Flying Car," and his slitheringly creepy "The Spiders." And who wouldn't love the sheepish, pleasant "Dobby the House Elf" or the unnerving and chord-clashing "Moaning Myrtle?" The new material is great, an improvement over the first. And the rehashes of the old themes are not in fact rehashes all of the time. The prologue is the same stuff, sure, but just listen to "Polyjuice Potion" or "Cakes for Crabbe and Goyle" to hear a delightfully blundering take on the third movement of Hedwig's Theme. Overall this is a bit of a disappointment after the first score, not as polished but including a wider variety of themes.

Rating: ****
Best track: "Fawkes the Phoenix"
Also check out: "The Chamber of Secrets," "Gilderoy Lockhart," "The Flying Car"

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by John Williams
Williams is back for the final time, and he proves that the third time truly is the charm (no pun intended). He takes a dramatic departure from the mold, hardly using Hedwig's Theme at all throughout the film besides some necessary intro music. In its place are a variety of wonderful pieces which suit this darker film considerably better. "Aunt Marge's Waltz" is the first new piece of music, and my personal favorite piece that Williams has contributed to the Harry Potter series. Beginning with a light intro and becoming steadily more magical sounding, it hits the chorus, a heavy, comical "BOMBOMBOM" motif which bounces throughout the main section of the song as Aunt Marge is blown up into a despicable balloon. The main theme, which rises up and then comes down again, weighed down by a pompous french horn or other instruments, is sure to tickle your funny bone, and the end of the piece, a sweeping, flighty and majestic departure as she floats up, up and away, will be sure to lift your spirits. A truly spectacular piece in my opinion. Not long after, we hit the main theme for this movie, "Double Trouble." An eerie, bubbling melody undertones a childrens' choir singing lyrics taken from Shakespeare's Macbeth in a really cool piece. Williams arranges the theme into a mystical waltz in the second half of the decidedly Potter-esque "Hagrid the Professor." Another fantastic addition is the floating, awe-inspiring "Buckbeak's Flight," which truly makes the listener feel like he or she is soaring through the air. A more mellow, but no less beautiful piece is "A Window to the Past," which finds a woodwind carrying the moving melody. Some of the music for the Dementors is downright terrifying and sounds like it belongs in a full-scale horror film. If that is your sort of thing, I'd recommend looking at "The Dementors Converge." It's also worth noting the third track, "The Knight Bus," for its frenzied jazzfest. It's too crazy for me, but some really like this piece so I figured I'd mention it here. The last highlight is "Mischief Managed," the credits music. A brief reprisal of Hedwig's Theme, which has been largely absent, appears before numerous takes on the Double Trouble theme. The downside of this track is that after about three minutes of that, the rest of the track (which totals a little over twelve minutes) is taken up by a medley of many other tracks, completely unchanged from their original states. Overall, this score was Williams's best contribution and possibly the best score from the series.

Overall score: *****
Best track: "Aunt Marge's Waltz"
Also check out: "Double Trouble," "Buckbeak's Flight," "A Window to the Past," "Hagrid the Professor," "Mischief Managed"

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle replaced Williams for the fourth film. Doyle is a fairly well-renowned composer whose works you may have heard in films such as Thor or the highly acclaimed La Ligne Droite. However, many questioned originally whether he had what it took to continue on the legacy that Williams began. The answer is yes and no. Yes, he delivers an effective and enjoyable score. No, it doesn't match Williams's tone, or quite match up to what Williams created. Essentially Doyle scrapped most of William's themes, save for slight references very sparingly here and there. This is not a bad thing--it's new and exciting! But it feels less like Harry Potter. This score was also considerably darker than the last, which is appropriate considering the darkness of the storyline at this point. Alright, so anyway, one of the highlights is in the very first track, "The Story Continues." Here we are treated to an extremely ominous and creepy reference to Hedwig's Theme, making for a very interesting (if too brief) take on the piece. The light-hearted Irish jig found in "The Quidditch World Cup" provides a sense of fun and silly happiness, while the flighty and sly "Rita Skeeter" is sure to leave you smiling. Doyle's two waltzes for the score, "Neville's Waltz" and "Potter Waltz" are both fun, the first concentrating on simple beauty and the second making a sweeping impression as a more traditional waltz. In addition, some of his themes are breathtaking in their amazing beauty, most notably "Harry in Winter." I would definitely look at this track, and while it does get a bit tiresome and is unlikely to be the highlight of the score that you'll listen to over and over, it is quite a pretty piece of music. Overall, while this is decidedly not the best score from the series, it is clearly a worthwhile addition.

Overall score: ***
Best track: "Neville's Waltz"
Also check out: "The Story Continues," "Rita Skeeter," "Harry in Winter," "Potter Waltz"

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by Nicholas Hooper
Alright, new director and new composer for the fifth film. This was arguably the worst of the Potter films, and I'm sorry to say that the same could be said of its score. This doesn't imply that the score is bad. It is most definitely not bad. It's just not amazing. Williams set the tone, built upon it, and then did something a little different but something which worked well, and then Doyle went off and did his own thing which was still appropriate for the film. Newcomer Nicholas Hooper, however, pretty much took a totally different style which complemented the film while being decidedly lackluster on its own. No longer was the music noticeably awesome, save for a few key moments. It was just part of the movie. Still, there are a few highlights within the score. The thing I noticed about Hooper's style is that it is quite brooding, moody and quiet. While some character themes are outspoken and brave, several of the tracks are very subtle and not as blatant as the themes we've grown accustomed to. Hedwig's Theme is also used very sparingly, only obvious in a couple tracks. Anyway, the album begins with two of Hooper's "outspoken" tracks. First we have "Fireworks" which is quite reminiscent of Doyle's Quidditch World Cup theme. An Irish-inspired rhythm takes its course over this fast-paced piece. By contrast, the next piece, "Professor Umbridge," is particularly brilliant and completely original. The bouncy swing that accompanies the character does a perfect job of emulating her smug, pompous attitude and devilishly sweet demeanor. Some other highlights can be found in several unsuspecting places, like the wonderful "Dumbledore's Army," which has a beautiful string motif that underlies woodwinds performing the adventurous min melody. "The Room of Requirement" has a fun, mischievous bouncy swing motif that carries throughout. And there is a legitimately beautiful, flighty piece filled with poignant chimes, "The Kiss." "The Ministry of Magic" is also taken up by a comical, carefree swing before seguing into a shimmering, awed theme. Finally, the score is finished off by "Loved Ones and Leaving," which starts off beautifully but then fades into the unremarkable. Overall, this is a decent score, with some great highlights. But the sum of its parts is greater than the whole, if you understand what I mean.

Overall score: ***
Best track: "Dumbledore's Army"
Also check out: "Professor Umbridge," "The Room of Requirement," "The Kiss"

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by Nicholas Hooper
Alright, Hooper's second and final score for the series comes next. Happily, this score is much more effective and enjoyable. Interestingly, Hooper doesn't directly reference any of his previous themes for Order of the Phoenix (though his Dumbledore's Army and Fireworks themes did make brief appearances within the film). However, there are clever variations. "Professor Umbridge" and "The Room of Requirement" are absent, but the bouncy spirit present in both of them is also found in "Living Death." "Fireworks" is missing, but "The Weasley Stomp" is clearly meant to emulate it. Anyway. One worthwhile track is "Opening," which begins with a slight reference to Hedwig's Theme before including a beautiful choral theme meant to represent Dumbledore's death, and finally a fast-paced, menacing theme representing Death Eaters. The choral theme is heard later in full in the absolutely breathtaking "Dumbledore's Farewell," and the Death Eater theme is later reused in "Into the Rushes." After an interesting fast-paced string piece ("The Story Begins") we hear hints of a love theme for the movie in "Ginny" before it breaks into a full reprisal of Hedwig's Theme (finally!). This love theme is heard at its best in the totally heartbreaking "Harry & Hermione," while also being heard as a classical guitar version in "When Ginny Kissed Harry." Another surprisingly moving piece is "Farewell Aragog," which has a southern-inspired fiddle playing at first before realizing a full string movement. "The Friends" has a poignant string melody similar to (but more effective than) the ending track for Order of the Phoenix. Slughorn is given his own flighty, moving theme, in "Slughorn's Confession." "Ron's Victory" is blatant and fun string manipulation, with a grounding timpani for good measure.And Hooper, after his slightly comical Umbridge theme, has finally realized he can effectively score comedy. "The Slug Party," in its uneasy jazz, is both funny and catchy, and the wacky "Wizard Wheezes" also creates a full-throttle jazz piece. Both are worthwhile. All in all, Hooper redeemed himself in creating one of the best scores of the series, both moving and immersing.

Overall score: ****
Best track: "Dumbledore's Farewell"
Also check out: "Opening," "Wizard Wheezes," "Ron's Victory," "Harry & Hermione," "The Friends"

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 by Alexandre Desplat
Alexandre Desplat, while not as much of a household name as John Williams, still has moments of greatness throughout his career. This is one of them. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the most emotionally concentrated of the installments, clearly calls for intensely fantastic music. Desplat delivers. Mostly. No, this isn't a perfect score. Yes, it is a score that any lover of music should probably take a look at. The score starts off with a beautiful piece, which becomes a main theme that is used in several other places--"Obliviate." Gorgeous orchestration, an insistent, melancholy main melody, and a true sense of emotion invade this track. Whether it's being used as a piece that is horribly somber ("Ron Leaves"), tremblingly sensitive ("Ron's Speech"), or heartbreakingly bittersweet ("Farewell to Dobby"), the theme is effective and resounding with the listener. Desplat, like Williams in Chamber of Secrets, also concentrates on character, object, and even location themes. A playfully mischievous theme accompanies "Dobby," an ominous, exotic waltz is found with "Lovegood," and a terrifyingly uneasy trembling string movement appears in "Bathilda Bagshot." In addition, "Detonators" gets an insistent, continuous staccato theme, "The Locket" includes a creepy, evil Horcrux theme, and "The Deathly Hallows" is treated to a mysteriously slithering theme. As far as locations go, "Ministry of Magic" is the most fun, but also the most dangerous-sounding, making comical danger the effect. "At the Burrow," however, has the most emotionally moving. And "Godric's Hollow Graveyard" is just downright depressing. And creepy. In the end, this score is absolutely brilliant, a welcome departure from the scores preceding it, and an impressive accomplishment by Desplat.

Overall score: ****
Best track: "Obliviate"
Also check out: "Ministry of Magic," "Ron Leaves," "Ron's Speech," "Lovegood," "Farewell to Dobby"

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part Two by Alexandre Desplat
Desplat returns to score the second half of the final film, keeping a nice continuity. Or at least you'd think. However, Desplat rarely uses his excellent themes from the first part. We get a bit of Obliviate in "Harry's Sarifice," a bit of Polyjuice Potion in "Neville." But never blatant references besides Hedwig's Theme (which in the film was used in full, and is heard throughout the album in brief spasms). However, he did completely rerecord Nicholas Hooper's "Dumbledore's Farewell" as well as Williams's "Leaving Hogwarts" for two scenes (not heard on this album). Using those two pieces was a great touch in my opinion, and a nice addition to the film. However, we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about the original score. And it begins beautifully with a new main theme, "Lily's Theme." I cannot express how gorgeous this is. It appears later briefly in several tracks such as "Dragon Flight," "Snape's Demise," "Voldemort's End," and "The Resurrection Stone," that last track being where we hear it in full. It's a great main theme, as it reminds us that Harry is dealing with the absence of his parents throughout everything. It's true that Lily's Theme is the main attraction for the soundtrack, but we also hear a few excellent themes beyond it. "Statues" and "Courtyard Apocalypse," in particular, are amazing. They use the same theme, a steady 4/4 theme which conveys sadness and awe effectively. "Severus and Lily" is the true highlight of the film and score, a sad love theme for Snape and Lily being introduced to express the unrequited love and the relationship that never was. In addition, "A New Beginning" rounds off the score well, with a brief but heartfelt piece. All in all, maybe the best score in the whole series, though as a whole the series had wonderful music.

Overall score: ****
Best track: "Lily's Theme"
Also check out: "Statues," "Courtyard Apocalypse," "Severus and Lily," "The Resurrection Stone," "A New Beginning"

Final Ranking of Harry Potter Scores In Ascending Order:
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part One
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part Two
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

AND THE TOP HARRY POTTER SCORE.......
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed my reviews of the Harry Potter series...I sure enjoyed writing them!

[Meta-Ridley]

I enjoyed reading them definately, and I agreed with you on the most part. However I think Sorcerer's Stone should get more credit. I think it really captures the wonderment that Harry would have felt becoming part of the wizarding world. But I agree - I didn't really like Hooper's scores much.

[SlowPokemon]

Having recently watched the first movie, I was thinking the same thing, I didn't give it enough credit. Hooper's scores were the least enjoyable, along with Doyle's. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably list Prisoner of Azkaban as the best.

[Arceus79]

Pointing back to a while ago, I just found your review on the PMD: EoS soundtrack.  I love the mention you gave to some of my favorite songs from the game, such as "In the Sea of Time" and "Dialga's Fight to the Finish!". In your list, although you didn't mention it in your review, you labled song 141: Life Goes On! (Ending) as an excellent song, and I completely agree! After giving notice to others of my favorite songs, such as "Temporal Tower", I'm surprised you didn't add them to your list.