24
Reviewed by Alan Rogers
June 29, 2005

The TV show 24 signalled a novel variation on the standard episodic drama that played out in “real-time” over a 24 hour period, with each of the 24 episodes in the season representing one hour of the day (or as close to 24 hour coverage as commercials-riddled television would allow.) 24 also required a heavy commitment from the viewer, who had to try and follow all the action taking place through the whole season (currently standing at four seasons.) Composer Sean Callery has been tasked with providing music for all the seasons to date, meaning that he has been called upon to score a variety of different locales and situations.

Personally, I was glued to Season One, particularly because of the real-time format, but that enthusiasm waned quickly with Season Two and beyond. Unfortunately, my interest in the music receded even quicker and now I only really recall the intro synth motif that introduced each episode. Varese Sarabande’s release of Callery’s Emmy Award-winning, synth-based scores for the first three seasons allows me to revisit the music, but more importantly, feeds the fan craving for music from Fox’s hit show. Varese’s release can only hope to scratch the surface of Callery’s contribution to the show, but the CD gets off to an interesting start with a fully-fleshed out presentation of the “’24’ Theme” (including that familiar intro synth motif) and ends with the Season Three finale (“Season Three Finale / Jack’s Humanity”.) The producers of the CD have taken great care to sequence the remaining seventeen cues into what they gauge to be the best all-round listening experience.

There’s an overriding feel of rhythm-based propulsive action that’s generated by the selected cues’ emphasis on strong rhythmic beats. These undoubtedly strengthen the ever-present sense of urgency in the show, driving forward the passage of time or emphasising the race against the clock faced by the characters and their situations. Tracks such as “Up and Down Stairs” (with its driving brass techno feel), “Jack On The Move” (rave-styled beats) and “Alexis” (grungy beats) are prime examples of what this CD, as a whole, has to offer. Callery also demonstrates, with “Jack in the Limo” and “Jack and Kim Trying to Reconnect”, that the rhythmic emphasis can also effectively underscore the more emotional aspects of the plot.

Supplementary score colouring is supplied by the use of solo instruments such as acoustic guitar (“Salazar’s Theme”, providing a Mexican flavour to the underscore) and, what sounds like, electric duduk (“In Pursuit of Kyle”, introducing a little ethnicity to the mix.) Electric violin (“Jack on the Move”) and a mournful female vocal sample (“Jack’s Revenge at the Docks”) also pop up, with the vocals adding an emotional anchor. Use of piano – especially for what Callery calls the “Bauer family theme” in the excellent liner notes – is the main tool used to heighten the emotional passages in the show and features prominently in cues such as “Jack Tells Kim He’s Not Coming Back”, “Jack and Kim Trying To Reconnect” and “Season One Finale / Terry’s Death”. Finally, a patriotic solo brass passage highlights (then) Senator Palmer’s resolute stance in isolation (“Palmer’s Theme”.)

The composer uses a number of musical styles to give variety to the propulsive cues and, as mentioned, variety is also provided by the inclusion of several solo instruments and vocals. But the overall feel from the CD is of track after track of unrelenting techno or rock beats that don’t really gel together as a score or a rewarding listening experience. This may be due to some extent to the producers’ insistence on mixing the music from the three seasons.

Callery provides terrific liner notes that detail the action each track covers and there’s additional information that allows the listener to resequence the cues into series and episode chronological order. This improves the listening experience enormously and better highlights how the music develops through the seasons (e.g., highlighting the use of the “Bauer family theme” from the end of Season One (“Season One Finale / Terry’s Death”) and then being featured prominently in Season Two (“Jack and Kim Trying To Reconnect” and “Jack Tells Kim He’s Not Coming Back”.) Fans of the show should rush out for this, as it seems to effectively sum up the overall techno-thriller feel of the show. For the rest of us, hearing the extended ““24” Theme” is interesting and some of the more emotional cues are effective, but other than that this CD is more likely to disappoint.

  printer friendly version

Click here to discuss this article in our forum »»