music on film reviews

rating:	****
composer:	James Newton-Howard
label:	Decca Records

Through a thick fog of over budgeting, composer replacement and secrecy finally comes the biggest score of 2005 - James Newton Howard's King Kong. And while it may not take the throne of Score of the Year as easily as one would expect - it's certainly in the running.

A hodgepodge of modern cacophony, Golden Era scoring and even moments of jazz fuel this creature feature. It's surprisingly lyrical when it's not at breakneck speed; in fact, you don't really get to the real action until you're halfway through the CD. This is a particularly nice set-up because it helps the score develop with a natural progression - it forgoes "concert suite movements" that you'd find on a Goldsmith or Williams album in lieu of a more thematic and apparently linear fashion. There’s no out of place tracks for the sake of a better album.

Putting thoughts of Howard Shore's excised score out of my head and turning my speakers way up, I found myself surprised at the texture of the score. The title track was ominous but not percussive, as was most of the first half of the score. Newton Howard's trademark strings abound, making me recall his fine work on the rather sour experience of Batman Begins and his flair for touching, almost Nyman-esque piano works beautifully. The score may lack an easily categorized sound - it's not specifically modern or Silver or Golden Age - but it is very affecting and emotional which are definitely hallmarks of great composition.

But don't let the early pathos make you think there’s no meat to this score. Brass abounds like mad in action cues like "Head Towards The Animals" and "Tooth And Claw"; trumpeters are given an especially tough workout with wild successions of notes that sound a lot like what Don Davis did for the third Jurassic Park movie. Newton Howard is one of those rare composers that can breathe new life into action sequences by turning orchestral clich&eactute;s on their ear. Where some composers may stick to a particular formula, the rhythms JNH generates are rarely boring and never effortless.

There’s a brief break between the gargantuan action with the splendid "Central Park" and "Empire State Building", the later of which has a distinct feel of longing created by muted horns that is absolutely wonderful. And it's well placed considering the finale of the score (broken up into five separate parts) is a violent, driving work to accompany the famous scene of the giant ape scaling the iconic New York monument. Percussive brass and driving strings work their magic over a restrained choir, who add to the color of the score rather than stand-out as a distinct instrument.

I'd say that this score is not one to miss - but I get the feeling that a lot of people will be picking it up thanks to those other movies by director Peter Jackson (What were those movies called again? Escapes me for the moment...). It's a very broad, impressive score that’s also a nice feather in the composer's hat. I'm quite impressed.

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