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The Amazing Spider-Man (and Other)'s Will to Power

4:56 PM |

The uncle of Peter Parker is known for a few things, his influence on Peter and for a quote that stuck throughout the entire Spider-Man comic series and Marvel universe.  "With great power comes great responsibility" sticks with many comic book fans and is a very succinct and inspirational quote, I want to look at the entire second movie's soundtrack from a perspective like this, though from a Nietzsche-like perspective. 

 According to Nietzsche there are, on very basic terms, two types of people: the ones in the herd and the ones with the will to power.  The herd is the average Joe, a guy that just goes along with the world and accepts it for what it is, but the one with the will to power sees past society and sees the problems nobody notices.  It sounds like a good thing, but as you look at the world you see many people that point out or stand against problems being looked down upon and hated by society.  If the person is trying to do something to change things, why do the people go against them?  People do not like change and while it seems to be accepted in this day and age, everyday I see people that fight change and despise those that want it.  So who would be better to analyze this than a hero that wants to save his city and inspire those within to be better.

Peter has begun to come to terms with his not so new powers in the new movie and starts out with confidence in his abilities as he swings around New York to stop a hijacked truck and "I'm Spider-Man" comes on.  He has found a type of happiness in his powers and has accepted them to be part of him and has fully taken up his will to power.  The music also conveys this in its powerful starting trumpet movement, filled with staccatos.  The music is fast-paced and serves as a confident background to his swinging as Spider-Man himself yells, "Woo-hoo!"  Rather than losing his battle with his powers and shunning them he has finally chosen to rise from the herd and embrace this chance to rise above.


Though, one of the main points that Nietzsche makes in his philosophical text Will to Power is that "[The herd] will allow value to the individual only from the point of view of the whole, for the sake of the whole, it hates those who detach themselves - it turns the hatred of all individuals against them." (157).  Spider-Man has taken it upon himself to go above the herd, so he will have others that try to stop him from differing from the rest, like Mr. Jameson.  Apart from him, that is where the song "My Enemy" takes over.  This song is a outstanding 8:04 long and it is has very menacing and insane overtone.  It focuses on heavy electronic sounds and a mixture of voices saying "Lies to me," "Paranoia," "Cheated me," etc.  This all comes from within the mind of Electro, aka. Max Dillon, a lowly electrician working at Oscorp that falls into an aquarium filled with experimental electric eels.  The bits of thoughts and phrases spread throughout "My Enemy" are overwhelmingly negative.  This is "the instinct of the suffering and underprivileged against the fortunate" (156).  In his accident he has taken in this instinct as he is not saved by the hero he loves so dearly.


Max has received the same catalyst as Spider-Man, but his mind is clouded by the rage of being left to die.  Instead of rising above the herd we get "I'm Electro."  Instead of using his new powers to be extraordinary and be confident in this world, he becomes something else completely.  Electricity is based upon circuits and needs the all of the pieces of the circuit to work in order to be complete.  The herd is the same, without its massive network of people it would not be a herd, so the constant, electric pounding in the 0:47 of "I'm Electro" that is like a heartbeat, he embodies the hatred of the herd towards Spider-Man's inability to save everyone.  It is at this point in the tale that Max, the man who had left the herd to support Spider-Man and new morality, leaves and becomes Electro, the hatred and suffering of the underprivileged against the fortunate.  In this world, many people become disappointed in those that they support and end up being an advocate against their cause.  They feel like those that wish the change did not help them, so they are in the wrong.  The herd is cursed by a narrow mindset that only serves to build their anger and distaste for change.

 The trend continues throughout the movie as we have themes for those with the will to power (Spider-Man) and the ones that are within the herd (Electro). As we see songs like "So Much Anger", "There He Is", and "Still Crazy" we seem to get a theme rising from both sides of the argument.  Both believe in their own way and do not see the errors in their ways, shown in how fast-paced and riveting the aforementioned songs are.  They all have their mixture of Spider-Man's confident, trumpeting sound and an equal amount of whispering, electronic noises as well symbolizing Electro.  This is shown very well in "Still Crazy" as we see the final battle between Spider-Man and Electro.  There sounds mix throughout and serve and battle for dominance as they overlap and fade in and out to make one or the other stand victorious.  The herd is confronting the one with the will to power to end him before he can change how life normally works within that society.

Though as the movie progresses another character appears to have taken up the will to power, but in the opposite way that Spider-Man has.  Electro has the morality of the herd in the fact his hatred is for those that differ from the suffering, but Harry Osborn has a different story.  He is fortunate and rich, only suffering from a disease, but he is not satisfied with how the world ignores his condition.  As Nietzsche says, "Very few manage to see a problem in that which makes our daily life," but Harry believes he has seen this "problem" and changes his morality to accommodate that.  He will stop at nothing to get the cure to his disease to save his life from being ended before he wants it to end.  In this tumultuous morality, we get the song "I'm Goblin" (catching a theme?).  This song has the same confidence that songs like "I'm Spider-Man" and "No Place Like Home" but it replaces a strong orchestral string instrument with a trumpet with a very heavy tuba bass line and skewed string instruments.  Its very dark and destructive, building up anger and resentment towards the herd as well as those fortunate, becoming a hybrid.  Harry hates the herd for how little it actually suffers, but dislikes those with power, like Spider-Man because of how they act better than the rest of the world.  This song continues building up and up throughout and gives tension as we see this herd-power hybrid move into the story line.


As I mentioned earlier, neither side of the argument between the herd and those with the will to power feel that the other can be right so there was always a mixture in songs like in "Still Crazy" with no actual blending between the two aspects.  The worlds were parallel and unable to intersect.  Though after Peter fights Electro and the Green Goblin, something tragic happens.  His love interest, Gwen Stacy, dies right in front of him after he could not save her.  "The Rest of My Life" is a very sad slow song that plays in the background of this scene as Peter begs Gwen to come back and stay.  The song is broken and has a piano play a series of staccato notes to show Peter losing the thing holding his confidence together.  Though rather than renouncing his power and returning to the herd, something very interesting happens, as he realizes he cannot be there for everyone at once, no matter how hard he tries. 

"No Place Like Home" is the culmination of all that has happened to Peter within the span of this movie.  It sounds very much like "I'm Spider-Man", but if you listen, you will hear how it has changed.  There is a blend in this song, we have an undertone of that pulsating Electro sound with the confident Spider-Man.  He realizes that he must keep going to stop the underprivileged from being overwhelmed by those higher than them, he is powerful, but he does not need to save everyone, he only needs to inspire the herd to move away from the herd.  We see this in the very last scene of the movie as a small child steps away from his mother and stands up to the Rhino and puts on a Spider-Man mask.  This song shows how the herd takes on "the exceptions above it, the stronger, more powerful, wiser, and more fruitful" as "guardians, herdsman, [and] watchmen" (159).  They have begun to fully accept Spider-Man and are beginning to want to live up to his example as the kid shows.  The scene itself is what really tells the tale, so please take a moment to watch:

So, instead of trying to force the herd to follow the one with the will to power there needs to be a middle ground.  Living in extremes has never worked out and looking at the world of Spider-Man shows that very well.  You have Spider-Man, the unstoppable hero and Electro with insatiable hatred.  Those that fight for change in this world need to do what "No Place Like Home" does and merge with the herd and try to form a connection with them.  Trying to push ideals and morals onto others will never work and that is why change is so hard to come by even now.  So in order to grow there needs to be a balance between the morality of the herd and the morality of those with the will to power.  

 Anyways, this is one amazing soundtrack and it did a really good job of giving each character its own theme within the music making it one of my favorites to review, but what really intrigues and makes me enjoy this soundtrack the most is how the authors blended the sounds of Electro and Spider-Man to show this evolution of Spider-Man and provide a middle ground in an extreme battle.  So remember to break off from the herd every once in a while and listen to the background music.

 Works Cited

Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Will to Power. Trans. Walter Arnorl Kaufmann,           and R. J. Hollingdale. New York: Random House, 1967. Print. 15 Nov. 2015.

 The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Dir. Marc Webb. Perf. Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone,           and Jamie Foxx. Columbia Pictures, 2014. Film. 30 Nov. 2015.

 Zimmer, Hans. The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.               Columbia Records, 2014. MP3. 29 Nov. 2015.

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Posted by Rollinsf

Throwback Before The Force Awakens *REVISED*

8:10 AM |

So, if you are fan of the Dark or the Light, lightsaber or blasters, you know about the new trailer that aired on Monday Night Football last week.  The trailer for The Force Awakens was one of the most anticipated commercials for the entire night.  Now, I have heard mixed feelings about this movie and it the franchise being controlled by Disney, but from what I have seen so far, the hype is truly real!  I have already gone and gotten my tickets for the premiere showing of the movie and I actually have a good feeling about this reboot of a sort.  If you haven't seen the trailer,  I will put it in the space below this paragraph, but I feel like before I begin the review it deserves a bit of time.  The trailer really hit me when the iconic song from Star Wars comes on.  I mean I have watched this trailer over ten times and each time I feel chills when I hear dun-dun-da-de-dun-dun.


Now before I begin this soundtrack review, I must say that these review will be based upon the songs as they are utilized in all three movies of the trilogy and what they entitle.

 Emotions and morality are large parts of the Star Wars franchise and seem to be one of the main themes throughout the movies.  The idea of a Light and a Dark side of the Force that is determined by the moral choices and the emotions that the character exhibits and holds higher really show in the actions of the main protagonist and antagonist of the trilogy: Luke and Vader.  So if the movie is very heavily reliant on story-telling through the emotions, morality, and the "falling to the dark side" of a character/characters, then the music should have some kind of tone to it when certain events are happening or certain characters are shown.

 First of all, let's talk about the emotions of the viewers themselves.  Star Wars has always started off with the same song and it serves as a enzyme for hype.  Hearing the beginning of the song and seeing the backstory of the movie scrolling across the screen pulls everyone into the mood and makes the next two hours that much more interesting.  Its orchestral instrumentation causes the song to have an upbeat tone, but even so it has parts within it that slow down and sound more serious and intriguing.  The song is the ultimate form of nostalgia and really pulls in me as a viewer, but the song isn't even the best part, it is the silence right afterwards.  That silence brings it home and pulls in my excitement and tells me to "get ready for a tale."  It is not going to be all good or all bad and it pulls me right into the story.

While it is very normal and completely not original, the one song that will always send chills down my spine is "Binary Sunset" and it is really something that I will never be able to explain.  It is just a wonderfully written song and it almost always wonderfully placed.  The song is very lighthearted and peaceful, just as the character Luke is when he looks out across the desert towards the, as the name says, binary sunset.  The song is continually used throughout the trilogy whenever the light side is present as it represent the mindset and emotions of a Jedi.  The Jedi revolve around peace, calmness, and try to refuse the dark side of humanity and the emotions that lead to the corruption of the dark side.  

 The song, while peaceful and calm also has a kind of power behind it and also a longing for something.  The song is dominated by wind and string instruments, which are most often associated with forests, nature, and wind itself.  It flows unhindered and independent, just as the Jedi do.  It seems like it is searching for something and while the Jedi push away emotions and keep from corrupting themselves they still have power to them as heard by the powerful brass instruments in the background, but not any more than the dark side does, in fact, they are at a disadvantage.  One quote from Yoda explains the longing in this song, "Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side.  Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they.  Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight."  It is easier for a person to take these emotions and use them.  They are always in the back of the Jedi's mind even though they push them away.  (This is an interesting idea I found while looking through some forums, the original idea holder is a person that goes by Strive-US)

 Even though there is this longing at the same time I see strength within the expansion at 0:52.  I see every part of this  song embodied in Luke whenever he is fighting Vader or his own demons.


Now that I have the main song that I associate with the light side and its emotions, I want to leave the light side for a bit and move to the other side of the spectrum.  The dark side of the Force is characterized and controlled by very strong passionate emotions like fear, aggression, and anger.  Songs like "Imperial Attack" and "Imperial March - Darth Vader's Theme" are strong have very confident and powerful tones.  They are both aggressive and dark with very heavy use of percussion instruments and other dictatorship like or regal instruments like brass instruments in contrast to the light sides strings and winds.

Brass instruments are very easily associated with anything with an Imperial nature in the movie and in the real world.  Percussion and brass also have another thing in common: they are both very loud and brash.  They are almost imposing on anything that is in the background of the songs of the dark side and almost completely overwhelm any other movements that could be there.  This represents the anger, hatred, and other emotions that the dark side hold close to them.  They do not allow any other mindset to seep in for that is seen as weakness.  The Imperials impose themselves upon the worlds they control and destroy any that defy them.  Though this also brings up another point as I mentioned briefly during "Binary Sunset."  There is still a bit of wind in the background of these songs and shows that the Sith and the Jedi are not so different.  While they do have very different ideals and emotions accustomed to them, they are both having thoughts from the other side of the Force leak into their minds.  

"Imperial Attack" is from A New Hope and has only the beginnings of this aggression and anger that is characterized and accentuated by the Sith, but it seems to be lacking one of the big emotions that the Sith are supposed to have.  The instrumentation and movements are not as imposing, but this can be partially attributed to the Empire still rising.  It is not until later in the movie when the song "The Death Star" comes in that we can really hear that emotion: fear.  This is a terrifying ball of death created by the Empire for the sole purpose of destroying anyone that defies them, especially the Jedi or the Rebels.  You can hear the fear and foreboding heavily in the song, which while it is playing feels like it is weighing down on your shoulders.  Very heavily reliant on brass instruments and the slowed tempo of this song always serve to strike a sense of foreboding and fear into my heart, knowing the damage that could be done with such a weapon.  (Only the first minute of this video is "The Death Star" the rest is another song in the soundtrack called "The Stormtroopers")



 As many other songs within the Star Wars trilogy, "Imperial March" is very well-known as being the theme for the main antagonist Darth Vader.  This song is pretty much the anti-"Binary Sunset" and while "Binary Sunset" is a perfect embodiment of the light side of the Force this is the dark side.  It is fast, confidant, and powerful.  It does not fear, it causes fear.  It is aggressive and moves in such a way as to make everyone know it.  The movement itself makes itself known just as Vader does whenever he comes into play, he does not sit back in the shadows, he is very actively fighting at all points throughout this trilogy and the song is a very good fit for him.  It is like they took "Imperial Attack" and pushed it up to its full potential.  It is almost as if this is the strongest point of the dark side and the Empire and whenever I hear this song I get a unnerving feeling deep within me, even though he is only one person (and not a Death Star).

 Imperial Attack:

Imperial March:

Now that I have pointed out songs within both spectrum of the Star Wars universe, what does it sound like when you have the two mixed into one?  That is what "Ben Kenobi's Death" does.  The song starts out very peaceful and very "Binary Sunset"-esque, but it trades off with the basis of "The Death Star" every other minute.  Collapsing the two into one as Kenobi fights Vader and ultimately is killed.  There is this mixing of peace and aggression, calm and anger, etc.  While there are many songs that show a trend of the mixing of the two sides of the Force, I always feel very strongly with this one because of the scene with which it is matched with and the title gives away.

I really have to say that this is my favorite movie trilogy/saga because it has an amazing universe and story behind it.  The music just pulls the whole thing together and really makes the characters that much more human and really helps me get connected to them.  The struggles that the main characters (and all characters) have with their own demons really make that feeling even stronger.  The music is beautiful and very well composed.  It also has variety, which is very true of every single person.  We are all different and we each have different emotions and morals that we hold close.  So, with that said, listen to the background music and may the Force be with you.

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Posted by Rollinsf

Horror Traditions in Insidious: Chapter 2 *REVISED*

7:07 AM |

I was looking at Netflix over the past week and I saw a movie that I have not seen in forever: Insidious: Chapter 2.  I love horror movies and the Insidious series is, in my opinion, one of the better modern horror films.  Not only did it have a chilling story and ghosts, but it also had a memorable soundtrack that only added to the entire film's unsettling tone and chills.  As I was watching it again, I also began thinking about the broad expanse that is horror and the what it takes to be a good horror soundtrack, and then, movie.

 Horror, as a whole, is a very picky and interesting thing.  As one of my favorite genres, I understand the background of horror and why it is the way it is.  Yet horror movies have taken a turn for the worse in the past few years as there have been loads of them with little to no quality behind them.  It has become hard for horror fans to enjoy the movies since they do not seem to show any attempt to be unique and take horror to the next level.  Horror has always been controlled by the average person, taking their deepest fears and turning them into a situation on the big screen.  Movies with aliens in the vastness of space, demons, possessed dolls.  Many horror movies take these broad fears to bring in viewers.  Insidious: Chapter 2 takes everyone's curiosity and fear of ghosts and shows a classic example of what horror should normally be.  Movies, as a whole, have always been about unifying people and making people from different backgrounds and worlds come together into one.  As you look at the world, you can see what brings people together: disaster and fear.  Seeing others in despair and trouble causes even the most harsh and uncaring individuals to help.  So it only makes sense that a genre such as horror, which focuses on pitting characters against the common person's biggest fears, works well at doing so.

Insidious: Chapter 2 (Original Motion Picture Score) takes a more traditional approach to horror soundtracks.  Since the soundtracks for horror come from many different genres of music, it becomes refreshing to see a soundtrack return to a base of orchestral instruments.  This reminds me of older movies like Halloween,  Friday the 13th, and Psycho.  The soundtrack is composed by Joseph Bishara, known for his experimentation within his musical pieces, utilizing strange chords and synthetic effects to make the music more unsettling shows one of main traditions of horror soundtracks: experimentation.

 Just look at a song like "Insidious Ch. 2".  It takes the beautiful sound of string instruments and puts them together to make a much more scary noise, with the quiet bass being used to lull you in like a whisper over your shoulder.  It takes you into the darkness, called the Further in the movie, and makes you anxious and worried about whatever jumpscare may come next.  I do not know what is coming, but it sure knows that I am, so it just waits for me to continue the movie.  It begs me to listen even though I know what's coming, just as I cannot look away from the screen when I know the monster is about to jump out.  


So Bishara knows how to take something beautiful and make it the complete opposite, connecting with the fans of traditional horror and even some musicians. Every time I listen to a songs like "Ghost photographs", "time to forget", "empty home" I find that I go into a trance-like state.  The songs are beautiful in their own right and while some would disagree definitely take some finesse to create.  The sounds are very subtle and are that way intentionally so.  These songs still have an underlying sound of horror and despair, but they are so smooth and calming that you, as a viewer, lower your guard for just a few moments and become unprepared for the next minute or two.

They are there to bring viewers in and keep them listening and watching the movie.  This is where the idea that horror has been shaped by the average person comes into play.  Most people fear ominous music and over time people have shown a sense of security around music that seems calm and subtle.  In "Don't You Dare" the song tries to bring the viewer into a calming (if you can even call it that) state which is turned around at 0:26 by the entrance and build up violins and piano to bring back the ominous feeling and at 0:57 and 1:50 throw the viewer right back into the hell they know they are there for.

Horror is something that is supposed to scare and so what would a horror movie be without some jump scares to take the viewers and give them all heart attacks at the most inopportune times.  These have always been part of horror and you can almost see at least one jump scare in every horror movie seen.  Take "only Ghosts left" which begins very strangely with unnerving chords and notes.  It just screams that something bad is going to happen and then at 0:45 the song takes a complete turn and becomes very calming and fades out, but it is not finished.  At 1:08 a cacophony of sounds hits me and I can feel my heart start beating within my chest.

 Other songs like "this is My room" do not care to make you feel safe or calm at any point.  The song is truly focused on making you unsettled and on edge.  It wants you to react to it and become paranoid for the next 10 min in anticipation of a jump scare.  It also causes you to wonder what could develop next?  What could possibly be worse?

Beyond being scared or terrified, there is only one thing I find worse: not knowing what is out there.  "are you Here" is a perfect example of this sort of mystery that has come back time and time again in horror.  Horror utilizes this because culture and human nature as a whole wants to fill in the pieces of something not understood.  Through the ominous sounds present throughout the entire song the listener can still hear some kind of searching or emptiness within it.  The song uses this emptiness to pull in the viewer and get them thinking without them even knowing, it works with the scene to have the viewer begin wondering.  They do not know what is there or if anything is there and hence the title of the song itself.  They fear what they do not know or understand (like many people) and want to make sure they know what is attacking them.  They just want to know why like so many other people in the world.

 The way this soundtrack, and any good horror movie soundtrack, succeeds is if it takes a seat in the background and puts ideas in the subconscious of the viewer and pits their imagination against them.  They never know what is coming and it causes the fear to be universal.  Everyone watching the movie feels the same and looks over the music in the background of the tense scenes.  As I mentioned earlier, horror is something that brings people together.  As a group of people watching the same thing, we all feel the same thing and fear the same thing.  It is this ability to bring all types of people together that really says something about culture and horror movies (heck, all movies) as being something larger than a two hour span of jump scares, suspense, and mystery.

 Insidious: Chapter 2 (Original Motion Picture Score) is a great example of a horror soundtrack and works well with the movie itself to instill fear in the viewer.  It does exactly what the best horror movies of the past have done: experiment.  It takes the traditions and ideals of traditional horror and slightly tweaks them in an attempt to give the viewer a new experience that really gives me an uneasy feeling every time I watch it.  I know that when I watch this movie, the story can bring me in and raise my heartbeat and the soundtrack can make me feel cautious and unsafe.  Bishara has created many horror soundtracks before and it does not feel like he let any horror fans down in the making of this one either.  But anyways, next time you hear something in the darkness, listen to the background music.

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Posted by Rollinsf

Sci-Fi in the Soundtrack of Interstellar *REVISED*

5:14 AM |

What does Sci-Fi bring into your mind?  Lightsabers and blasters?  Exploration and space?  The worlds that the sci-fi genre created have lasted and expanded over the decades they have existed.  The lore behind them grows and becomes more elaborate with each installment in a series.  Even so, sci-fi has grown over the years from a fantasy galaxy or society to a very realistic concept in which we have taken technology from and now use normally in today's world, such as old razor cell phones looking like the Star Trek communicator.  So seeing that this genre has moved into the space of Interstellar and its portrayal of the aspects of Sci-Fi really interested me.

 The music of this genre can be categorized in many different ways, but stick very closely to a few themes: mystery, awe, excitement, and, at some times, fear.  The music from older movies, such as Star Wars, always worked to captivate the viewer through its complex sounds and exciting movements within the music.  Even so, the soundtrack of such movies knew that space is a very mysterious thing and would lower the volume of the soundtrack in comparison to other audio to show that space is just that.  Over time, movies like Interstellar have begun to flip from the loud, complex pieces to the mysterious and have started creating quieter musical pieces that flourish in the scenery of space and show a deep appreciation of its horrifying beauty.

 Here is an example of a song from the well-known Star Wars saga:


Here is an example of a song from Interstellar:

Notice the differences and similarities between the two?  Each has an air of mystery, yet fulfills a sort of excitement as well.  Not every song in these two soundtracks are like these, but they accurately portray a large portion of each of these respective soundtracks.  

 The Interstellar soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer and works very greatly with the actors and cinematography of the entire movie to give the viewer the goosebumps whenever an important scene is occurring.  It has, like many movies in today's world, taken a more synthetic sound in its soundtrack, though it does use some instruments like pianos and organs to give it the older authentic effect.  It still focuses on the older themes that have stood throughout the life of sci-fi soundtracks through the use of unsettling chords and mysterious, almost unexplained, bits of sound.

"Afraid of Time" is a perfect song for this movie and explains the main idea that the movie has.  It just makes sense that this song would be in this movie, since it focuses on mystery and exploration.  The song is very quiet and timid just as many other songs present in the soundtrack.  Relying only on a piano as the main input for sound with a looped background sound for the first half of the piece, it seems very lonely.  It is like the two instruments are having a conversation, but one cannot hear the other.  In the vastness of space, you are very much alone compared to the population that Earth has and the music portrays this beautifully.  The title even suggests another trait that can be found in this song: fear.  Fear of the unknown (such as time and space)? Or is it simply referencing the fear that the father, Mann, has of his daughter, Murph, being old or dead by the time that he returns.  He has left his child alone on a world that is dying and fears that time will take her away from him in multiple ways.  

 Another aspect of the movie is the awe-inspiring view that space and its vast expanses have to give to the viewer.  In the movie, many of the objects we see are things like black holes, planets, and, at one point, a wormhole.  The track "The Wormhole" comes from that very point and its pulsating sounds, common in sci-fi soundtracks, and strange chord arrangement give a very intense and scary feeling in the viewers mind and cause the viewer to feel slightly stressed, yet it twists when the song begins to crescendo at the end and the tone changes for a slight moment and the light background noise behind the pulsating sounds pulls forward into the light and gives the reader a sense of amazement at the place through which the characters have just transported through.  "Mountains" works towards this sense of awe as well as the characters have landed on a planet completely covered with water, with mountains in the distance, the view of the planet shows the variety of the galaxy and what there is out there past the Milky Way.

Though it is shrouded in mystery and has very subtle sounds to keep the viewer in a sense of awe at the beautiful visuals of black holes and wormholes, it has some points where songs like "Cornfield Chase" come in.  "Cornfield Chase" is not a mysterious track that tries to hide itself, it expands itself in excitement at what could be next.  In the scene, the characters are following a drone through the cornfield outside their house and watch it in awe as they look at it moving around so smoothly and naturally.  The song starts very subtly, but picks up as it plays on and on.  At 32 seconds the song picks up and the tone of excitement is beginning to set in.  Then at 40 some string instruments move in to further continue the growing array of sounds.  Finally, at 52 seconds the organ moves in to take it even further lifting me off the ground as if I were the drone flying away, just as the characters feel in those moments.  Though the excitement has to end at some point and it ends abruptly as all the instruments just break off and leave the room in silence as the drone disappears over a cliff.  Take a moment to listen to the excitement of this piece:

The soundtrack of Interstellar is the pinnacle of what it means to be a good soundtrack.  It takes the scenes and all parts of the movie and acts as a glue to ground the whole piece as complete and able to be experienced fully.  It gives the viewer chills and makes sure to keep everything interesting.  Interstellar and its soundtrack give off a much different feel and work on appreciating the beauty that is to be given from space.  Each song within the soundtrack fits into the theme that sci-fi soundtracks in the past have set, but Zimmer has taken the technical aspects of it to a different place, making it a piece in a new version of the science fiction genre.  Interstellar is a beautiful movie and the soundtrack is no less beautiful with its elaborate, yet simple movements and sounds.  The soundtrack is just well-made and it gives its own idea of the music that the sci-fi genre should hold.  The music is very moving and it really captures the essence and feeling of the movie that, as a whole, it was trying to give to the viewer.  So take some time to appreciate the sounds that come from this beautiful sci-fi movie and next time, listen to the background music.

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Posted by Rollinsf

Soundtrack Review: Guardians of the Galaxy *REVISED*

6:21 AM |

In all my time of watching movies, I have never watched one so fun as Guardians of the Galaxy.  The cast is amazing and the soundtrack behind all the action just makes the movie all that more entertaining.  The movie is set in the distant future in the Marvel universe.  The movie has a very comedic and energetic tone that is shown through the actors and their antics throughout the plot of the story.  Like Peter Quill having a dance-off with the main antagonist to distract him from destroying the world.  To be completely honest, the songs that were chosen for this movie and put into Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 are so essential to the movie that the director, James Gunn, stated to Rolling Stone, "The Walkman and the compilation tape inside of it is the heart of the film."  

The music that James Gunn placed into this movie all came from the 60s to the  80s and portrays the many different genres that were popular in those times.  These three decades were filled with upbeat, optimistic, slick, and charming lyrics and sounds.  The music varies from soft to hard rock and from disco to funk.  The soundtrack perfectly captures the essence of this period of music through its balance of the genres.  It has songs like "O-O-H Child" filled with soul and then rock songs like "Hooked on a Feeling."

It definitely becomes the "heart of the film" within the first five minutes of the movie as one of the main protagonists, Peter Quill, dances across a room to "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone.  The music contrasts the setting of the scene and has me feeling hopeful even in the dark and desolate ruins.  The song gives a great first impression of how the music will be with its oldies-like sounds and vocals that send me to a different time and place.  It gets me in the mood for another interesting movie, story, and sets a basic tone for the movie as a whole in a record breaking 1 minute and 43 seconds.  



 Though this upbeat tone that "Come and Get Your Love" gives is just that, and nothing more, and as the movie progresses and songs like "Hooked on a Feeling" and "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" are placed periodically we find that they only serve as comic relief from the intense story.  I love the movie and its soundtrack, but the songs are all used as a type of comic relief.  The songs are beautiful and each one is a piece of those three decades brought to the modern day, but in the context of the movie they are not used to pull me into the story and make the experience that much more amazing, or maybe they do.

 Many reviews that I have read of this soundtrack have mentioned how they do not utilize the songs in the best manner, but from what I can tell after watching the movie and listening to the songs again, they should be judged for what they seem to be doing.  They are used to bring nostalgia and contrast a dark story with an uplifting tone.  So songs like "Hooked on a Feeling" are placed perfectly when seen as being placed to give the viewer the ability to smile and laugh as the main characters are beaten through a high security prison.  Also with "O-O-H Child" as the main character distracts the main antagonist to this song, it distracts me from the fact that so many civilians are behind him waiting for the antagonist to destroy their planet and wipe them away.  So looking at the songs from their original purpose and perspective truly shows how well this soundtrack does its actual job, though there are some songs that do get placed where traditional soundtracks would.

 Such as midway through the movie, when Gamora and Peter are on the balcony and "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" comes on.  The slick guitar pulls me right into the moment of the two characters dancing and makes sure that I understand the romantic tension between the two characters.  The song is placed perfectly and shows really shows the full potential of the placement of the songs in this soundtrack.  The songs romantic overtone and smooth lyrics fully complement the scene and the feeling it is supposed to evoke in the viewer.  

Another song that shows this traditional placement and show how a song can have an impact on the movie is "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".  The song is placed at the very end of the movie after the antagonist has been defeated and gives me the sense of finality that the end of a movie should give.  As Marvin Gaye's voice comes into the speakers and begins with "Listen baby..." I could sense that the story was over and the resolution had begun.  The protagonists had defeated the unstoppable antagonist and the music's final, determined tone makes me feel the protagonist's accomplishment as if it were my own.

To be honest with you the soundtrack is amazing and has very good music that portrays a common theme and gives a lot of life to the movie, but it fails when it comes to the placement of the songs within the movie.  If the placement of the songs was executed in a better way the soundtrack would be near perfect, but nevertheless that is not the case.  The soundtrack will appeal to many groups because of its variety, and not to mention the nostalgia.  So on a final note, Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 is a great example of how good some soundtracks can be, but how poorly they can be executed and always remember when you next watch a movie, listen to the background music.

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Posted by Rollinsf

About Me *REVISED*

9:30 AM |

Hello, my name is Joel and welcome to my blog!  This is going to be a blog about music, but not just any music.  This blog is about the music that people overlook while in the midst of the world of a movie, the background music.  Even though most people do not even notice the song in the background of a movie, this is no doubt a big factor in the design of a movie. There is no way to deny that the soundtrack to a film has to be well designed and fit the movie's theme or the viewer will be taken out of the immersion of the film and the movie is ruined.  Even so, the music has to be able to work in tandem with the cinematography, acting, etc. to make a lasting impression on the viewer.

 Now that we have the very basic idea of the blog out of the way, let me tell you a little about me and how music is relevant to me.  I am a college student and I am currently majoring in Psychology (I know, that is way off from music).  Even so, music has always been a major part of my life.  I have played trumpet and piano and competed with those instruments for around 8 years.  Music has always been there and it always seems to have an impact, in some way, on me.  Music sends off messages that cannot be expressed, by some people, normally.  Music allows someone to pour their emotions into the world by playing harmonious notes.

 "So," you may ask, "why movies?"  Movies are a form of art just like music and I think I can make the assumption that in this day, movies are a pretty large part of everyone's life.  Whether it be Netflix or the nearest theater, every person has seen their fair share of movies.  Movies, to me, have always been there and while I don't get the same feeling from them as I do from music, I can see how movies are used on a larger scale for other purposes.  The real fascinating part of movies that I started to notice when I started up my hobby in music, was how much the music of a movie can affect the viewer and make them evoke so much emotion.

When looking at the idea of reviewing soundtracks, some people look at how some movies are better than others, just as some songs (or albums) are better than others, but that does not matter in this blog.  This blog is not here to rate movies and give reviews of them, it is here to look at the effectiveness and enjoyment of the soundtracks themselves.  The movie may have been a bad one, but did the music fit into the theme and at least attempt to pull you in or did it push you away so that it was impossible to be immersed?  That is what I am here to see and analyze.  I have always felt that the most fragile aspect of a movie is to have a good soundtrack or score.  Without that music, much of the emotion in the movie would not be felt, even with the best actors playing the roles.  So do not expect reviews of soundtracks of only the best new movies, I want to look at all different types of soundtracks from all different types of movies in order to get a true understanding of what makes a soundtrack work effectively and to be put bluntly, be good.  Now it seems important to tell you readers how the blog will be directed towards you.

 This blog will be very responsive to you as I will be open to see what thoughts you guys will have.  This blog is all about the music of movies, so if you have any input or thoughts, just comment on the review and I will make changes based on whether I see it as something I missed or something that was not too necessary.  The involvement of you guys and your excitement towards music is very important to this blog and will be something that moves it forward in the coming months.

I hope that you will find enjoyment in the reviews and possibly even start up a conversation with others in the comments.  I am excited to see how this blog goes on from here and any feedback that anyone wishes to give, I am glad to take.  Just make sure that next time you watch a movie, you listen to the background music.

(Also, I need some feedback on an idea that I have had for the blog, which would take some time, but would be interesting.  How do you guys feel about a rating system that I could make for the soundtrack?  Now this will purely be so that you can get an overview before the actual review, and allow you to choose which soundtrack reviews you wish to read based off of it.  Once again, just an idea, comment with any ideas you may have or feedback and I will be glad to take it into consideration.)

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Posted by Rollinsf
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