James Horner, known for mind-blowing scores such as Titanic and Aliens, is back in action -- working with James Cameron for the scoring of his latest blockbuster, Avatar.
This score is sure to turn heads. For one, you can distinctly recognize Horner's trademark sound, and when listening to it straight through you almost think you're listening to the score from Titanic until the recurring theme for Avatar brings you back into sync with what you're really listening to.
The use of strings and woodwinds are the main points of familiarity, but that is where they end. Avatar's score is unique in itself; the "native-esque" vocalizations and heavy drums help to create the perfect sound environment for the movie. Tracks such as "Shutting Down Grace's Lab" and "The Destruction of Hometree" are real tear-jerkers, especially if you've seen the film prior to listening to the music. The music really creates the mood for the movie, portraying strong emotions thanks to the choral work.
"Pure Spirits of the Forest" is a personal favorite of mine; it has several layers of instruments, making the track in itself very dynamic -- however, these are not overdone. They're very lightly laid out, calling to mind the floaty jellyfish-like "spirit" scene where they all alight on Jake. The subtle string variations seen here run through most of the pieces, unifying the album. However, they aren't repetitive enough to where you tire of them. Different keys, paces, and instrument variations keep each song on edge and different from the last, leaving you wondering what Horner will pull from his hat next. Will he use strings? Choir? Winds? Or maybe drums?
All in all, this score works incredibly well with the movie. I would highly suggest it to any score fans out there.
4/5
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