Customer Reviews

Ocean's Thirteen

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All of the "Ocean's" movies have incredible music, and "Ocean's Thirteen" is no exception. The music is so unique: jazz, funk and techno all rolled into one. My biggest complaint is that most of the tracks are incredibly short (under two minutes in length), but that's the case with most movie soundtracks. The best tracks on this album are "Not Their Fight," which is a variation of the theme music used in all the "Ocean's" movies; "Snake Eyes," which is the music that plays in the film during the ingenious three-minute heist scene; and Frank Sinatra's utterly fantastic rendition of "This Town." The "Ocean's" movie soundtracks are always as slick as the films themselves. I'll listen to this CD again and again.

The only thing good about Ocean's Twelve was the soundtrack. I haven't seen Ocean's Thirteen yet, but the soundtrack continues the same incredible instrumental sound. It's the kind of music you can listen to just about any time--relaxing, working, playing games, etc. The compositions are complex and widely varied--some kind of a funky jazz feel that's difficult to put into words. I applaud David Holmes for giving us more tunes that will make our ears happy.

It seems that all the other reviewers are incredibly charitable or perhaps I expected too much. I very much like the music on this album and unfortunately that becomes part of the problem. I can accept soundtracks having a few very short tracks such as dialogue from the movies or some brief piece of music but on this album that seems to be the norm rather than the exception with 13 of the 20 tracks being under 2 and a half minutes. A 20 track disc that has a total running time of under 45 minutes cant help but be fragmented. Again the music is good but about the time you start to really get into the beat or melody its over and another song starts up. After a few listens this frustrating trend only amplifies, the songs end up sounding like random samplings of tunes with no real discernable begining middle or end. In all fairness I do not own any of the other Ocean's soundtracks but I would certainly check the lengths of tracks prior to buying. In my mind the whole appeal of this type of electro lounge style of music is to set a mood and provide a sustained groove that carries the listener along. Most of these tracks can start the process but dump you off right as it gets going. At the risk of being overly harsh, I think this album would appeal to those with the attention span of a howler monkey on amphetamines or strip club patrons who have become conditioned to enjoy paying to be teased. As for me, I will better research future purchases or stick with actual albums that are intended to sound like a cohesive whole like Thievery Corporation, Kruder and Dorfmeister or St. Germaine if I want sophisticated sound that can actually carry a listener.

This soundtrack is excellent, as expected, with great songs that perfectly fit the scenes and the drama of the movie. However, there's at least one missing song, as always happens with soundtracks...
"Neil Richardson - The Riviera Affair" is the song played in the opening credits.

This is a great soundtrack, and I'd thought I'd settle some confusion about the "missing" trailer music. The track is called "Five Diamond Men", and it's exclusive for purchase on iTunes, along with a remix of "This Town" by Frank Sinatra, though there's no reason in hell they should EVER remix a Sinatra song.

Anyway, great album. Too bad about the iTunes exclusive.

Mate, if you've been catching the same trailer as I have recently then the song in question is actually from the OST "Out Of Sight" which of course Holmes also scored, his first collaboration with Soderbergh. Not sure of the exact name of the tune but its on there somewhere (if of course we're talking about the same trailer and song!!).
Hope this helps?
I saw the movie last weekend and the soundtrack was one of the highlights for sure but that is always the case with Holmes; he's a legend and I'd give any work of his 6 stars if the option was there - fresh, innovative, at times challenging but always, always uber-cool.
Enogh said.....

After purchasing the first two soundtracks, I couldn't wait until #13 came out. ...and after hearing the music from the trailer, I was waiting by the mailbox everyday. However!!!....where's the trailer music??? I can't believe it, the best music in all 3 Ocean's films isn't on the soundtrack. Does anyone know what the track is and where I can get it?

I agree with the above reviewer that i have also enjoyed all the Oceans sountracks to date and Ocean Thirteen is no exception. the problem is that the term soundtrack implies that the songs heard in the Trailer and Movie would be on the CD. This CD is/would better labled as "The Score" with a few extra songs by additional artists.
Not nearly what i was expecting, but still enjoyable.

This soundtrack is almost as good as the Ocean's 11 soundtrack - and with catchy music straight from the film, I highly recommend picking this up! If you love the music in the movie, this is for you!

When it comes to David Holmes, almost anything sounds good. As you may have noticed with his Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve soundtracks, he often repeats the same theme to produce an effect. However, in this record, he does something different. Utilizing more harmonic melodies, he adds more flavor to each of the many bites that are strewn throughout any given song.

In the case of "Not Their Fight", he adds a bit of spice to the mix with an electric piano and some glockenspiel which gives it quite the cheery ring. His electric guitar doesn't disappoint accompanying quite a vociferous bass.

With the intro to "11, 12 & 13", Holmes instantly produces a happy atmosphere with glockenspiel. His almost harp-sounding guitar halfway through makes you wonder.

"Dice Men" has to be in my top three on this record. The way he repeats a theme with electric piano, guitar, brass and woodwinds gives the piece a somewhat orchestral feel.

To bring a Jazzier feel to the mix, Holmes composed the "Earthquake" piece which has quite the amazing climax. Leading up to an orchestral height with a great beat and a great brass section, it's no wonder I love this song so much.

"Snake Eyes" has to be my absolute favorite song. Beginning with the solitary drum player, incorporating bass, and adding a chirping electric piano, he creates the perfect mix for the "victory scene" which takes place at this point in the film. His brass section, though repeating the same theme over and over again (as I mentioned before) does it to great effect. The hints of saxophone and harmonica really zest up the piece.

"All Sewn Up" is in my top three as well mainly because of its climax. The brass section, once again, does a great job.

However, Holmes doesn't exclusively employ his "house band" to mellow out the feelings and actions exhibited in these films. He has a surprisingly good taste in other people's works as well, with the songs "Soul Town" by The Motherhood, "This Town" by Frank Sinatra (How can you go wrong with Blue Eyes?), and even the psychedelic "Caravan" by Puccio Roelens. But perhaps the most interesting piece is the involvement (yet again) of Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune", now arranged in a smooth synthetic lullaby by Isao Tomita. Yes, no matter which way you slice it, Ocean's Thirteen has a wonderful mix of music that even John Williams couldn't say "No" to. These are just some of the reasons why David Holmes music and even the film Ocean's Thirteen itself should be in your media library.