Customer Reviews

Salton Sea (Score)

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

 

 

I had initially bought this album for Terence Blanchard's rendition of 'Saeta'. But the rest of the album is mind blowing in itslef, dark, moody. has almost a rugged ambient feel to it.

This is my first album, of thomas newman, surely not going to be the last. Its a great record, buy it after u see the movie.

I never saw [or really heard of] this film, but as I hear more and more contemporary film scores, Thomas Newman sticks out as the most interesting composer so far, with the most imagination --- and in this score a multiplicity of new ideas are on display. It's just exciting, and fresh... close to what classical music might have been if after serialism it hadn't been straightjacketed within minimalism for so long. The score for "In the Bedroom" is interesting in the same way.

Thomas Newman (who is from a family of composers ~ Alfred Newman of 20th Century-Fox was his father) takes this score to another level of which I've not seen before. With previous films to his credit ~ "In The Bedroom"(2001-wonderful score & film), "Pay It Forward"(2000-fair score), "Erin Brockovich"(2000-outstanding score & film), "Green Mile"(1999-good score), "American Beauty"(1999)-outstanding score, nominated by the Academy & Golden Globe for Best Original Score), "Little Women"(1994-wonderful score & film), "The Shawshank Redemption"(1994-powerful score and one of my all-time favorite films) and "Fried Green Tomatoes"(1991-another wonderful film with score to match) ~ Thomas Newman has become a constant name in the films of today, as far back as 1984.

With director D.J. Caruso, screenwriter Tony Gayton and composer Thomas Newman, we experience each character on the screen. This tense and moody story has a cast of players to match ~ Val Kilmer(Danny Parker), Peter Sarsgaard(Jimmy the Fin) and Deborah Kara Unger (Colette) ~ a modern day film noir dealing with drug trade and the answers to an unsolved murder of Kilmer's wife.

Newman's cues are dark, moody and sometimes bleak. Shades of sadistic counterpoints surface within "BADGER", percussion and guitar takes each piece of music to a dooming place ~ "LAST WIFE", piano recalls memories and strings answer the questions ~ "LINOLEUM/WALK TO BLACK", dreamlike trance voices adhere while strings swell, guitar opens the door for drums to react and all join in with a haunting tempo that grabs you, this is the highlight...ENJOY!

All in all, Newman has captured the essence of a brutal undercover story and the demons that haunt each character. Much like Jerry Goldsmith with "L.A. Confidential", the elements within the soundtrack are very sound. As a "film-score-buff", this is going into my collection as a keeper.

Total Time: 47:33 on 23 Tracks ~ Varese Sarabande 302-066-351-2 ~ (2002)

this cd is a definate must-have for newman fans,and people who enjoyed the movie starring val kilmer in one of his top 5 roles ever(i thought).my only gripe is that some of the songs end too abruptly.many are only :45 long,and though they're every bit as good as anything off "american beauty",only 5 or so are over 3 minutes long(the whole disc is about 50 minutes long).however,that means you do get many different musical "flavors" to taste by the time the album is done-and the last track is a total trip-yodeling instruction(???).I like to plop it in my changer on random for weird moments in between "regular songs".it's worth your $,and you may be mixed up about it at first but it grows on you.

I watch a lot of movies and there are only two composers that have gained my attention over the film; Thomas Newman and John Barry (of James Bond Films). This is one of Newmans best.

My girlfriend and I like to call Newman "the thought composer". In light of his previous work, this is very different, yet adds a magical score to his frightning ability to be creative and experimental.

This is not the Newman that is able to include synths and rather electronic-like music along with a spellbinding theme (generally included by piano). This is a rather destructive and intrusive score, but displays some qualities heard in G. Ravell's score to "Until the End of the World". There really isn't any place to go - the listener is forced to feel the "in between-ness" which is speckled all over the theme of the actual movie.

In itself, the score is utterly dark, mysterious, and deeply hauntingly sad. I can understand why Newman would go for this type of movie - it pushes him to be very creative in dealing with visual themes.

You hear the trumpet! What the heck is Newman thinking? However, it is something that just makes him that much more of a musical genius, in my opinion.

Get this album to add to a music collection, not necessarily for something that you can listen to while doing something - but just to listen to for its musical force and strikingly haunting themes.