Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Expect the Unexpected, February 3, 2009
I don't usually buy a soundtrack before seeing the movie it belongs to, but I had to make an exception for the Coraline. To the point that I bought it at quarter after midnight on Feb. 2 then settled in for some serious listening. My first impression was that The soundtrack sounded more or less the way I'd imagined it would. Meaning highly atmospheric and slightly well, more then slightly excentric. Bruno Coulais seems to have made a deliberate effort to create music that is not easily defined. I have to say in my opinion he succeeded. The music for Coraline to me most resembles somthing like an auditory jigsaw puzzle where the pieces don't seem like the should fit together but somhow they do beautifully. Admittedly it took a few listens to fully grasp what Coulais intended, and the more I listend the more I got it, and I realized the genius of it. At first I was a little put off by the lack of clearly defined themes and motifs found in more tradtional film scores. You can't really point to any one of the 32 songs on the album and say, here is Coraline's theme, or there is the theme of the Other Mother. And yet there is a subtle character signature on some of the pieces. While other songs feel more like vivid tableaus. In short the Coraline Soundtrack does what a really good soundtrack is meant to do, which is to tell a story in and of it's self, without depending on the film. Bruno Coulais manages to capture with stunning uniquenss the creative force that is Neil Gaiman's Coraline.
Just a few things to note. I'n to sure that this album will be everyones cup of tea, that is an almost experimental vibe to the music which could turn some poeple off. There is quie a bit of discord layed in that isn't really condusive to relaxing or working to, another words some people may not find this the best backround muisc.
Stand out tracks include:
1 End Credits
3 Instellation
4 Wybie
5 Exploration(The song I think of as Coralines theme)
9 Fantastic Gaden
13 Dreams are dangerous
14 Sirens of the Sea
15 In the Bed
17 It Was Fantastic
18 Ghost Children
23 Alone
25 Reunion
27 The Theater
32 The Party
Also recommended
The Chorus Bruno Coulais
Pushing Daisies Soundtrack
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A first-class soundtrack. Instantly joins the ranks of my all-time favorites., February 12, 2009
In the two days since I purchased the Coraline soundtrack, several of its tunes have found their way to my heart like a lullaby from the Other world. But, for now, we need not even discuss the movie these tracks were written for. Context aside, let us simply discuss Bruno Coulais' superb album that only happens to be called "Coraline Original Motion Picture Soundtrack."
Let's get this out of the way first: movie scores by design are primarily ambient and Coraline is no exception. Typically all I can salvage from a soundtrack are two or three cues that carry the film's main themes. So it's a rare and happy day when I can enjoy all of, most of, or even much of a film's score. A robust collection, Coulais' Coraline measures in impressively at just over 1:3 excellence to ambience. For sheer value this allows me to recommend it as a quality soundtrack. But it's the brilliance of these tracks that propels the collection into my toppest of tops.
Apart from the mentioned ambient tracks, the sounds of Coraline range from the dreamy, dulcet voices of The Children's Choir of Nice (Nice, France, that is) to the rousing, often dark, conjurations of the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra. The melodies carried by the children's choir evoke the senses of comfort, innocence, and reverie. It's easy on the ears and will lull you right back to your childhood. The darker pieces maintain the choir element, preserving the dream-like overtones, but they remove the feeling of comfort entirely, giving you the eerie sense that you're falling into the clutches of a nightmare.
I particularly enjoy the darker pieces. These would be "End Credits," "The Supper," and "Ghost Children." It would be selling Coulais short to compare him to another artist, but these pieces, along with the edgy "Mice Circus," seem almost an homage to the early works of the great Danny Elfman. Or it may just be that these pieces all appeal to the same part of my taste. Either way, it's incredibly refreshing to hear music that recalls that forgotten, beautifully weird aesthetic. Is Bruno Coulais the next Danny Elfman? Who knows. All I know is that if this soundtrack were an LP I'd already have worn out the grooves.
When I'm not listening to the mentioned tracks (typically on constant loop), I'm listening to the softer side of the soundtrack; the choir pieces. There are actually quite a few tracks featuring the choir themes, but my favorites of these have been "Installation," "Exploration," and "Mechanical Lullaby." So soft, so sweet. It's the perfect relief from the more intense tracks. These are the butter that helps everything slide, allowing me to listen to the soundtrack all day long.
Naturally I'd recommend this album for anybody who likes film music, but I would especially recommend it for those, like myself, who have a particular taste for the beautiful, the dark, and the weird. It has instantly become one of the proudest additions to my collection, and I know I will be enjoying it for many years to come.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I really like the music on this soundtrack, February 10, 2009
This is a very good soundtrack. I love this musical score from French composer Bruno Coulais. My favorite track is the creepy but delightful "The Supper". I also love the soothing sound "Exploration". "Fantastic Garden" picks up the pace a bit. I love this upbeat track. It sounds very groovy. "Bobinsky" has a playful mysterious sound to it. The children's choir of Nice performs on the ending credits. I love the hurried tone on this track. Their voices of these kids are beautiful. There Might Be Giants contribute the "Other Father Song". This song is a very short track, but it is pleasant to listen to.
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is one of Bruno Coulais' 
