Michael Giacchino - Star Trek (2009) Soundtrack Review
In one of the most anticipated reboots, we didn't get our signature star trek horn solo. From the word go, we are told - this is not your "Father's Star trek". Nonetheless, references abound and the new Star Trek starts off with errr.. Star Trek with an ubiqutious horn solo, the Wagnerian Leitmotif that would come to represent Captain James Tiberius Kirk and of course, the USS Enterprise herself.
A parody of an alarm on the horn followed by a fierce, unexpected gilssando leads into Nailin' the Kelvin, the first action music sequence which introduces Nero's theme, played by menacing trombones and tubas. There are what I believe to be some cheeky star trek musical references here - notably the use of tambourine and the snatches of rhythmic quotations from Klingon Battle Music. Not sure if I'm reading too much into it though!
Apart from Spock's theme (An elegant Erhu solo - two string Chinese fiddle/violin that appears only in End credits! Shame!!) and perhaps Labour of Love, the soundtrack is pretty much made of both Kirk's heroic theme and Nero's villain theme battling it out for supremacy. I am not so sure about its effectiveness? At times I found this to be particularly effective and others, not so.
Enterprising Young Men is one of my favourite moments in the score - building up from a gentle piano dynamic using a juxtaposition of small musical ostinato cells of brass and strings, it is almost a tonally inflected Stravinsky in Le Sacre? LOL! He even 'quoted' the syncopated low horns! WTH?! This leads to a frenzied and crazy Timpani and tom/tom solo and finally a full statement of the Kirk Theme in all its glory - I had multiple orgasms just watching the unveiling of the Enterprise along with Giacchino's music pumping in the background. But to have all your musical material introduced in the first two and half minutes of your work, and not developing it properly, is courting disaster. Soon, the nobility and menace of the two themes edge towards the banal and frivolous, almost becoming a pastiche of old Hollywood movies from the Golden Era. Perhaps this was the composer's true intention? [note - my partner in crime has mentioned that he liked the themes. perhaps for mass appeal, accessible music, simple melodies fragments or otherwise always work I suppose].
Personally, the rest of the score is in a much similar vein. It does it's job well but that's it. We even have the totally oddball Nero Sighted, which really reminds one of the old Batman scores of Elfman (definately) and maybe a little Goldenthal. Maybe its meant to be satire/comic relief? I nearly burst out laughing! Or maybe I listen and think too much.
The notable exception would be the final two tracks (To Boldly Go and End Credits). Here, we finally get our long awaited five note Star Trek space motif followed by the famous horn call (albeit rhythmically altered) and Alexander Courage's original theme, complete with impressionist female water nymph chrous and over the top strings. No disco accompaniments though, which is a pity! To quote this here at the end sounds stylistically disjointed from the rest of the score...but at this point, who really cares? I sprung up from my seat to attention, made the Vulcan hand sign and proudly sang my national anthem just the same! Ooops!
Verdict: It's not your father's Trek. But hell, I love it all the same.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
1. Star Trek (1:03) *recommended
2. Nailin’ the Kelvin (2:09) *recommended
3. Labor of Love (2:51) *recommended
4. Hella Bar Talk (1:55)
5. Enterprising Young Men (2:39) *recommended
6. Nero Sighted (3:23)
7. Nice To Meld You (3:13)
8. Run and Shoot Offense (2:04)
9. Does It Still McFly? (2:03)
10. Nero Death Experience (5:38)
11. Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns (2:34)
12. Back From Black (:59)
13. That New Car Smell (4:46)
14. To Boldly Go (:26)
15. End Credits (9:11) *recommended