There's No Place Like Home
In The Long Ago I decided I'd split my eventual Lost mix into two, one disc for the first three seasons and another for the final three. What I didn't know then was that the final season would bring so much music of such high quality, including a highly involved finale score that drew together nearly every theme from the entire series, that Varèse would proceed to release it in two two-disc sets. Having more highlights I very much wanted to include and not a lot of space on one disc to flesh them out into something coherent, I decided to expand the project to two discs and hope that I could sustain a mix of this length. Listening to the set many times as I have while writing the following, I think it can definitely bear a complete listen if one is in the right mood, but each disc can stand on its own and indeed may benefit from being listened to separately.
In these notes I've shied away from spoiler-ridden plot descriptions for each track. Instead, as I did for Volume I, I've tried to focus more on the thematic tapestry Giacchino wove over the course of the show's second half, the musical journey that once understood adds immeasurably to the show. I think this journey is the reason why Lost will ultimately go down as Giacchino's monumental achievement: I like much of his other work as much as the next guy (let it never be said that I'm not a fan of Star Trek, Super 8 and parts of his Medal of Honor material), but with no other project thus far has he been afforded the opportunity to construct such a thematically rich and emotionally satisfying mass of music, over the course of several years, and followed through better than anyone could have hoped. He may have more financial and critical success if he winds up scoring a whole new series of Star Trek films--and hey, all the best to him in that regard; I'd be first in line to pre-order all of the CDs--but even then I would be very surprised if he winds up crafting a larger piece with the sense of evolution and conclusion depicted in this set.
And so, now that I've raised expectations about as far as they can go...
There's No Place Like Home
The Music of Lost Volume II: Seasons Four, Five & Six
Music by Michael Giacchino
Disc One: 40 tracks, 79:19
Disc Two: 25 tracks, 78:53
Total: 65 tracks, 158:12
Disc One
01. Landing Party - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (3:01)
02. The Last Recruit - "The Last Recruit" (0:57)
03. Of Mice and Ben - "There's No Place Like Home Part 1" (1:14)
04. Jumping Jack's Flash - "The End" (0:50)
05. There's No Place Like Home - "There's No Place Like Home Part 1" (2:30)
06. Coffin Calamity - "LA X" (3:11)
07. George of the Concrete Jungle - "Happily Ever After" (1:03)
08. Shepharding Sun - "The Package" (1:40)
09. Sunny Outlook - "The Last Recruit" (0:32)
10. Leaver-age - "The End" (1:05)
11. The Last Recruit - "The Last Recruit" (0:35)
12. The Lighthouse - "Lighthouse" (3:13)
13. The Swinging Bendulum - "The Lie" (1:17)
14. Locke of the Island - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (6:27)
15. Shephard's Why - "The Candidate" (0:43)
16. A Sunken Feeling - "LA X" (0:59)
17. Sayid After Dentist - "The Package" (0:27)
18. Lost Away - Or Is It? - "The Economist" (1:23)
19. Sawyer Jones and the Temple of Boom - "Follow the Leader" (3:55)
20. Down the Hobbit Hole - "The End" (0:36)
21. The Stick with Me Speech - "The End" (0:29)
22. Cereal Experience - "What They Died For" (1:30)
23. Jacob's Advocate - "Ab Aeterno" (5:33)
24. Ji Yeon - "Ji Yeon" (2:56)
25. The Constant - "The Constant" (3:08)
26. More Locke Than Locke - "316" (3:07)
27. Alex in Chains - "Dead is Dead" (0:59)
28. Hostile Negotiations - "The Shape of Things to Come" (0:50)
29. None the Nurse - "Happily Ever After" (2:06)
30. World's Worst Car Wash - "Happily Ever After" (1:58)
31. The Science of Faith - "316" (2:05)
32. Across the Sea - "Across the Sea" (1:09)
33. Don't Look at the Light - "Across the Sea" (2:34)
34. Timecrunch - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (1:14)
35. Jacob's Ladders - "The Substitute" (1:18)
36. Dogen's Story - "Sundown" (3:09)
37. The Rockets' Red Glare - "LA X" (1:02)
38. Sundown - "Sundown" (2:26)
39. Our Lady of Perpetual Labor - "The End" (3:13)
40. Get Out of Jail Free Card - "What They Died For" (2:36)
Disc Two
01. Dharma vs. Lostaways - "The Incident" (4:18)
02. Make Like a Tree - "Across the Sea" (4:21)
03. Down the Hobbit Hole - "The End" (3:25)
04. The Sub Group - "The Last Recruit" (2:04)
05. Sub-primed - "The Candidate" (3:09)
06. SS Lost-tanic - "The Candidate" (6:13)
07. Happily Ever After - "Happily Ever After" (1:19)
08. Locke-about - "Cabin Fever" (2:27)
09. Making Up for Lost Time - "Because You Left" (1:50)
10. Follow the Leader - "Follow the Leader" (5:04)
11. The Long Kiss Goodbye - "The End" (4:54)
12. Love in a Time of Pneumonia - "Ab Aeterno" (0:41)
13. None the Richard - "Ab Aeterno" (0:38)
14. Mother of a Plan - "Across the Sea" (3:20)
15. LAX - "LA X" (4:00)
16. Crazy Town - "Recon" (0:41)
17. Jacob's Stabber - "The Incident" (3:45)
18. Aloha - "The End" (1:03)
19. Mother of Sorrows - "Across the Sea" (3:07)
20. The Incident - "The Incident" (1:29)
21. Bobbing for Freighters - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (1:30)
22. Locke vs. Jack - "The End" (2:15)
23. Love is Stronger Than Death - "Across the Sea" (2:20)
24. Closure - "The End" (7:13)
25. Moving On - "The End" (7:36)
Where Volume I began with a five-track suite of major themes introduced in the show's first season, here we start with a five-track quite of the Oceanic Six theme, which was introduced in the fourth season finale (the namesake for track five and ultimately this compilation), used sparingly in season five, but grew heavily prominent as the show moved closer to its conclusion in season six. "Landing Party" is from one of the last scenes in season four, and begins with a prelude derived from one segment of the raft/leaving-the-island theme (Vol. I, "Parting Words") which would often accompany the Oceanic Six theme after this point. The Oceanic Six theme itself can be seen as an evolution of the show's main theme (Vol. I, "Credit Where Credit is Due") with similar three-note phrases occurring at several points, but in a far more mature setting than the latter had ever aspired to. In "Landing Party" both parts of the melody repeat several times on piano and violin, leading to a "winding down" variation that is interrupted by abrasive trombone blasts from "The Last Recruit." A tense undercurrent in the strings leads to a short imperiled variation on the O6 theme, which in turn leads to "Of Mice and Ben," a more action-oriented variation backed by swelling trombone chords. "Jumping Jack's Flash" ends the brief burst of action by bringing back the "Parting Words" prelude, leading to a sweet high-pitched version of the O6 theme on violin. Note, during this track, a harp in the background plucking out the Life and Death theme (Vol. I, "Win One for the Reaper"). The final track of the opening suite, "There's No Place Like Home," makes this connection to Life and Death even clearer by beginning with the piano prelude that often accompanies the older theme. This is the track that introduced the theme at the beginning of the season four finale; it does so with a sensitive performance of one of the component melodies on solo piano before introducing further orchestration (and the other component of the theme) as the cue goes on.
As the Oceanic Six theme winds down again (and for the time being) an almost playful rhythm shifts the mood to something a little more portentious, with piano & trombone echoes laid under a staccato violin melody introducing the temple theme. After a short interlude, the temple theme returns on the harp while the rhythm is taken up by strings and percussion; the theme then returns to the strings, echoed by the trombone. After a more strident version of the temple theme leading to a commercial-break stinger, "George of the Concrete Jungle" intrudes with another set of heavily rhythmic melodies, but these add up to something far calmer, even placid--this is the introduction of Desmond's sideways theme, one of the new character themes introduced in season six. This theme is based on three melodies which typically enter one by one in order to build up to the full theme. The harp-based section of the theme trails off unobtrusively, as the character often would for most of the season.
"Shepharding Sun" is the first track to solely feature themes returning from Volume I. The main theme is given a warm if tentative treatment, with its three-note rising backing melody (which occurred on its own in Vol. I in "Flying High" and will again later) leading to Sun & Jin's theme (Vol. I, "The Last to Know") on piano. In "Sunny Outlook" the backing section returns on harp, leading to a short treatment of the main theme for piano, which in turn trails off into the return of the sideways Desmond theme in "Leaver-age," slower and more mystical this time, then a subtle suggestion of Life and Death and the rising backline of the main theme. This relatively peaceful moment is interrupted by a violent burst of sideways Desmond's theme in another selection from "The Last Recruit," this time with the three-note harp melody occurring in the low registers of the piano.
"The Lighthouse" bursts in next, with a monolithic, echoing piano note leading into the introduction of Jacob's theme in the low strings. Jacob's theme carries with it no small amount of mystery, but also a weary, old-world quality. A winding string line leads to a truly epic statement of the theme on the violins, then a more plainly old-world statement on solo violin. A brief return of the trombone signals the departure of this new theme, for now. A more hopeful string melody follows until it's swallowed by the return of Jack's action motif (Vol. I, "Under the Knife"), building to an increasingly unhinged climax.
"The Swinging Bendulum" continues with a tense athematic passage until the rising backline of the main theme is heard on the trombone, building to the introduction of another new theme, this time a four-note melody for Locke which is heard first in low piano chords, then in the violins building to a crescendo. Over the years this theme has gone through a few different names--"Locke's destiny," "Locke the savior," "Locke the leader." Lostpedia calls it "Locke's motif," which is hardly helpful. It was introduced in the first season, but was only used four times in the first three years of the show and only made it CD once in that time (and when I was assembling Vol. I of this set I actually hadn't yet recognized it in that track; whoops). It was brought back to track the character's evolution starting in season four and often accompanied him from then on; it will recur several times here. The following track, "Locke of the Island," is chiefly concerned with Ben's theme (Vol. I, "Dharmacide") and two of Locke's, the motif introduced in the previous track and the character's primary theme (Vol. I, "Crocodile Locke"). A blink-and-you-miss-it statement of Locke's primary theme passes by on the harp before Ben's theme, in a partial reprise of its fleshed-out "Dharmacide" form, takes center stage. Locke's primary theme then comes on the scene in a slow-paced, ponderous variation, leading to the motif from "The Swinging Bendulum" to quicken the pace (slightly). Ben's theme is heard in a form more similar to its earlier, more creepy variations (Vol. I, "Bon Voyage, Traitor") before returning to a more sympathetic hue. Eventually it takes a form bordering on heroism, punctuated first by trombone blasts and later by percussion. A string stinger gives way to the Island mystery theme (Vol. I, "Peace Through Superior Firepower," there a fast-paced rhythm-keeping device, here paced more slowly) on strings. The same five-note mystery theme then occurs in a softer guise with the strings and harp in "Shephard's Why" before giving way to a partial variation at the beginning of "A Sunken Feeling." An interlude of action scoring leads to the main theme, followed by Giacchino's trademark trombone falloff. (In the finished episode, this piece did not have the strong overlay of the main theme, instead featuring extra percussion.)
Out of the wake of the trombone falloff comes the introduction of Sayid's theme, first in the low registers of the piano in "Sayid After Dentist" and then in a set of ascending violin variations in "Lost Away - Or Is It?" It has an air of nobility to it but also has, like the character, a sense of reaching for something that will remain forever unfulfilled. (Sayid's theme was introduced early in the first season, but only made it to CD a handful of times. After this pair of tracks, it does not recur in this set.)
The waterphone signals the beginning of "Sawyer Jones and the Temple of Doom" (a title that may be regarded as a litmus test for whether or not one can abide Giacchino's whacked-out track titles; see also Star Trek's "Flying Into a Trphlthdl"), integrating Kate's theme (Vol. I, "Kate's Motel") and leading into a strident statement of Giacchino's submarine theme. This theme is derived from music Giacchino had written years previously for the submarine level in Medal of Honor ("The U-Boat"); the tempo and points of emphasis changed over time, from a straight quotation in one episode in season three to the more deliberate theme it had become by the time a statement of it was finally released on CD for season five. After the submarine theme reaches a crescendo the main theme's backline returns, this time in a more fleshed-out arrangement that was used several times toward the end of season five. After that theme reaches a plateau, another string crescendo heralds the return of the journey theme (Vol. I, "Island Trek"/"Hollywood & Vines"); the mystery theme then leads to another trombone falloff.
Desmond's sideways theme returns in three short tracks. A slow-paced arrangement in "Down the Hobbit Hole" gives way to a faster one in "The Stick with Me Speech," while the pace slows again for "Cereal Experience," where the four-note segment of sideways Desmond's theme occurs over a different harp rhythm and has an extra note added to it. This gives way to the introduction of another major theme, Jack's, on piano. (Jack's theme first appeared in the season three premiere, but I frankly didn't care for any of its appearances in season three and so didn't include any of them in Volume I. Eventually the theme grew on me, so some of the arrangements from seasons five & six made their way here.)
After a brief, though full, appearance, Jack's theme gives way to "Jacob's Advocate," which brings a more plaintive arrangement of Jacob's theme than that heard earlier in the disc. This version conveys more of the mystery and remove of the character than the assertiveness of the earlier one. After Jacob's theme cycles twice, Richard's theme, imbued with the same old-world quality as Jacob's theme but also carrying a more romantic and tragic air, rises to the forefront. Eventually another new theme, a sort of gentrified snarl, comes forth from the low strings. This is the Man in Black's theme, used in the final season as the foil to Jacob's theme. Richard's theme returns in a more sensitive, tragic guise, eventually leading to "Ji Yeon," a heartbreaking piece which acts as this disc's central statement of the Life and Death theme. Here that theme receives a full reading on piano and is eventually joined by a fabulous statement of Sun & Jin's theme on solo cello. At the end, the violins enter for a final statement of Sun & Jin's theme while Life and Death moves to the harp.
Another sensitive harp-and-piano passage follows, when "The Constant" brings back Desmond's primary theme (Vol. I, "Bon Voyage, Traitor"). The theme then moves to the strings for a series of increasingly dramatic readings, followed by a return to the harp. The mood becomes a bit more dramatic in "More Locke Than Locke," beginning with a determined reading of Jack's action motif. Another motif for Jack appears, this one consisting of four synthesized tones, leading to the rising motif signifying Jack's destiny (Vol. I, "Flying High") and a reprise of the synthesized motif before the return of Jack's primary theme on piano.
A convoluted string passage in "Alex in Chains" lies beneath the return of Ben's theme on the piano. The theme then moves to the strings before reaching a crescendo that resolves into "Hostile Negotiations," a desperate reading of Ben's theme punctuated by the trombones. "None the Nurse" takes things in a more mysterious direction, using a staggered string line as a prelude to and undercurrent of sideways Desmond's theme. Desmond's primary theme shines through briefly, leading to more tense variations on the "sideways" theme. "World's Worst Car Wash" bursts out with an action sequence based on sideways Desmond's theme--elements of it are used on the harp, piano and strings at various points to keep the pace of the piece elevated. Again a character's primary theme shines through, this time Charlie's theme (Vol. I, "Looking Glass Half Full"), followed by a resumption of the action material.
"The Science of Faith" is another meditation on Locke's themes, beginning with a slow, sympathetic treatment of his primary four-note theme on violins before moving on to a subtle variation on his other major theme from season one (Vol. I, "Locke'd Out Again"). Jack's destiny motif then returns in somewhat of an anguished guise, giving way to "Across the Sea," the introduction of the Light theme. (I realize that for non-viewers--and hell, even for viewers--some of these names sound really, really dumb. Ooh, it's the Light theme, a theme for Light! What can I say, other than that this was a show that demanded a highly refined ability to suspend disbelief by the end.) This theme forms something of a trio with Jacob's theme and the Man in Black's; where Jacob's theme begins with one bold note flowing into the rest of the melody, and MIB's is made up of an initial three-note phrase followed by a two-note phrase, the Light theme consists of a two-note phrase followed by a three-note phrase, reversing the arrangement of MIB's theme and bridging the gap between it and Jacob's theme. It was introduced late in the series, in the antepenultimate episode, but received significant attention there and in the final two episodes. In "Across the Sea" it's relatively docile, while in "Don't Look at the Light" it first occurs in beguiling string lines layered with percussion. A wondrous string crescendo leads to more straightforward readings of the theme for string and piano.
As the Light theme winds down, I got near one of the coveted "long transitions" I simply love when I can pull them off, layering part of "Timecrunch" over the final twenty seconds of "Don't Look at the Light" and continuing the latter for the first few seconds of the former. "Timecrunch" is one of the climactic cues from the fouth season finale and functions here as the prelude to a more intense set of cues to bring the first disc to a close, bringing back the journey theme for the second and final time in this compilation. (It appeared on CD a handful of times other than the two that made their way here, but each of them was relatively short and I decided not to make a unified suite out of them this time.) Rattling percussion leads into "Jacob's Ladders," a straightforward statement of the first primary theme for MIB, used for the most part in the episodes before the theme heard in "Jacob's Advocate" was fully formed. This theme is more plainly devious, almost creeping.
The end of MIB's first theme is drowned in a sea of low strings which begins "Dogen's Story" (part of the track "Sundown" on the commercial CD) but ultimately gives way to a slow reading of the temple theme ("Coffin Calamity") punctuated by harp tones. Life and Death threatens to take over the cue...but instead the strings turn toward Jacob's theme. The temple theme returns in a very low register, heralding a short burst of the theme in an action setting in "The Rockets' Red Glare," boldly sounding from the trombones over frantic strings and percussion. The main portion of "Sundown" is introduced with a fragile pause (a bit that sounds to me like the very beginning of the Star Trek: The Next Generation main title; that might just be me) leading to another action setpiece, this one based on a short motif repeated by the trombones, strings and percussion, but which also cycles through the main theme, Kate's theme, a final appearance of the temple theme and a return to the main theme. This trio of cues was put together with one of the suites created for the second Lost concert (held shortly before the penultimate show aired) in mind; the concert itself has not been released, but there's a low-quality video of a rehearsal of the piece here. I ultimately did not replicate the transition between "The Rockets' Red Glare" and "Sundown" in that piece, not to mention that the concert piece seems to end with "A Sunken Feeling," but it did give me some ideas.
"Our Lady of Perpetual Labor" intercedes before "Sundown" truly reaches its climax; a brief tense passage opens up into the Oceanic Six prelude, then the O6 theme itself on harp and piano. Hopefully you didn't forget about the theme in the last hour! The prelude returns again, swelling into a full string reading of the O6 theme in all of its dramatic glory, followed by Claire's theme on violin with a heartbreakingly beautiful cello melody winding around it. (I've seen it said that the cello melody is a variation on Charlie's theme, but at present I just don't hear it.) Sadly, this does not continue long before sideways Desmond's theme makes itself known, leading into its final variation of this set, after having been peppered throughout this disc to lead up to this track. "Get out of Jail Free Card" begins with the standard reading of the theme before trailing off...and coming back in a fantastically driven variation that, I think, breathes new life into the theme. Hurley's theme (Vol. I, "World's Worst Landscaping") intrudes briefly before the almost baroque variation on sideways Desmond's theme returns for the final time, ending disc one with a burst of energy.
Disc two is front-loaded with action: "Dharma vs. Lostaways" kicks things off with a set of strident chords that resolve into Jack's action motif and a short tense variation on the main theme before percussion joins the proceedings. Those two themes alternate with the more developed version of the main theme's backline (disc one, "Sawyer Jones and the Temple of Doom") and an aggressive trombone-based theme that first appeared in the Lost: Via Domus video game, until the backline reaches a climax and resolves into a short, though always dramatic, appearance of Life and Death.
The momentum slows a tad as "Make Like a Tree" starts, but not much. MIB's theme burrows into the deep registers of the strings until the Light theme emerges in contrast, though it doesn't quite carry the wonder & beauty of its previous arrangements. It seems somewhat tenuous until, eventually, a driving string rhythm gives it a sense of tension, even desperation. This gives way to "Down the Hobbit Hole," which begins with the return of one of the island traveling themes (Vol. I, "Juliet is Lost." At the time that I made that CD I believed this theme to be a variation on the Island mystery theme; I...was wrong). A brief appearance of the Light theme gives way to a new traveling theme heard only in the series finale, this one associated with the Heart of the Island. (Yes.) The Light theme again returns momentarily, before the main theme's backline leads to the dramatic culmination of Desmond's theme, beginning in the harp & piano and moving to the strings. Even this cannot escape the sense of doom in the early part of the finale, as the Light theme returns again with great portent.
"The Sub Group" kicks off a three-track suite of tracks relating to the submarine, bringing the opening action-oriented section of the disc to a close and moving into the next section. A set of alternating chords lie beneath a staccato trombone motif introduced toward the end of the series. After that motif comes to a head, piano and percussion lead to Locke's motif on the violins; this motif is at the heart of the action material to follow. It moves to the trombone before the alternating chords from the beginning of the track, actually Sawyer's theme, combines with Jack's action motif. "Sub-primed" brings a return to the main theme; a foreboding appearance of the submarine theme leads to an action sequence featuring part of the main theme before some assertive versions of Locke's motif. The last of these features Locke's primary four-note theme rumbling in the low strings & trombones as well, before bringing back Jack's action motif.
"SS Lost-tanic" returns to Locke's motif in an arrangement that would be playful were it not for the supporting percussion. A string passage underlines the characters' desperation before the submarine theme reappears, this time backed by Locke's motif. A running theme (of the literary, not musical, kind) in this track is that, while more distinctly dramatic themes and motifs can occur on their own, the more action-oriented ones cannot get off the ground without Locke's motif backing them. As his character is driving the action, so must his motif provide the impetus for the music. After the sub theme passes several string jabs give the impression that another thrilling passage is beginning, but without Locke's theme backing it, the string melody settles to a low rumble before the Oceanic Six theme appears. Jack's action motif starts and stops three times before it is allowed to continue by the addition of locke's motif. The harp then brings us back to more emotional material: another full appearance of Life and Death, followed by a similarly touching return of the main theme to bring the opening suite to a close and fully transition to a less action-oriented section of the disc.
"Happily Ever After" follows with a touching version of Desmond's theme, beginning with one part of the melody on solo violin followed by the full melody on piano and strings. In keeping with the featuring of the piano, "Locke-about" is a meditation on three of the character's themes, beginning with the remnants of "Locke'd Out Again" on piano and harp, followed by a gentle variation on Locke's motif on harp, ending with a mysterious version of Locke's primary theme in the low strings with some light percussion accompaniment.
As Locke and Ben are joined at the hip for much of the show, so are their respective themes here, as "Making up for Lost Time" alternates some of the versions of Ben's theme from "Locke of the Island" with new material, including a brief appearance of Locke's "Locke'd Out Again" theme. A string stinger leads to "Follow the Leader," beginning with Jack's destiny motif in a form similar to its other appearances, then repeated on piano leading to a grandiose version in the strings. In the wake of this comes a four-note melody in the strings and trombone that acts, in the show, as the precursor to the fully-formed final version of MIB's theme. A gentle adaptation of Locke's theme then gives way to MIB's "creeping" theme ("Jacob's Ladders"), which leads to Locke's motif, asserting itself more and more in the proceedings.
"The Long Kiss Goodbye" begins with low strings and MIB's theme rumbling up in the trombone, before the harp intercedes, leading to another touching variation on the Oceanic Six prelude. This is interrupted by a combination of Sawyer's theme and the staccato trombone motif similar to the beginning of "The Sub Group." MIB's theme rumbles up again, leading to a brief reappearance of the Heart motif and ultimately giving way to a heartwarming version of Sawyer's theme (the final variation in the show, I believe) combined with the main theme. The three-note backline then leads to perhaps the most fully-orchestrated version of Jack's theme recorded for the show, with soaring strings and the backing of the piano. A closing section of Jack's theme that appears only in the finale resolves into two reappearances of Richard's theme in "Love in a Time of Pneumonia" and "None the Richard," the first slower and more romantic, the second more bold and adventurous. "Mother of a Plan" returns to more elusive territory, with a subtle variation on Jacob's theme in a call-and-response style between the harp and strings leading to a familiar mysterious (and then somewhat grandiose) iteration of the Light theme.
As we're now slightly past the halfway point of the second disc, I decided to insert "LAX" as somewhat of a palate cleanser. This is a piece that follows in the tradition of "There's No Place Like Home" (the queue, not the episode) by presenting a gorgeous new theme in an extended arrangement, beginning with an intimate arrangement on the piano and eventually growing into an expansive, almost swirling version for the show's full allotment of strings. Like the Oceanic Six theme it shares some thematic DNA with themes that have come before--mainly Life and Death--though here the relation is taken to another level of abstraction. I'd also place it at the endpoint of Giacchino's progression of ever more mature themes throughout the show, beginning with the main theme, proceeding to the sometimes-sentimental Life and Death & Oceanic Six, and finally arriving at this theme. Had the show continued longer than it did I believe it would've become a mainstay of the music the way the Oceanic Six theme managed to in the final season, lending itself as it did to similarly breathtaking arrangements; since the O6 theme was eventually adapted for more tense or dramatic purposes as well, I wonder what such uses would have sounded like for "LAX." As things happened, the theme appeared only thrice in the show. (Its other two uses, both released on the Final Episodes set, are not included in this mix because one of them skewed a little too closely to a shortened recapitulation of "LAX" and the other was very short.) This theme was among the pieces performed with Giacchino leading the orchestra & chorus at the 2010 Úbeda festival.
"Crazy Town" brings things back to more dramatic moods with a placid arrangement of Locke's motif (that pesky thing again), accompanied first on the harp and then the piano by a somewhat twisted form of Locke's original theme. This piano line is picked up in "Jacob's Stabber," now with Jacob's theme appearing in fits and starts in the strings. After a pause Ben's theme emerges in one of its more sympathetic guises, though things take a sudden turn as Ben's theme lashes out on the trombone, punctuated by bursts of percussion and strings. Jacob's theme lashes out as well, but is overcome. After another pause the main theme is presented on tremolo strings, leading to a short but glorious culmination of the theme in "Aloha," from one of but a few moments of joy afforded Our Heroes. This, too, passes, tilting into the Light theme and leading into some more variations of the same in "Mother of Sorrows," which serves as the transition track from the middle portion of the disc to its endgame. The Light theme burrows deeply, as MIB's theme did in "Make Like a Tree" earlier, before MIB's theme itself is found in a slightly ethereal arrangement. This queue becomes more unhinged as it goes on, culminating in an almost dizzy variation.
The very end of "Mother of Sorrows" and the next three tracks form the action climax of the disc (and therefore the set); while the epilogue that follows is lengthy, this section closes the door on several themes. A short athematic passage for stabbing strings and percussion leads to what I believe to be the only action-oriented version of Jacob's theme composed for the show. "The Incident," a cue from the climax of season five, picks up immediately with swirling strings under an increasingly frenzied reading of Juliet's theme (Vol. I, "Ocean's Apart"); also featured here is the closest the Life and Death theme ever came to a climactic fanfare. I've long found it an odd but interesting variation. The primary action cue from the season four finale, "Bobbing for Freighters," then picks up with a piano-and-percussion ostinato leading to the main theme's backline on strings and trombones, growing more tense with each iteration. Several desperate versions of the freighter theme (unheard in this mix before this point) follow, alternating with pieces of Jin & Sun's theme. This is a particularly fitting (though initially confusing) marriage, as each of the two five-note phrases that make up the freighter theme sounds like the first five notes of Jin & Sun's theme.
"Locke vs. Jack," the final action cue featured in Lost and in this compilation, allows no time to breathe before asserting itself with an aggressive rhythm carried by every instrument in various combinations. Eventually Locke's motif emerges embeds itself in the strings as the primary mover of the cue. The main theme is glimpsed briefly, but Locke's theme mows over it and continues on until reaching a culmination point of its own. Suddenly the pace slows, the violins remain on their last note--and Locke's primary character theme emerges in its two two-note phrases, this time with an additional three-note phrase adding a sense of finality. The Man in Black's theme explodes in its most grandiose form in soaring violins, with MIB's earlier "creeping" theme supporting it in the low registers...and then, just as quickly, is gone.
"Love is Stronger Than Death" begins the 17-minute epilogue--one far longer than I usually make, but in this case I felt it important to emphasize the softer, more personal material over the action music, partly because this section's job isn't just to close off this disc or this set, but to draw to a close the entire three-disc summation of Giacchino's Lost corpus. (Also, while I obviously think there some good highlights here, I don't often find Giacchino's action music to be the most engaging in the world.) Here the Light theme is given several full presentations, no longer tense or dramatic but rather more rarefied and delicate than usual. To this end, it's presented primarily on the piano. "Closure" picks up with the piano, now presenting one of the final variations on Ben's theme. In this arrangement it's no longer sinister, but some notes hang on perhaps a bit long, the melody perhaps not entirely sure of itself. It hasn't yet found, as the track title suggests, closure. This is followed by a final triumphant arrangement of two of Locke's themes: no longer harried by Locke's motif, his original four-note theme is bolstered by the trombone, leading to the "Locke'd Out Again" theme accompanied by the Oceanic Six theme. Here, at last, Locke's thematic material has found the closure it had sought so desperately.
The main theme, not yet having found such a place of peace, enters over a prolonged violin chord. After several troubled statements it gives way to two of Hurley's themes, the first of which hasn't been featured in either mix to this point, with the second being the theme that was based off of part of "Parting Words" (Vol. I, "Hurley's Handouts"). (I had initially tried to remove this portion for the sake of thematic simplicity, but after several attempts that resulted only in awkward transitions, I decided to leave it be. At the end of the day, I do feel that the "Hurley's Handouts" passage shines an appreciated ray of light through the heavy (and admittedly slow) material surrounding it.) The main theme returns, still troubled, leading to one final performance of Ben's theme on the piano. This passage is quite short, but I think a lot can be read into it regarding the evolution of the theme, finally reaching this point--a point of closure--with the sense of finality it had always been lacking.
Jack's synthesized motif ("More Locke Than Locke") returns to begin the final section of this track. Jack's theme is presented on the cello and then piano, but left unresolved--it too is seeking closure, and will find it soon. "Moving On," the final cue of the series, picks up with a sensitive appearance of Life and Death on the harp, moving seamlessly into the middle section of Jack's theme, again for piano and cello. Jack's theme is presented in full one last time, its wistful extended final portion ("The Long Kiss Goodbye") bidding it farewell and leading into the Oceanic Six prelude. The Oceanic Six theme takes over fully, with all of its sweeping power. (This track has two audio "blips," the first in this section. I was a bit flummoxed by their presence in every file no matter what computer or program or format I used to rip the disc (discs, actually, as this track appeared as a bonus selection on The Final Season before "The End" was presented on its own disc on The Last Episodes); I then found that they were also present in others' uploads of the CD tracks to YouTube and, most surprisingly, in the actual episode as it aired. Similar audio errors happened a couple other times in the making of these discs. Anyway, audio blip or no, I absolutely never imagined this set ending with anything but this piece; while I have what one might call really quite significant issues with the ending of the show plotwise, Giacchino's accompaniment was perfect.) Following this, just to muddy the waters regarding the O6 prelude a little more, Hurley's theme returns to lighten the mood a bit. The main theme's backline reappears briefly as well.
The endgame of this track, this set, the show, and Giacchino's contribution to Lost begins as Hurley's theme is winding down. A piano chord takes center stage, then another--the introduction to Life and Death. The piano carries the main Life and Death melody while the cello brings the Oceanic Six theme back. The violins take over Life and Death, setting it in combination with the main theme in an arrangement that lifts both melodies in what would be the closest Life and Death ever got to a happy variation. At the end the main theme stands alone, as it did six years before, settling into a solo violin chord and finally a single pluck of the harp, in contrast to the bass pounding that had closed nearly every episode (see the very end of Volume I). Thus our attention has been brought back to the two themes that formed the show's emotional core from its early days, before gently letting go. Lost is over.
In these notes I've shied away from spoiler-ridden plot descriptions for each track. Instead, as I did for Volume I, I've tried to focus more on the thematic tapestry Giacchino wove over the course of the show's second half, the musical journey that once understood adds immeasurably to the show. I think this journey is the reason why Lost will ultimately go down as Giacchino's monumental achievement: I like much of his other work as much as the next guy (let it never be said that I'm not a fan of Star Trek, Super 8 and parts of his Medal of Honor material), but with no other project thus far has he been afforded the opportunity to construct such a thematically rich and emotionally satisfying mass of music, over the course of several years, and followed through better than anyone could have hoped. He may have more financial and critical success if he winds up scoring a whole new series of Star Trek films--and hey, all the best to him in that regard; I'd be first in line to pre-order all of the CDs--but even then I would be very surprised if he winds up crafting a larger piece with the sense of evolution and conclusion depicted in this set.
And so, now that I've raised expectations about as far as they can go...
There's No Place Like Home
The Music of Lost Volume II: Seasons Four, Five & Six
Music by Michael Giacchino
Disc One: 40 tracks, 79:19
Disc Two: 25 tracks, 78:53
Total: 65 tracks, 158:12
Disc One
01. Landing Party - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (3:01)
02. The Last Recruit - "The Last Recruit" (0:57)
03. Of Mice and Ben - "There's No Place Like Home Part 1" (1:14)
04. Jumping Jack's Flash - "The End" (0:50)
05. There's No Place Like Home - "There's No Place Like Home Part 1" (2:30)
06. Coffin Calamity - "LA X" (3:11)
07. George of the Concrete Jungle - "Happily Ever After" (1:03)
08. Shepharding Sun - "The Package" (1:40)
09. Sunny Outlook - "The Last Recruit" (0:32)
10. Leaver-age - "The End" (1:05)
11. The Last Recruit - "The Last Recruit" (0:35)
12. The Lighthouse - "Lighthouse" (3:13)
13. The Swinging Bendulum - "The Lie" (1:17)
14. Locke of the Island - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (6:27)
15. Shephard's Why - "The Candidate" (0:43)
16. A Sunken Feeling - "LA X" (0:59)
17. Sayid After Dentist - "The Package" (0:27)
18. Lost Away - Or Is It? - "The Economist" (1:23)
19. Sawyer Jones and the Temple of Boom - "Follow the Leader" (3:55)
20. Down the Hobbit Hole - "The End" (0:36)
21. The Stick with Me Speech - "The End" (0:29)
22. Cereal Experience - "What They Died For" (1:30)
23. Jacob's Advocate - "Ab Aeterno" (5:33)
24. Ji Yeon - "Ji Yeon" (2:56)
25. The Constant - "The Constant" (3:08)
26. More Locke Than Locke - "316" (3:07)
27. Alex in Chains - "Dead is Dead" (0:59)
28. Hostile Negotiations - "The Shape of Things to Come" (0:50)
29. None the Nurse - "Happily Ever After" (2:06)
30. World's Worst Car Wash - "Happily Ever After" (1:58)
31. The Science of Faith - "316" (2:05)
32. Across the Sea - "Across the Sea" (1:09)
33. Don't Look at the Light - "Across the Sea" (2:34)
34. Timecrunch - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (1:14)
35. Jacob's Ladders - "The Substitute" (1:18)
36. Dogen's Story - "Sundown" (3:09)
37. The Rockets' Red Glare - "LA X" (1:02)
38. Sundown - "Sundown" (2:26)
39. Our Lady of Perpetual Labor - "The End" (3:13)
40. Get Out of Jail Free Card - "What They Died For" (2:36)
Disc Two
01. Dharma vs. Lostaways - "The Incident" (4:18)
02. Make Like a Tree - "Across the Sea" (4:21)
03. Down the Hobbit Hole - "The End" (3:25)
04. The Sub Group - "The Last Recruit" (2:04)
05. Sub-primed - "The Candidate" (3:09)
06. SS Lost-tanic - "The Candidate" (6:13)
07. Happily Ever After - "Happily Ever After" (1:19)
08. Locke-about - "Cabin Fever" (2:27)
09. Making Up for Lost Time - "Because You Left" (1:50)
10. Follow the Leader - "Follow the Leader" (5:04)
11. The Long Kiss Goodbye - "The End" (4:54)
12. Love in a Time of Pneumonia - "Ab Aeterno" (0:41)
13. None the Richard - "Ab Aeterno" (0:38)
14. Mother of a Plan - "Across the Sea" (3:20)
15. LAX - "LA X" (4:00)
16. Crazy Town - "Recon" (0:41)
17. Jacob's Stabber - "The Incident" (3:45)
18. Aloha - "The End" (1:03)
19. Mother of Sorrows - "Across the Sea" (3:07)
20. The Incident - "The Incident" (1:29)
21. Bobbing for Freighters - "There's No Place Like Home Part 2" (1:30)
22. Locke vs. Jack - "The End" (2:15)
23. Love is Stronger Than Death - "Across the Sea" (2:20)
24. Closure - "The End" (7:13)
25. Moving On - "The End" (7:36)
Where Volume I began with a five-track suite of major themes introduced in the show's first season, here we start with a five-track quite of the Oceanic Six theme, which was introduced in the fourth season finale (the namesake for track five and ultimately this compilation), used sparingly in season five, but grew heavily prominent as the show moved closer to its conclusion in season six. "Landing Party" is from one of the last scenes in season four, and begins with a prelude derived from one segment of the raft/leaving-the-island theme (Vol. I, "Parting Words") which would often accompany the Oceanic Six theme after this point. The Oceanic Six theme itself can be seen as an evolution of the show's main theme (Vol. I, "Credit Where Credit is Due") with similar three-note phrases occurring at several points, but in a far more mature setting than the latter had ever aspired to. In "Landing Party" both parts of the melody repeat several times on piano and violin, leading to a "winding down" variation that is interrupted by abrasive trombone blasts from "The Last Recruit." A tense undercurrent in the strings leads to a short imperiled variation on the O6 theme, which in turn leads to "Of Mice and Ben," a more action-oriented variation backed by swelling trombone chords. "Jumping Jack's Flash" ends the brief burst of action by bringing back the "Parting Words" prelude, leading to a sweet high-pitched version of the O6 theme on violin. Note, during this track, a harp in the background plucking out the Life and Death theme (Vol. I, "Win One for the Reaper"). The final track of the opening suite, "There's No Place Like Home," makes this connection to Life and Death even clearer by beginning with the piano prelude that often accompanies the older theme. This is the track that introduced the theme at the beginning of the season four finale; it does so with a sensitive performance of one of the component melodies on solo piano before introducing further orchestration (and the other component of the theme) as the cue goes on.
As the Oceanic Six theme winds down again (and for the time being) an almost playful rhythm shifts the mood to something a little more portentious, with piano & trombone echoes laid under a staccato violin melody introducing the temple theme. After a short interlude, the temple theme returns on the harp while the rhythm is taken up by strings and percussion; the theme then returns to the strings, echoed by the trombone. After a more strident version of the temple theme leading to a commercial-break stinger, "George of the Concrete Jungle" intrudes with another set of heavily rhythmic melodies, but these add up to something far calmer, even placid--this is the introduction of Desmond's sideways theme, one of the new character themes introduced in season six. This theme is based on three melodies which typically enter one by one in order to build up to the full theme. The harp-based section of the theme trails off unobtrusively, as the character often would for most of the season.
"Shepharding Sun" is the first track to solely feature themes returning from Volume I. The main theme is given a warm if tentative treatment, with its three-note rising backing melody (which occurred on its own in Vol. I in "Flying High" and will again later) leading to Sun & Jin's theme (Vol. I, "The Last to Know") on piano. In "Sunny Outlook" the backing section returns on harp, leading to a short treatment of the main theme for piano, which in turn trails off into the return of the sideways Desmond theme in "Leaver-age," slower and more mystical this time, then a subtle suggestion of Life and Death and the rising backline of the main theme. This relatively peaceful moment is interrupted by a violent burst of sideways Desmond's theme in another selection from "The Last Recruit," this time with the three-note harp melody occurring in the low registers of the piano.
"The Lighthouse" bursts in next, with a monolithic, echoing piano note leading into the introduction of Jacob's theme in the low strings. Jacob's theme carries with it no small amount of mystery, but also a weary, old-world quality. A winding string line leads to a truly epic statement of the theme on the violins, then a more plainly old-world statement on solo violin. A brief return of the trombone signals the departure of this new theme, for now. A more hopeful string melody follows until it's swallowed by the return of Jack's action motif (Vol. I, "Under the Knife"), building to an increasingly unhinged climax.
"The Swinging Bendulum" continues with a tense athematic passage until the rising backline of the main theme is heard on the trombone, building to the introduction of another new theme, this time a four-note melody for Locke which is heard first in low piano chords, then in the violins building to a crescendo. Over the years this theme has gone through a few different names--"Locke's destiny," "Locke the savior," "Locke the leader." Lostpedia calls it "Locke's motif," which is hardly helpful. It was introduced in the first season, but was only used four times in the first three years of the show and only made it CD once in that time (and when I was assembling Vol. I of this set I actually hadn't yet recognized it in that track; whoops). It was brought back to track the character's evolution starting in season four and often accompanied him from then on; it will recur several times here. The following track, "Locke of the Island," is chiefly concerned with Ben's theme (Vol. I, "Dharmacide") and two of Locke's, the motif introduced in the previous track and the character's primary theme (Vol. I, "Crocodile Locke"). A blink-and-you-miss-it statement of Locke's primary theme passes by on the harp before Ben's theme, in a partial reprise of its fleshed-out "Dharmacide" form, takes center stage. Locke's primary theme then comes on the scene in a slow-paced, ponderous variation, leading to the motif from "The Swinging Bendulum" to quicken the pace (slightly). Ben's theme is heard in a form more similar to its earlier, more creepy variations (Vol. I, "Bon Voyage, Traitor") before returning to a more sympathetic hue. Eventually it takes a form bordering on heroism, punctuated first by trombone blasts and later by percussion. A string stinger gives way to the Island mystery theme (Vol. I, "Peace Through Superior Firepower," there a fast-paced rhythm-keeping device, here paced more slowly) on strings. The same five-note mystery theme then occurs in a softer guise with the strings and harp in "Shephard's Why" before giving way to a partial variation at the beginning of "A Sunken Feeling." An interlude of action scoring leads to the main theme, followed by Giacchino's trademark trombone falloff. (In the finished episode, this piece did not have the strong overlay of the main theme, instead featuring extra percussion.)
Out of the wake of the trombone falloff comes the introduction of Sayid's theme, first in the low registers of the piano in "Sayid After Dentist" and then in a set of ascending violin variations in "Lost Away - Or Is It?" It has an air of nobility to it but also has, like the character, a sense of reaching for something that will remain forever unfulfilled. (Sayid's theme was introduced early in the first season, but only made it to CD a handful of times. After this pair of tracks, it does not recur in this set.)
The waterphone signals the beginning of "Sawyer Jones and the Temple of Doom" (a title that may be regarded as a litmus test for whether or not one can abide Giacchino's whacked-out track titles; see also Star Trek's "Flying Into a Trphlthdl"), integrating Kate's theme (Vol. I, "Kate's Motel") and leading into a strident statement of Giacchino's submarine theme. This theme is derived from music Giacchino had written years previously for the submarine level in Medal of Honor ("The U-Boat"); the tempo and points of emphasis changed over time, from a straight quotation in one episode in season three to the more deliberate theme it had become by the time a statement of it was finally released on CD for season five. After the submarine theme reaches a crescendo the main theme's backline returns, this time in a more fleshed-out arrangement that was used several times toward the end of season five. After that theme reaches a plateau, another string crescendo heralds the return of the journey theme (Vol. I, "Island Trek"/"Hollywood & Vines"); the mystery theme then leads to another trombone falloff.
Desmond's sideways theme returns in three short tracks. A slow-paced arrangement in "Down the Hobbit Hole" gives way to a faster one in "The Stick with Me Speech," while the pace slows again for "Cereal Experience," where the four-note segment of sideways Desmond's theme occurs over a different harp rhythm and has an extra note added to it. This gives way to the introduction of another major theme, Jack's, on piano. (Jack's theme first appeared in the season three premiere, but I frankly didn't care for any of its appearances in season three and so didn't include any of them in Volume I. Eventually the theme grew on me, so some of the arrangements from seasons five & six made their way here.)
After a brief, though full, appearance, Jack's theme gives way to "Jacob's Advocate," which brings a more plaintive arrangement of Jacob's theme than that heard earlier in the disc. This version conveys more of the mystery and remove of the character than the assertiveness of the earlier one. After Jacob's theme cycles twice, Richard's theme, imbued with the same old-world quality as Jacob's theme but also carrying a more romantic and tragic air, rises to the forefront. Eventually another new theme, a sort of gentrified snarl, comes forth from the low strings. This is the Man in Black's theme, used in the final season as the foil to Jacob's theme. Richard's theme returns in a more sensitive, tragic guise, eventually leading to "Ji Yeon," a heartbreaking piece which acts as this disc's central statement of the Life and Death theme. Here that theme receives a full reading on piano and is eventually joined by a fabulous statement of Sun & Jin's theme on solo cello. At the end, the violins enter for a final statement of Sun & Jin's theme while Life and Death moves to the harp.
Another sensitive harp-and-piano passage follows, when "The Constant" brings back Desmond's primary theme (Vol. I, "Bon Voyage, Traitor"). The theme then moves to the strings for a series of increasingly dramatic readings, followed by a return to the harp. The mood becomes a bit more dramatic in "More Locke Than Locke," beginning with a determined reading of Jack's action motif. Another motif for Jack appears, this one consisting of four synthesized tones, leading to the rising motif signifying Jack's destiny (Vol. I, "Flying High") and a reprise of the synthesized motif before the return of Jack's primary theme on piano.
A convoluted string passage in "Alex in Chains" lies beneath the return of Ben's theme on the piano. The theme then moves to the strings before reaching a crescendo that resolves into "Hostile Negotiations," a desperate reading of Ben's theme punctuated by the trombones. "None the Nurse" takes things in a more mysterious direction, using a staggered string line as a prelude to and undercurrent of sideways Desmond's theme. Desmond's primary theme shines through briefly, leading to more tense variations on the "sideways" theme. "World's Worst Car Wash" bursts out with an action sequence based on sideways Desmond's theme--elements of it are used on the harp, piano and strings at various points to keep the pace of the piece elevated. Again a character's primary theme shines through, this time Charlie's theme (Vol. I, "Looking Glass Half Full"), followed by a resumption of the action material.
"The Science of Faith" is another meditation on Locke's themes, beginning with a slow, sympathetic treatment of his primary four-note theme on violins before moving on to a subtle variation on his other major theme from season one (Vol. I, "Locke'd Out Again"). Jack's destiny motif then returns in somewhat of an anguished guise, giving way to "Across the Sea," the introduction of the Light theme. (I realize that for non-viewers--and hell, even for viewers--some of these names sound really, really dumb. Ooh, it's the Light theme, a theme for Light! What can I say, other than that this was a show that demanded a highly refined ability to suspend disbelief by the end.) This theme forms something of a trio with Jacob's theme and the Man in Black's; where Jacob's theme begins with one bold note flowing into the rest of the melody, and MIB's is made up of an initial three-note phrase followed by a two-note phrase, the Light theme consists of a two-note phrase followed by a three-note phrase, reversing the arrangement of MIB's theme and bridging the gap between it and Jacob's theme. It was introduced late in the series, in the antepenultimate episode, but received significant attention there and in the final two episodes. In "Across the Sea" it's relatively docile, while in "Don't Look at the Light" it first occurs in beguiling string lines layered with percussion. A wondrous string crescendo leads to more straightforward readings of the theme for string and piano.
As the Light theme winds down, I got near one of the coveted "long transitions" I simply love when I can pull them off, layering part of "Timecrunch" over the final twenty seconds of "Don't Look at the Light" and continuing the latter for the first few seconds of the former. "Timecrunch" is one of the climactic cues from the fouth season finale and functions here as the prelude to a more intense set of cues to bring the first disc to a close, bringing back the journey theme for the second and final time in this compilation. (It appeared on CD a handful of times other than the two that made their way here, but each of them was relatively short and I decided not to make a unified suite out of them this time.) Rattling percussion leads into "Jacob's Ladders," a straightforward statement of the first primary theme for MIB, used for the most part in the episodes before the theme heard in "Jacob's Advocate" was fully formed. This theme is more plainly devious, almost creeping.
The end of MIB's first theme is drowned in a sea of low strings which begins "Dogen's Story" (part of the track "Sundown" on the commercial CD) but ultimately gives way to a slow reading of the temple theme ("Coffin Calamity") punctuated by harp tones. Life and Death threatens to take over the cue...but instead the strings turn toward Jacob's theme. The temple theme returns in a very low register, heralding a short burst of the theme in an action setting in "The Rockets' Red Glare," boldly sounding from the trombones over frantic strings and percussion. The main portion of "Sundown" is introduced with a fragile pause (a bit that sounds to me like the very beginning of the Star Trek: The Next Generation main title; that might just be me) leading to another action setpiece, this one based on a short motif repeated by the trombones, strings and percussion, but which also cycles through the main theme, Kate's theme, a final appearance of the temple theme and a return to the main theme. This trio of cues was put together with one of the suites created for the second Lost concert (held shortly before the penultimate show aired) in mind; the concert itself has not been released, but there's a low-quality video of a rehearsal of the piece here. I ultimately did not replicate the transition between "The Rockets' Red Glare" and "Sundown" in that piece, not to mention that the concert piece seems to end with "A Sunken Feeling," but it did give me some ideas.
"Our Lady of Perpetual Labor" intercedes before "Sundown" truly reaches its climax; a brief tense passage opens up into the Oceanic Six prelude, then the O6 theme itself on harp and piano. Hopefully you didn't forget about the theme in the last hour! The prelude returns again, swelling into a full string reading of the O6 theme in all of its dramatic glory, followed by Claire's theme on violin with a heartbreakingly beautiful cello melody winding around it. (I've seen it said that the cello melody is a variation on Charlie's theme, but at present I just don't hear it.) Sadly, this does not continue long before sideways Desmond's theme makes itself known, leading into its final variation of this set, after having been peppered throughout this disc to lead up to this track. "Get out of Jail Free Card" begins with the standard reading of the theme before trailing off...and coming back in a fantastically driven variation that, I think, breathes new life into the theme. Hurley's theme (Vol. I, "World's Worst Landscaping") intrudes briefly before the almost baroque variation on sideways Desmond's theme returns for the final time, ending disc one with a burst of energy.
Disc two is front-loaded with action: "Dharma vs. Lostaways" kicks things off with a set of strident chords that resolve into Jack's action motif and a short tense variation on the main theme before percussion joins the proceedings. Those two themes alternate with the more developed version of the main theme's backline (disc one, "Sawyer Jones and the Temple of Doom") and an aggressive trombone-based theme that first appeared in the Lost: Via Domus video game, until the backline reaches a climax and resolves into a short, though always dramatic, appearance of Life and Death.
The momentum slows a tad as "Make Like a Tree" starts, but not much. MIB's theme burrows into the deep registers of the strings until the Light theme emerges in contrast, though it doesn't quite carry the wonder & beauty of its previous arrangements. It seems somewhat tenuous until, eventually, a driving string rhythm gives it a sense of tension, even desperation. This gives way to "Down the Hobbit Hole," which begins with the return of one of the island traveling themes (Vol. I, "Juliet is Lost." At the time that I made that CD I believed this theme to be a variation on the Island mystery theme; I...was wrong). A brief appearance of the Light theme gives way to a new traveling theme heard only in the series finale, this one associated with the Heart of the Island. (Yes.) The Light theme again returns momentarily, before the main theme's backline leads to the dramatic culmination of Desmond's theme, beginning in the harp & piano and moving to the strings. Even this cannot escape the sense of doom in the early part of the finale, as the Light theme returns again with great portent.
"The Sub Group" kicks off a three-track suite of tracks relating to the submarine, bringing the opening action-oriented section of the disc to a close and moving into the next section. A set of alternating chords lie beneath a staccato trombone motif introduced toward the end of the series. After that motif comes to a head, piano and percussion lead to Locke's motif on the violins; this motif is at the heart of the action material to follow. It moves to the trombone before the alternating chords from the beginning of the track, actually Sawyer's theme, combines with Jack's action motif. "Sub-primed" brings a return to the main theme; a foreboding appearance of the submarine theme leads to an action sequence featuring part of the main theme before some assertive versions of Locke's motif. The last of these features Locke's primary four-note theme rumbling in the low strings & trombones as well, before bringing back Jack's action motif.
"SS Lost-tanic" returns to Locke's motif in an arrangement that would be playful were it not for the supporting percussion. A string passage underlines the characters' desperation before the submarine theme reappears, this time backed by Locke's motif. A running theme (of the literary, not musical, kind) in this track is that, while more distinctly dramatic themes and motifs can occur on their own, the more action-oriented ones cannot get off the ground without Locke's motif backing them. As his character is driving the action, so must his motif provide the impetus for the music. After the sub theme passes several string jabs give the impression that another thrilling passage is beginning, but without Locke's theme backing it, the string melody settles to a low rumble before the Oceanic Six theme appears. Jack's action motif starts and stops three times before it is allowed to continue by the addition of locke's motif. The harp then brings us back to more emotional material: another full appearance of Life and Death, followed by a similarly touching return of the main theme to bring the opening suite to a close and fully transition to a less action-oriented section of the disc.
"Happily Ever After" follows with a touching version of Desmond's theme, beginning with one part of the melody on solo violin followed by the full melody on piano and strings. In keeping with the featuring of the piano, "Locke-about" is a meditation on three of the character's themes, beginning with the remnants of "Locke'd Out Again" on piano and harp, followed by a gentle variation on Locke's motif on harp, ending with a mysterious version of Locke's primary theme in the low strings with some light percussion accompaniment.
As Locke and Ben are joined at the hip for much of the show, so are their respective themes here, as "Making up for Lost Time" alternates some of the versions of Ben's theme from "Locke of the Island" with new material, including a brief appearance of Locke's "Locke'd Out Again" theme. A string stinger leads to "Follow the Leader," beginning with Jack's destiny motif in a form similar to its other appearances, then repeated on piano leading to a grandiose version in the strings. In the wake of this comes a four-note melody in the strings and trombone that acts, in the show, as the precursor to the fully-formed final version of MIB's theme. A gentle adaptation of Locke's theme then gives way to MIB's "creeping" theme ("Jacob's Ladders"), which leads to Locke's motif, asserting itself more and more in the proceedings.
"The Long Kiss Goodbye" begins with low strings and MIB's theme rumbling up in the trombone, before the harp intercedes, leading to another touching variation on the Oceanic Six prelude. This is interrupted by a combination of Sawyer's theme and the staccato trombone motif similar to the beginning of "The Sub Group." MIB's theme rumbles up again, leading to a brief reappearance of the Heart motif and ultimately giving way to a heartwarming version of Sawyer's theme (the final variation in the show, I believe) combined with the main theme. The three-note backline then leads to perhaps the most fully-orchestrated version of Jack's theme recorded for the show, with soaring strings and the backing of the piano. A closing section of Jack's theme that appears only in the finale resolves into two reappearances of Richard's theme in "Love in a Time of Pneumonia" and "None the Richard," the first slower and more romantic, the second more bold and adventurous. "Mother of a Plan" returns to more elusive territory, with a subtle variation on Jacob's theme in a call-and-response style between the harp and strings leading to a familiar mysterious (and then somewhat grandiose) iteration of the Light theme.
As we're now slightly past the halfway point of the second disc, I decided to insert "LAX" as somewhat of a palate cleanser. This is a piece that follows in the tradition of "There's No Place Like Home" (the queue, not the episode) by presenting a gorgeous new theme in an extended arrangement, beginning with an intimate arrangement on the piano and eventually growing into an expansive, almost swirling version for the show's full allotment of strings. Like the Oceanic Six theme it shares some thematic DNA with themes that have come before--mainly Life and Death--though here the relation is taken to another level of abstraction. I'd also place it at the endpoint of Giacchino's progression of ever more mature themes throughout the show, beginning with the main theme, proceeding to the sometimes-sentimental Life and Death & Oceanic Six, and finally arriving at this theme. Had the show continued longer than it did I believe it would've become a mainstay of the music the way the Oceanic Six theme managed to in the final season, lending itself as it did to similarly breathtaking arrangements; since the O6 theme was eventually adapted for more tense or dramatic purposes as well, I wonder what such uses would have sounded like for "LAX." As things happened, the theme appeared only thrice in the show. (Its other two uses, both released on the Final Episodes set, are not included in this mix because one of them skewed a little too closely to a shortened recapitulation of "LAX" and the other was very short.) This theme was among the pieces performed with Giacchino leading the orchestra & chorus at the 2010 Úbeda festival.
"Crazy Town" brings things back to more dramatic moods with a placid arrangement of Locke's motif (that pesky thing again), accompanied first on the harp and then the piano by a somewhat twisted form of Locke's original theme. This piano line is picked up in "Jacob's Stabber," now with Jacob's theme appearing in fits and starts in the strings. After a pause Ben's theme emerges in one of its more sympathetic guises, though things take a sudden turn as Ben's theme lashes out on the trombone, punctuated by bursts of percussion and strings. Jacob's theme lashes out as well, but is overcome. After another pause the main theme is presented on tremolo strings, leading to a short but glorious culmination of the theme in "Aloha," from one of but a few moments of joy afforded Our Heroes. This, too, passes, tilting into the Light theme and leading into some more variations of the same in "Mother of Sorrows," which serves as the transition track from the middle portion of the disc to its endgame. The Light theme burrows deeply, as MIB's theme did in "Make Like a Tree" earlier, before MIB's theme itself is found in a slightly ethereal arrangement. This queue becomes more unhinged as it goes on, culminating in an almost dizzy variation.
The very end of "Mother of Sorrows" and the next three tracks form the action climax of the disc (and therefore the set); while the epilogue that follows is lengthy, this section closes the door on several themes. A short athematic passage for stabbing strings and percussion leads to what I believe to be the only action-oriented version of Jacob's theme composed for the show. "The Incident," a cue from the climax of season five, picks up immediately with swirling strings under an increasingly frenzied reading of Juliet's theme (Vol. I, "Ocean's Apart"); also featured here is the closest the Life and Death theme ever came to a climactic fanfare. I've long found it an odd but interesting variation. The primary action cue from the season four finale, "Bobbing for Freighters," then picks up with a piano-and-percussion ostinato leading to the main theme's backline on strings and trombones, growing more tense with each iteration. Several desperate versions of the freighter theme (unheard in this mix before this point) follow, alternating with pieces of Jin & Sun's theme. This is a particularly fitting (though initially confusing) marriage, as each of the two five-note phrases that make up the freighter theme sounds like the first five notes of Jin & Sun's theme.
"Locke vs. Jack," the final action cue featured in Lost and in this compilation, allows no time to breathe before asserting itself with an aggressive rhythm carried by every instrument in various combinations. Eventually Locke's motif emerges embeds itself in the strings as the primary mover of the cue. The main theme is glimpsed briefly, but Locke's theme mows over it and continues on until reaching a culmination point of its own. Suddenly the pace slows, the violins remain on their last note--and Locke's primary character theme emerges in its two two-note phrases, this time with an additional three-note phrase adding a sense of finality. The Man in Black's theme explodes in its most grandiose form in soaring violins, with MIB's earlier "creeping" theme supporting it in the low registers...and then, just as quickly, is gone.
"Love is Stronger Than Death" begins the 17-minute epilogue--one far longer than I usually make, but in this case I felt it important to emphasize the softer, more personal material over the action music, partly because this section's job isn't just to close off this disc or this set, but to draw to a close the entire three-disc summation of Giacchino's Lost corpus. (Also, while I obviously think there some good highlights here, I don't often find Giacchino's action music to be the most engaging in the world.) Here the Light theme is given several full presentations, no longer tense or dramatic but rather more rarefied and delicate than usual. To this end, it's presented primarily on the piano. "Closure" picks up with the piano, now presenting one of the final variations on Ben's theme. In this arrangement it's no longer sinister, but some notes hang on perhaps a bit long, the melody perhaps not entirely sure of itself. It hasn't yet found, as the track title suggests, closure. This is followed by a final triumphant arrangement of two of Locke's themes: no longer harried by Locke's motif, his original four-note theme is bolstered by the trombone, leading to the "Locke'd Out Again" theme accompanied by the Oceanic Six theme. Here, at last, Locke's thematic material has found the closure it had sought so desperately.
The main theme, not yet having found such a place of peace, enters over a prolonged violin chord. After several troubled statements it gives way to two of Hurley's themes, the first of which hasn't been featured in either mix to this point, with the second being the theme that was based off of part of "Parting Words" (Vol. I, "Hurley's Handouts"). (I had initially tried to remove this portion for the sake of thematic simplicity, but after several attempts that resulted only in awkward transitions, I decided to leave it be. At the end of the day, I do feel that the "Hurley's Handouts" passage shines an appreciated ray of light through the heavy (and admittedly slow) material surrounding it.) The main theme returns, still troubled, leading to one final performance of Ben's theme on the piano. This passage is quite short, but I think a lot can be read into it regarding the evolution of the theme, finally reaching this point--a point of closure--with the sense of finality it had always been lacking.
Jack's synthesized motif ("More Locke Than Locke") returns to begin the final section of this track. Jack's theme is presented on the cello and then piano, but left unresolved--it too is seeking closure, and will find it soon. "Moving On," the final cue of the series, picks up with a sensitive appearance of Life and Death on the harp, moving seamlessly into the middle section of Jack's theme, again for piano and cello. Jack's theme is presented in full one last time, its wistful extended final portion ("The Long Kiss Goodbye") bidding it farewell and leading into the Oceanic Six prelude. The Oceanic Six theme takes over fully, with all of its sweeping power. (This track has two audio "blips," the first in this section. I was a bit flummoxed by their presence in every file no matter what computer or program or format I used to rip the disc (discs, actually, as this track appeared as a bonus selection on The Final Season before "The End" was presented on its own disc on The Last Episodes); I then found that they were also present in others' uploads of the CD tracks to YouTube and, most surprisingly, in the actual episode as it aired. Similar audio errors happened a couple other times in the making of these discs. Anyway, audio blip or no, I absolutely never imagined this set ending with anything but this piece; while I have what one might call really quite significant issues with the ending of the show plotwise, Giacchino's accompaniment was perfect.) Following this, just to muddy the waters regarding the O6 prelude a little more, Hurley's theme returns to lighten the mood a bit. The main theme's backline reappears briefly as well.
The endgame of this track, this set, the show, and Giacchino's contribution to Lost begins as Hurley's theme is winding down. A piano chord takes center stage, then another--the introduction to Life and Death. The piano carries the main Life and Death melody while the cello brings the Oceanic Six theme back. The violins take over Life and Death, setting it in combination with the main theme in an arrangement that lifts both melodies in what would be the closest Life and Death ever got to a happy variation. At the end the main theme stands alone, as it did six years before, settling into a solo violin chord and finally a single pluck of the harp, in contrast to the bass pounding that had closed nearly every episode (see the very end of Volume I). Thus our attention has been brought back to the two themes that formed the show's emotional core from its early days, before gently letting go. Lost is over.