Raving about music
You may remember that I occasionally rave about certain pieces of music. I rarely rave about whole albums, because while I obsessively only ever listen to whole albums (I am pretty much incapable of listening to a track out of sequence), I recognise that this is not normal behaviour, and should probably not be encouraged.
However (you were waiting for that word, weren't you?), the album to which I am currently listening is one that I believe hangs together so fantastically that I am more than happy to rave about it in its entirety.
The album is Hans Zimmer's soundtrack to the film Inception (itself a cinematic masterpiece for me). If you watched the film, I am sure that you will agree how gripping and intensely exciting the soundtrack is, and I truly believe that it manages to stand up on its own, even without any visuals. Zimmer manages to seamlessly integrate electronic instruments and techniques with a full symphony orchestra, yet the score never feels like he has set out to do anything particularly unusual with instrumentation. Instead, it's only when you drag yourself back from the whirlwind of the music that you tend to recognise that the instrumentation is actually quite exotic at times.
I am loathe to single out any particular tracks, but I do feel that "528491" deserves a special mention for being extremely beautiful (in the true sense of the word) and moving, and of course the now slightly infamous "Dream Is Collapsing" is just mind blowing in so many ways. The understated nature of "One SImple Idea" is also worth pointing out, because (as I imagine as is intended) the simplicity of the melody hides a wealth of complexity in texture and orchestration that is truly impressive (and very enjoyable).
I really, really, really recommend this album.If you do buy it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
However (you were waiting for that word, weren't you?), the album to which I am currently listening is one that I believe hangs together so fantastically that I am more than happy to rave about it in its entirety.
The album is Hans Zimmer's soundtrack to the film Inception (itself a cinematic masterpiece for me). If you watched the film, I am sure that you will agree how gripping and intensely exciting the soundtrack is, and I truly believe that it manages to stand up on its own, even without any visuals. Zimmer manages to seamlessly integrate electronic instruments and techniques with a full symphony orchestra, yet the score never feels like he has set out to do anything particularly unusual with instrumentation. Instead, it's only when you drag yourself back from the whirlwind of the music that you tend to recognise that the instrumentation is actually quite exotic at times.
I am loathe to single out any particular tracks, but I do feel that "528491" deserves a special mention for being extremely beautiful (in the true sense of the word) and moving, and of course the now slightly infamous "Dream Is Collapsing" is just mind blowing in so many ways. The understated nature of "One SImple Idea" is also worth pointing out, because (as I imagine as is intended) the simplicity of the melody hides a wealth of complexity in texture and orchestration that is truly impressive (and very enjoyable).
I really, really, really recommend this album.If you do buy it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.