Audio Clips: Going for a Ride | Love

August and September 2005 were slow and idle months for film music fans. There was very little content to feel excitement toward, and seemingly less on the horizon to stir the senses. But at least there was "Serenity", an effort by David Newman (best known to me for the enjoyable romp with 'Galaxy Quest) that offered some hope to the community of score lovers.

By default, a science fiction score for a movie with a modest budget will always gain my attentive ears. You see, with this genre, there is always a chance to hear something unique and different. Conversely, a small, naive part of me also hopes to hear a bit of music that offers adventure and imagination in the vein of my favorite space operas. With this soundtrack, Newman dabbles with all of that and streamlines an effort that is balanced, engaging and ultimately steady.

I'll offer my review quite simply by dividing the album into three acts. The first act, which is perhaps the most engaging, spans through the first five tracks and brings a high quality music to the table. Newman finds a stride that brings melodic, personal music to the outer space scene, and does so without going off the sci-fi deep end. In this section of music, it's familiar, consistent, and non-experimental but most importantly, extremely fun! Newman really dazzles by relying on plucky guitar strings as a pivotal instrument throughout many of these early tracks. This style grants this soundtrack a measure of originality that many composers seem to be disinterested with when scoring genre movies.

Within the second act of the score, that's when things slow down and become a bit more routine. There are atmospheric samplings and moments of loud action within these middle tracks, and it immediately caused me to lose some of my enthusiasm for the album. In fact, the score kept dropping half a letter grade the deeper I got into it. But thankfully, Newman closes out with gusto.

The third act grants "Serenity" the recommendation I was hoping to give. It resumes the adventure from the early parts of the album and drives home a winning blow. The orchestra really shines with Newman's writing within the closing tracks. The music has a rich texture to it, and without having to resort to too many generalities, it gives off a feeling of warmth. This score feels personal, and isn't that what music should be?

It's not 'Star Wars', and it's not even 'The Last Starfighter', but to judge the "Serenity" album as a whole makes me conclude that it is indeed an above average purchase, and offers enough quality to bring about repeat listens. And who knows, perhaps my future trips with "Serenity" will help me appreciate the lukewarm moments of the score more.

Final Score: "Serenity" delivers more quality than mediocrity, and in the final tally, establishes itself as a unique science fiction score that one can enjoy.