About the Soundtrack: Theodore Shapiro's score for the comedy,
Year One, is being released by Lakeshore Records, a label that seems to fill the gap on many soundtracks that normally wouldn't be released commercially. It's a good thing, especially in this case, since
Year One certainly deserves a chance with listeners because it's not a routine comedy score that paints by the numbers. But, those of you who are already familiar with the work of Theodore Shapiro already know that because he never settles on a bland approach. The running time on the album is not extensive, given the amount of cues that are on it, but there's still enough material to make a good return on your investment if you buy it as a reasonable price (anything below $15). Throwing the balance off further is that there are a few cues that are 4:00 minutes in length, thus leaving many other tracks with a microscopic running time.
What You Need to Know: Year One is yet another adventure comedy that Theodore Shapiro is involved in and that's fine by me. He's a composer that has been involved in a successive string of comedies and has proven quite successful with each them, both commercially and musically. If given the chance, I feel he can really be effective in writing non-comedic scores, but at least with movies like
Year One and
Tropic Thunder, he can explore a broader range of writing. In fact, for this outing Shapiro used an unusually configured orchestra along drum loops, electric guitars, middle eastern instruments, converging in an almost Bollywood formation.
For this score, he leads the listener across a vast landscape of musical ideas in early history. While naturally, since this is a light comedy, generous interpretations of the time and places can be loosely interpreted, which is what Shapiro and director Harold Raimis does with the material. There is an appealing mix of biblical, arabic, and comedic influences in the score, a blend that alone shows that this is not a generically written effort. Shapiro tows the line between keeping the score slightly serious and mildly amusing, a nice touch that should play alongside the hi-jinx in the movie well. The middle eastern harmonies really do sound authentic, too (I should know, I am part Turkish!).
The score, overall, makes for a light, fresh listen. When I listened to this album, it felt as though I was breezing through one track to the next, effortlessly passing my time. I must say, that's not a bad feeling! With so many scores that require a stern focus and a deeper analysis, this is one that you can simply dive into, escape reality a bit, and generally have a rewarding time with. It's not epic in scale, nor is it meant to be, but it is of good quality and is far more original than most comedy scores that you will encounter.
