About the Soundtrack: Lalo Schifrin and Andy Garfield have co-composed music for a military horror comic book series entitled, "SPOOKS." I kid you not. "SPOOKS," created and co-written by Lalo's son, Ryan, has recently been compiled into a graphic novel and the unique concept of creating music for its pages certainly should raise additional fan awareness. Available on iTunes and in limited quantities through Lalo's web site, the score offers up 8 tracks and runs at just over 20 minutes in length. It's a modest tally of music, but with this effort, it's about quality and not quantity.
What You Need to Know: I have long thought that if scores could ever be written for books, then we would hear music so great that it would mark a new golden age for music fans. I honestly believe that composers are so talented this day and age that if they were freed from the confines of writing music for movies, then we would hear scores that flow freely and creatively with no boundaries to speak of (other than the composer's imagination). With "SPOOKS," this concept is taken to another tier by offering music based on the graphic novel. While short, the score packs a memorable punch.
Schifrin and Garcia each split up the work load of the 8 tracks that are on the disc, with each composer's style perfectly in tune with the other. So consistent is the music that I didn't even know that it was two composers that actually worked on it until I took a closer look at the packaging (yes, I was a bit eager to get the show underway!).
The first vibe I got out of this score is that it flows with coolness. The energy of the music is catchy and hip, and it's easy to picture the panels of this comic book adventure as the motifs are heard. In just 8 tracks, the music seems to span the entire "SPOOKS" universe by offering material that is colorful yet serious, never forgetting the fact that it hails from a comic book. In fact, it's the type of tunes I would have liked to have heard in a movie like "Hellboy" or "Men in Black," given the context of the subject matter.
The only detracting point about "SPOOKS," the score, is that it does offer up a brief running time. The music is far too cool to stop listening to, thus, I was left wanting a great deal more by the time the final track ended. While I am grateful that I was able to listen to such great material to begin with, I just would have loved another 10 to 15 minutes of music to quench my thirst.
Final Score: If you're game for a bit of new Schifrin material, "SPOOKS" is the choice for you. It shows that the composer has plenty of energy and creativity in him to leverage his talents to new projects, as Hollywood should probably realize, and "SPOOKS" is a great showcase of that. Not to be shortchanged, however, the co-composer Garfield also delivers fresh score material (Track 2 is especially catchy) that is equally as enjoyable to listen to as Lalo's contributions are. If you're not wary of a short running time, then you absolutely should get in on this score because it's a great mini-adventure to embark upon.
>> Spooks the Comic | Lalo Schifrin's Web Site
