- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: VA
Album: Lone Survivor
Label: Atlantic
Playtime: 65:40 min
Genre: Soundtrack
URL:
Rip date: 2014-05-09
Street date: 2014-05-13
Size: 109.93 MB
Type: Soundtrack
Quality: 221 kbps / 4410Hz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
Explosions in the Sky, mostly. Steve Jablonsky, barely.
"All great directors have certain hallmarks, especially when it comes to
scoring. Most forge long-term symbiotic relationships, which tend to haunt
Hollywood for decades: Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann; Sergio Leone and
Ennio Morricone; Steven Spielberg and John Williams; Peter Jackson and Howard
Shore; David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti; Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmerà
the list could go on and on. For New York actor-turned-director Peter Berg,
his signatures have really taken shape as of late, everything from shaky,
documentary-styled camerawork, to subtle homages toward the great state of
Texas, and, of course, the heart-warming inclusion of Austin post-rockers
Explosions in the Sky.
In 2004, the director brought the outfit to the mainstream spotlight with
2004's Friday Night Lights and its subsequent television series that lasted
from 2006 to 2011. Now, heÆs tagged the Texans again, paired them up with
Michael BayÆs go-to composer, Steve Jablonsky, and sent them overseas to
Afghanistan for the true story military drama, Lone Survivor.
DonÆt let that last line ward you off. Not only is Lone Survivor an
exceptional film ù in fact, itÆs one of BergÆs strongest to date ù but the
interconnection between Explosions in the Sky and Jablonsky was minor at best.
As Berg told Variety, ô[Jablonsky] did the last reel; the band Explosions in
the Sky did pretty much everything else,ö adding: ôI didnÆt want the score to
be overly aggressive, I wanted it to be haunting and emotional. Steve
Jablonsky came in at the end to do something more traditional, but when Steve
does ætraditional,Æ itÆs not the usual strings. He created a wonderful sound
at the very end.ö What he did was supplement the rockers with a few action
pieces like ôThe Goat Herdersö, ô47 Downö, ôLetter Received/Taliban Attacksö,
and their heroic pairing on the title track. Outside of this, itÆs really
ExplosionsÆ album, and once again, they inject all the aural emotionalism that
has glazed their iconic discography.
In a way, their work on Lone Survivor feels like a spiritual sequel to 2003's
The Earth Is Not a Cold Dark Place, which, of course, was sourced heavily for
Friday Night Lights. Early track ôWaking Upö sounds exactly as the title
implies, the ambient guitar picking fluttering like sleepy eyelids warming up
to the rising sun. Once the lead rings in at 55 seconds, the notes yawn,
twist, and turn before rising up to gallop over the marching percussion. Fans
will no doubt recall similar builds in ôFirst Breath After Comaö or ôYour Hand
in Mineö. This same drive resurfaces on ôMurphyÆs Ridgeö, which soundtracks
one of the most gripping scenes in the film, only this time they kick into the
distortion that embalmed much of 2001's Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die,
Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever.
Although itÆs more or less a survival tale, the filmÆs core themes of
commitment and brotherhood speak loudest, especially as the four-man
reconnaissance and surveillance team starts to fall apart one by one. Much the
way they captured the humble isolation of David Gordon GreenÆs Prince
Avalanche last year, Explosions rope in the characterÆs feelings of
aggression, paranoia, separation, and courage. The menacing piano on
ôCheckpointsö, the stick percussion on ôFalse Summitö, the abyssal reverb on
ôAxeö, and the halycon synths of ôHuntedö layer an already intense portrait
laid out by Berg with bone-crunching detail. Literally.
Lone Survivor was a sleeper hit for January, a month thatÆs always been a
cinematic graveyard for the industry. Whether or not Mark WahlbergÆs name and
mug on the posters had anything to do with that success, I donÆt know.
However, the film itself works because itÆs the first military drama in years
thatÆs honest about the war at hand, though without any pretension. Instead,
the film savors the meaty parts of everyoneÆs favorite war epics ù a
compelling story, some great characters worth fighting for, and a tension that
rivals summerÆs most expensive blockbusters. But it also has heart, something
that few films in this genre ever have, and much of that comes from some 100%
American post-rock. Texas forever, indeed.
Essential Tracks: ôWaking Upö, ôMurphyÆs Ridgeö, and ôNever, Never, Never Give
Upö"
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. Explosions in the Sky - Warriors ( 2:26)
02. Explosions in the Sky - Waking Up ( 4:51)
03. Explosions in the Sky - Briefing ( 3:18)
04. Explosions in the Sky - Seal Credo / Landing ( 4:01)
05. Explosions in the Sky - Checkpoints ( 4:57)
06. Steve Jablonsky - The Goat Herders ( 5:35)
07. Explosions in the Sky - The Decision ( 4:55)
08. Explosions in the Sky - Set Them Free ( 2:26)
09. Explosions in the Sky - False Summit ( 3:03)
10. Explosions in the Sky - Murphy's Ridge ( 5:42)
11. Steve Jablonsky - 47 Down ( 2:24)
12. Explosions in the Sky - Axe ( 1:52)
13. Explosions in the Sky - QRF en Route ( 2:18)
14. Explosions in the Sky - Hunted ( 0:52)
15. Explosions in the Sky - Gulab ( 2:03)
16. Explosions in the Sky - Near Beheading ( 2:33)
17. Explosions in the Sky - A Storm Is Coming ( 2:07)
18. Steve Jablonsky - Letter Received / Taliban Attacks ( 3:53)
19. Steve Jablonsky - Lone Survivor ( 3:38)
20. Explosions in the Sky - Never, Never, Never, Give Up ( 2:46)
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