[Thor Joachim Haga]

Apparently, Bear McCreary is coming to Oslo on August 4th, for a concert featuring his album THE SINGULARITY (2024). I sampled that album awhile back, and it was not for me (too noisy!), but he’s definitely one of the most interesting US composers of his generation. Have several of his scores, with OUTLANDER and DA VINCI’S DEMONS as particular favourites.

Alas, I’m not in Oslo at that time, so no concert and no interview for me. But I’m flabbergasted by the amount of international artists with a film music connection flooding into Norway over the last 10-15 years. We used to be such a wasteland when it comes to that, and now they’re coming in left and right.

Any McCreary favourites?

[Malte Müller]

Yeah, I sampled that album as well and that’s a bit too metal for my taste as well 😉

Outlander is great (I admit I like the show, too), although the further soundtrack volumes get a bit “samey” at times. You could probably create a great best of compilation of it.

DA VINCI’S DEMOS I never really explored because I only saw (part of) the first season I think. But the theme is nice, especially the catch that its can be play back and forward. He is really versatile. I got to know him with BATTLESTAR GALACTICA which at the time was unusal for SciFi show score.

I don’t know all but other I like that come to mind:

– THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (Good update on the Terminator sound and too bad there was no Season 3)
– BLACK SAILS
– RINGS OF POWER
– AGENTS OF SHIELD
– PAWS OF FURY (“fun score” channeling groovy Schifrin and such).
– KNIGHTS OF BADASSOM (His love for symphonic metal…;-))
– HUMAN TARGET (classic symphonic)
– ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD (orchestra meets classic 8bit video game sounds)
– ANIMAL CRACKERS (his take on classic Lonely Tunes style cartoon music)

Somethimes some of his scores could use some shortening IMHI and sometimes feel a bit static otherwise.

[GerateWohl]

For me Bear is a difficult hit and miss candidate. Like John Powell he has a great sense for melody, but gets a little mechanicle when it comes to Action music. And even his orchestral recordings sound mixed like pop songs. So, I have trouble really seing him as an orchestral composer. I like his Rings of Power scores a lot. The thematic rechnest is great. And I like his Percy Jackson theme a lot. For Outlander I am just fine with the first album. And his Battlestar Galactica score doesn’t do much for me. I would take Stu Philips over that anytime.

When I dip into one of his scores accidentally I am usually not excited. But the similar issue I have with Powell.
But he is still young. He definitely has potential to become one of the few greats of his generation.

[Nicolai P. Zwar]

I first noticed Bear McCreary because he did the music for the television series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, where he took over from Richard Gibbs from the Mini-Series. It was a very original approach to scoring a space odyssey series, neither grand orchestral like STAR WARS or the 1978 show, nor electronic and/or ambient like more modern movies and shows, instead, it was in turns percussive, minimalist, and melodic, without ever being overly romantic. So I got all of the Battlestar Galactica music on CD. McCreary then did WALKING DEAD, which was also excellently scored, though I don’t have that music in any form. But back when these shows ran I took notice of the name.

I think McCreary is really versed in a wide musical vernacular and quite talented. He’s also very prolific, and I have a number or his scores in my collection by now.

[KMCG]

Yes, like others above, I first became aware of him while watching the excellent BATTLESTAR GALACTICA series.
I was impressed by the music and approach, even if I didn’t really love it or want to buy it on CD.
During the following years, I would hear something that really impressed me from his various TV and film work, but also hear stuff that left me cold.
I have amassed a tidy collection of his music on CD over the years.
Some of those 3-4CD sets of his TV scores would be on offer at LLL for $5-$10 and that was when their post rates were reasonable, so I had to snag them.
I adore his music from CLOVERFIELD PARADOX, RIM OF THE WORLD, HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U, OUTLANDER (amongst others) and especially his RINGS OF POWER scores, which are truly magnificent and amongst THE BEST new film music I’ve heard in years.
I also love his score to the retro-80s film THE 4-30 MOVIE and some of his game scores, especially GOD OF WAR, which plays like his tribute to CONAN.
He’s certainly in the top bracket of the newer composers who are working today, possibly in the top 2 or 3 for me.

[Malte Müller]

And his Battlestar Galactica score doesn’t do much for me. I would take Stu Philips over that anytime.

I can understand that and agree that his action bits can be a bit boring. Blame it on re-cutting and such… As Nic says Galactica is very minimalistic and some parts work best in the TV series itself (which I loved btw although always being critical regarding such reboots). Btw, you actually even get Stu Phillips in the series because his theme as re-use as the anthem of the Twelve Colonies 😉

McCreary then did WALKING DEAD, which was also excellently scored, though I don’t have that music in any form. But back when these shows ran I took notice of the name.

I have the one score album that exists digitally and it is surprisingly rarely typical horror (imho Walking Deads was never really about the Zombies anyway).

[Nicolai P. Zwar]

can understand that and agree that his action bits can be a bit boring. Blame it on re-cutting and such… As Nic says Galactica is very minimalistic and some parts work best in the TV series itself (which I loved btw although always being critical regarding such reboots). Btw, you actually even get Stu Phillips in the series because his theme as re-use as the anthem of the Twelve Colonies 😉

Yes, the Stu Phillips theme was the anthem, that was a nice touch. I remember when BATTLESTAR GALACTICA started, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Even though from the very beginning some things in the series were WTF and made no sense or were highly questionable, it went off to a promising start and had some tight and very smart writing. Alas, it really fell apart in season 3 and 4, and the revelation of the final 5 put a nail in the coffin. I’m willing to forgive and go along with lots of things if a series is good, but… nope, not there. The series left a bitter aftertaste for me, because it started so good and ended so poorly. But the music was top notch.

[Malte Müller]

I found the revelations of the final 5 was surprising but somehow didn’t bother me that much and I even liked that fatalistic ending. A bit too much religion maybe and Baltar with his “ghost cylon” was sometimes a bit too much as was some relgion parts maybe. I agree that the first seasons were the best. As often I find things beging to lack the more they are explained…

[Nicolai P. Zwar]

I though BG started really good, but the more the show went on, the more it was just arbitrary… until the Cylons were basically the same as humans and they all shook hands to get along… reset… that wasn’t really a good ending and certainly undermined a lot of what went on before. I still think there’s a lot of potential in Battlestar Galactica, they should make me showrunner for a new reboot, I’d get this baby going. 🙂
Another thing I could write an essay about: story-arc television, and why it usually doesn’t work. 🙂

[Malte Müller]

As said I liked the “happened before, happens again” ending in general. But what I found weird was that “hybrid”… Regarding reboot I somewhere read that there was indeed some talk about that…

Another thing I could write an essay about: story-arc television, and why it usually doesn’t work. 🙂

You should do, I am sure Thor wouldn’t mind such an article 😉

[GerateWohl]

especially his RINGS OF POWER scores, which are truly magnificent and amongst THE BEST new film music I’ve heard in years.

I also like these scores a lot. But they also show that his orchestral writing has clear limitations when it comes to variations. There is not so much variance when he uses them repeatedly, not much development, modulation, fragmentation, inversion, deconstruction, transposition whatever. But this is rare nowadays anyway.
And something he has in common with Silvestri.

[Thor Joachim Haga]

I agree, Gerate. And some of those “static” elements in his music are further exaggerated when they’re stretched out over soooooo long soundtrack releases. You almost always need to whittle McCreary soundtracks. Thankfully, he DID curate a wonderful album for OUTLANDER (the first volume), as well as the spin-off album OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD. These two are all I need from this franchise.

But I’ve had to make my own playlists of DA VINCI’S DEMONS (whittling the three volumes down to one 58-minute album), the amusing, Oingo Boingo-ish score for THIS GAME’S CALLED MURDER (down to 42 minutes) and RINGS OF POWER (down to 63 minutes). There are some definite highlights in RINGS OF POWER, but it’s not the “Second Coming” like many make it out to be. In LOTR terms, I place it way below Shore’s original LOTR trilogy, but slightly ahead of his lacklustre HOBBIT scores.

I remember owning a whittled playlist of BLACK SAILS too at some point, it’s gone from my collection now, for some reason. Had some bits from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA once too (loved the series!), but also gone.

By the way, I’m currently watching through THE WALKING DEAD again, from the beginning, on Disney+, but while I dig the show, I don’t want to own the music on CD.

[Malte Müller]

Thankfully, he DID curate a wonderful album for OUTLANDER (the first volume), as well as the spin-off album OUTLANDER: BLOOD OF MY BLOOD. These two are all I need from this franchise.

Don’t know the spinoff score yet (have in on my local libary streaming playlist) but the first OUTLANDER albums is nice. Although there are some new themes on the other seasons. I think one best of all season would probably a great listen. Maybe I do that some time 😉

There are some definite highlights in RINGS OF POWER, but it’s not the “Second Coming” like many make it out to be.

I think I probably will never call any score the “second coming” anymore but I agree that Shore set the mark very high. But within that boundaries McCreary did good without copying it right away.

By the way, I’m currently watching through THE WALKING DEAD again, from the beginning, on Disney+, but while I dig the show, I don’t want to own the music on CD.

Several years ago I had stopped right after season 6 and just last year I decided to finally binged the remaining seasons 7-11 after watching some older episodes to get into again.
THe music is somewhat unspectacular besides that weird main theme. Later seasons are primarily by his co-composer anyway.

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