Do you like synth scores?
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Before I wax lyrical over synths and synth scores, I wanted to ask if there are other fans of that particular idiom in here?
I assume that you’re talking about synth scores that are designed to sound synth/electronic? Not orchestral-sounding scores that have no live musicians? 😉
Yes, I like synth scores if there’s something there that I find appealing (e.g, at its broadest sense, “sounds like early Jean-Michel Jarre and not Vangelis”).
Good to hear there’s some interest in here.
A few weeks ago, I did thread on under-the-radar synth scores on FSM — some pretty good recommendations in that. I pretty much exhausted my own collection in my 3-part list as well:
https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=159135&forumID=1&archive=0
One of the things I always have plans to do is divide up my score into different groups such as synth scores, piano-led scores, etc. Maybe one day!
Didn’t Joep speak about doing something similar, i.e. “blocking” his scores into categories for different styles? We should get Joep over here.
For fans of Wendy Carlos, I recommend CAMPING DU LAC by Yannick Dupont, just reviewed here.
I would think you liked some of those Wendy Carlos excursions into classical music, Sigbjørn? Many classical buffs do.
Synthesizers are like any other musical instrument, they’re either a benefit or a hazard. If they’re a hazard, it’s not my problem. (I just won’t listen to scores I don’t like.) 🙂
I don’t view them differently from any other musical instrument, whether they are incorporated into a larger orchestral palette, or the main instrument or instrument groups.
BLADE RUNNER is one of my all time favorite movies and film scores… if that qualifies as a synth score (lots of synths, but also other instruments).
BLADE RUNNER definitely does! I suppose one could construct a ratio of how many acoustic instruments there needs to be before it isn’t a synth score anymore, but I trust people’s judgements. I would even include something like THE ROCK, even though it has plenty of acoustic brass, for example.
I think Carlos’ synth takes on classical music work well in some of the films, such as The Shining, but in A Clockwork Orange, for example, it’s annoying (which could be the intention).
Yes, it’s definitely meant to be satirical in the case of CLOCKWORK (the fall of cilized society). But I love them as they are; Bach’s music lends itself so beautifully to electronic variations.
It’s too long since I saw Clockwork (in cinema!), and it’s not really high on the list of films I feel the need to rewatch. 🙂
I’ve come to Johnny Jewel in my collection walkthrough now, a composer I first discovered on Ryan Gosling’s LOST RIVER (2014), as well as his band Chromatics. Well, technically I first encountered him via “Tick of the Clock” on the DRIVE soundtrack, but for a long time I just took it to be part of Martinez’ score.
He’s an absolute gem (no pun intended) when it comes to those dreamy, indiepop-like synth ambiances, what is sometimes referred to as “shoegaze”. Currently on A BEAUTIFUL NOW, will move on to LOST RIVER, HOME, WINDSWEPT (featuring music from the third season of TWIN PEAKS) and DON’T COME BACK FROM THE MOON next. Recommended!
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