FSM # 12: My collection is too friggin’ bombastic!
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My film music interest got really serious in the early 90’s, and I was still just a young teenager at the time. So the most exciting thing was to get big and epic scores with lots of bombast and adventure; childhood glee and impatience still shining through. This lasted for many years, well into my 20’s, and the collection grew larger and larger. However, some time in my LATE 20’s, I began to veer more and more towards calmer scores and soundtracks that STAY calm throughout. However, by then I had already wound down my soundtrack purchasing considerably and I was stuck with this teenage-acquired, bombastic collection of stuff that I hardly had the stamina and mood to listen to anymore.
So there I am today, constantly listening and relistening to the few soundtracks I DO own that stay in a calm, relaxed mood throughout (whether they are melodic or textural or powerful in a subdued way) – Delerue stuff, DA VINCI CODE, PASSION OF THE CHRIST, FORREST GUMP, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY, LOS BORGIA (practically all of Illaramendi’s stuff), SOMMERSBY, S.O.P., TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, MALENA, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME (Morricone’s rejected), BEYOND RANGOON, THIN RED LINE, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, UNDER FIRE, THE LAST RUN, LOVER’S PRAYER, the calm Williams’es (ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, A.I., STANLEY & IRIS, ANGELA’S ASHES, STEPMOM etc.), THE DIG, THE SECRET GARDEN and so forth. You get the idea.
So….what I’m looking for are recommendations of CALM soundtracks that stay calm throughout and that have been arranged as “concept albums”. Not cheesy “New Age” music or John Barry (whose particular approach to “calmness” I cannot stomach), but anything else!
I just want to point out, 16 years later, that I now fully embrace the virtues of socalled “New Age” music, and I think a lot of Barry’s sweet, sweeping, emotional, calm music is wonderful. And the collection of calm music has grown considerably since then, but I’m always looking for more recommendations.
I wonder that you didn’t put Twin Peaks on that list above as I know, it’s one of your favourites.
Worth mentioning one of my absolute favourite calm scores is Marianelli’s Jane Eyre.
In general as an album of calm soundtrack music Night By Night of James Newton Howard might be on top of my list.
Apart from that I don’t think, that I could name anything that you don’t already know.
Honorable mentions might be Bernstein’s Far From Heaven, Hisaishi’s Hana-Bi and Brother, Chris Young’s Murder In The First (if only there weren’t these two marches) and Williams’ Schindler’s List and Angela’s Ashes, Thomas Newman’s Meet Joe Black and Horner’s Iris.
Good selections, Gerate!
I suppose beyond recommendations, the thread was resurrected from the FSM archives now to talk a little bit about calm music vs. action music, and if your preference has changed since you were a young person.
My collection is too friggin’ bombastic!
My music collection is probably not too bombastic, I suppose it is rather fine in size, except for the lingering sense that I should probably double or better yet tripple size it. Other than that, it’s fine. 🙂
But would be interesting: what is the most “bombastic” album you have, what is the most “calm” album you have, your most exciting, your most dramatic, your most lingering, your most ambient, your most static….
It’s interesting because music can be all these things. And yes, of course, at times we veer more towards one or the other, though I never ever had any doubts whenever I veered towards one side that I would come back towards the other side… then again, I love ships and boats, and rough sea. Always did.
But would be interesting: what is the most “bombastic” album you have, what is the most “calm” album you have, your most exciting, your most dramatic, your most lingering, your most ambient, your most static….
It would, but even more interesting than that, I think, is the bit about our preferences changing over the years.
It’s not black and white, of course. It’s not like I don’t listen to upbeat music anymore. When I clean my apartment, for example, I still put on upbeat 80s synthpop or Rammstein to keep the physical energy up. And I can still take an orchestral adventure score or two. But I’ve veered more and more towards the calm and textural. That is — I DID do that until the tinnitus worsening in May. After that, I’ve found that the best option is somewhere inbetween. Not too calm and vague, but not too action-oriented either.
I read an article quite recently (can’t remember where, annoyingly) about the chemistry of our brain changing as we get older, wherein energetic music can feel aggravating now, while soothing music is more in line with pleasure and a feeling of balance.
You can hear it in artists’/composers’ works too. When I was a teenager, I didn’t understand how Bruce Springsteen could release such a slow album as THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD, or Mark Knofler with GOLDEN HEART. Why couldn’t they just release the kind of tuneful, dance-able music of their earlier years? Now, of course, I can understand musical evolution or maturity in a whole other way. Love those albums now.
Over the years I somehow seem to have become more sensitive. I think, I mentioned it in the horror music thread. When I was younger in my Sturm und Drang times music couldn’t be dissonant or complex and wild enough. Nowadays when I listen to it I still find it good and I understand why I liked it, but it can quickly go on my nerves. So, I rather tend to play calm albums these days. Still I require a certain degree of complexity in the music. When it is too simple and I don’t find it in some way original, it just bores me.
Which means, it still must be good music, it still can be challenging musically, but it rather doesn’t have to be “wild”.
Yeah, you get more sensitive for details and subtlety with age, too. Also, when I was younger I could listen to all kinds of music while working or doing other things the whole day. Nowadays it far more distracts me often and I noticed there are often days I basically don’t listen to anything at all… Which still does confuse me. But partly has to do with having to many stuff at hand so there is a kind of decision overload at times.
Yes, I can relate to that. And I would add, you can still be an industrious music collector when you are in a relationship or even have kids, but being an extensive music listener is rather something for singles. At least when I look at my biography.
Yes, I sometimes are just not in the mood to listen to something although working from home I could do all day. What got much less is the pure listening to music only which I actually love to do.
I also would say my taste also didn’t change or got limited, it rather widened. I still like the stuff I always liked although I might have listened to it a little to often so I listen to it a little less than before.
I also would say my taste also didn’t change or got limited, it rather widened. I still like the stuff I always liked although I might have listened to it a little to often so I listen to it a little less than before.
Yeah, same here. I never stopped liking any piece of music, my taste only widened with time. Of course, like most, I listened more to my “initial” recordings… I mean, when I started out collecting music, I just did not have that much music to choose from.
I’m finding out now, as I walk systematically through my collection and inevitably run into several “bombastic orchestral scores” that I obsessed over in the past, it’s very heavy duty listening. Sometimes, I have to separate it into different sessions to get through it all, especially if it pushes those 70-80 minute limits. But I suppose there’s some exposure therapy value in it; although I don’t gravitate towards these kinds of scores anymore, I’d like to be ABLE to listen to them, at least, without it being painful.
Anyone else feeling the “musically more mellow when you get older” theory, as Nick called it earlier?
Anyone else feeling the “musically more mellow when you get older” theory, as Nick called it earlier?
I still like what I liked but I cannot listen to everything in the background while working. The last three days or so I even didn’t listen to anything over the day!
Anyone else feeling the “musically more mellow when you get older” theory, as Nick called it earlier?
Can’t say I subscribe to that theory. I am still probably drawn to the more bombastic than the mellow, more the coarse rather than the refined. More the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE rather than DISCLOSURE DAY (based on what I have heard of them both).
And don’t assume I like one and dislike the other. Williams’ “later…” is a moving piece that I feel is a wonderful piece that is a fine reflection on Williams. But I think that I would rather listen to Pemberton.
It’s for me the same in music, movies, literature, philosophy, politics… did I get more mellow with age? I don’t think so. Maybe I did? How could I gage it? Self assessment: I’d say no, I’m not more mellow. More mature, perhaps, more and more fine tuned and varied, but never more mellow. Art, music, movies, literature, philosophy, politics, is about truth… that is the only thing that matters. I can find that in a gentle nocturne or in a cacophony of abrasion, it only matters that it is “true”.
I still like what I liked but I cannot listen to everything in the background while working.
I can’t listen to any music in the background while working. Unless it’s housework or something like that.
I definitely feel becoming more mellow with age. I also recognize becoming more sentimental, crying at movies more easily and such.
I can find that in a gentle nocturne or in a cacophony of abrasion, it only matters that it is “true”.
What the heck is “untrue” music?
I am sure I wouldn’t know the difference if it bit me ìn the nose.What the heck is “untrue” music?
I am sure I wouldn’t know the difference if it bit me ìn the nose.Wouldn’t you though?
By “true” as far as pure music is concerned, I meant music that is honest, music that strives, music that refuses to hide behind effect or posture. Music that commits to an idea and follows it through, that doesn’t flatter the ear but earns its impact through necessity rather than ornament.
Now if you object that that’s all subjective and personal, you’re right, of course it is. Music is objectively neither “true” nor “untrue”, which is why I used it in quotation marks. It’s my personal reaction to music, it’s “true” if it rings “true” to me, and it’s “untrue” or phony if I find it kitsch or surface without substance, when orchestration, effects, or production are used to disguise weak material. Or when it’s generic, music with no specific identity.
It’s subjective. I’m not claiming music as such is objectively “true” or “untrue”.
I can’t listen to any music in the background while working. Unless it’s housework or something like that.
Most suitable is pop, groovy 70s or light jazz stuff while working. But depends on the type of work. If working on problem solutions it all is in hte way. More complex orchestral music I either literally fade out no even remember what I listened to or it draws my atention.
I always feel I need to only listen to music without doing anything else to do it full justice. Sadly time for that is low 😉What the heck is “untrue” music?
I am sure I wouldn’t know the difference if it bit me ìn the nose.I would understant this as a more philosophical meta concept with any art. For example AI generated stuff or things only done for commecial value without caring what you do is not “true” because it has “nothing to say”, it has no meaning, no personality.
I would understant this as a more philosophical meta concept with any art. For example AI generated stuff is not “true” because it has “nothing to say”, it has no meaning, no personality.
Yes, that aligns with how I meant it.
I would understant this as a more philosophical meta concept with any art. For example AI generated stuff or things only done for commecial value without caring what you do is not “true” because it has “nothing to say”, it has no meaning, no personality.
Hm. Interesting topic. I would counter that music for commercial value has a meaning, if we like it or not. And regarding AI generated music, the worst, most dumb and for me personal meaningless music I ever experienced was made and composed by humans.
And as I said before, I probably wouldn’t know the difference.
So, if there is a criterion on music that I am unable to evaluate, I actually don’t care. But I don’t have much experience with AI generated music as I am not listening to much new music anyway.
But I can’t imagine that it is worse than some of the stuff that I heard from humans. I mean, just listen to most of the ESC stuff.I also don’t think in terms of ‘true’ or ‘untrue’ (beyond the AI issue, anyway). As Gerate says, even “supermarket muzak” or “elevator muzak” serves a purpose, and is therefore true. But if that’s a delineation that makes sense to you, go for it!
I tend to think more in terms of ’emotional’ and ‘mood’ and ‘cerebral’, which constitute three points in a triangle when it comes to my music appreciation.
I did not mean to make this particularly controversial. When I say music rings “true”, it is just a way to say “I like it” with more pathos.
On the other hand, however, the distinction between “emotional” and “cerebral” is not a qualitative one. There is of course “good” music that is either or both.Another thing I encounter with age that I less and less regard music something completely of its own independent from space and time.
It is more and more something I regard in context of a certain situation.Like there is the right clothing for each weather condition the music I listen to has to resonate with my current state of mind. So the same music can excite me or bore me. It can Touch me emotionally or leave me cold. Depending on my current sensitivity, mood, thoughts etc.
Like there is the right clothing for each weather condition the music I listen to has to resonate with my current state of mind.
Yes, good point. Nice analogy with the clothing. It’s the same for me.
And regarding AI generated music, the worst, most dumb and for me personal meaningless music I ever experienced was made and composed by humans.
Yeah, we don’t need AI for that, too 😉
Like there is the right clothing for each weather condition the music I listen to has to resonate with my current state of mind. So the same music can excite me or bore me. It can Touch me emotionally or leave me cold. Depending on my current sensitivity, mood, thoughts etc.
Indeed, good one. There are times I am just not in the mood for a certain type.
it’s “untrue” or phony if I find it kitsch or surface without substance, when orchestration, effects, or production are used to disguise weak material. Or when it’s generic, music with no specific identity.
Sorry Nick. At first I oversaw your comment. Yes. I get, that it’s highly subjective.
I know, you hold many works of Hans Zimmer in higʻh regards. And for me much of his music, especially orchestral soundtracks fall subjectively into that above described “untrue” category of yours.
And I completely understand if some of the music I like is recognized by others as hollow or boring or “untrue”.
But for me personally categories like “true” or “untrue” are too big of a word for my personal recognition of music. Means TRUTH is bigger than my subjective personal view on something.
That is why I am struggling with the term.
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