MUSIC REVIEW - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Soundtrack

Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Genre: Soundtrack
Release Year: 2010
Label: Sony Music Classical

As the final Harry Potter films loomed ever closer, speculation started to circulate that Mr. Movie-music-magic himself - John Williams - would return to score the final two installments as he did the first three.

The rumours were wrong. Sad face.

But instead we got another masterful maestro with more feathers in his cap than Robin Hood in a pillow fight. Alexandre Desplat brought new depth and darkness to the series that really made the final films special. His music hinted at his predecessors', but he also added his own curiosity and shadow.

The album follows the order of the film, opening with the tear-jerker, Obliviate, taken from the opening scene when Hermione wipes her parents memories. For me, this is the best track on the album and one of the most expressive and lyrical in the whole film series.

This track is then immediately countered by the sadistic pomp of Snape to Malfoy Manor, a sinister march that perfectly mirrors the Death Eaters. Although the theme is short-lived here, it appears a number of times throughout this film and the next.

The soundtrack continues in the same ambitious and brilliant way, ranging from the chaotic horror of The Locket to the heart-renching simplicity of Harry and Ginny and Farewell to Dobby.

In this penultimate film of the successful franchise, Alexandre Desplat has delivered the best Potter soundtrack to date. It echoes the dark tone of the film perfectly in Desplat's own unique way, but also harks back to the original glory days of John Williams, especially with a few well placed references to Hedwig's Theme. Pure brilliance and class.


9/10 


Buy the soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at amazon.co.uk. Click here.

And that's your music fill, and everything from Crash Hub for today. Tommorow, it's me again with TV news and a review of the first series of Torchwood.
Tom :)

MUSIC REVIEW - Iron Man 2

Artist: AC/DC
Genre: Rock/Soundtrack
Release Year: 2010
Label: Columbia

I'll admit, I'm a bit of a nerd. But I'm fortunate enough to understand a little bit of what "being cool" feels like after walking down my road, eating a slice of cold pizza while listening to Highway to Hell. Whatever the situation, AC/DC's music never fails to deliver a feeling of pure and raw awesomeness.

So it makes sense that the awesome-ist of superheroes should be accompanied by the awesome-ist of soundtracks. No song could have fitted the opening sky-dive sequence of Iron Man 2 better than Shoot To Thrill. And no song could have introduced billionaire-playboy Tony Stark in the first film as Back in Black did. There is something very special about AC/DC's music that holds alot of power over the listener.

Although it is a compilation CD, "Iron Man 2" isn't "AC/DC's Greatest Hits" - in fact it is far from it. Although it includes huge anthems such as Back in Black and Highway to Hell, it also includes almost unknown album tracks like Evil Walks (originally from the 1981 album "For Those About To Rock"). Don't be put off by this though, these songs more than hold their own against the others.

As much as I love AC/DC's simple, play-it-the-same-but-louder style, the highlight of this compilation for me is Thunderstruck. It stands out as being a little more complex and creative, but at the same time is still definitively AC/DC with Brian Johnson's strangled vocals and the Young brother's solid riffs.

To put it simply, this compilation is a fantastic tribute to one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

9.5/10
Buy AC/DC's Iron Man 2 from Amazon.co.uk

Thanks for reading, we'd love to hear what you thought of this CD in the comments below.

Tom :)