1 |
From
the Forest... |
2 |
Tapir
Hunt |
3 |
Storyteller's
Dreams |
4 |
Holcane
Attack |
5 |
Captives |
6 |
Entering the City with a Future Foretold |
| 7 |
Sacrificial Procession |
8 |
Words
Through the Sky -- The Eclipse |
9 |
Games and Escape |
10 |
An Elusive Quarry |
11 |
Frog Darts |
12 |
No Longer the Hunted |
13 |
Civilisations Brought by Sea |
14 |
To the Forest... |
SOUNDTRACK REVIEW:
After
popping the disc into the player, we strained our ears so
hard to listen out for the first track “From the Forest…”
on this soundtrack album, we thought our speakers were faulty.
When
we heard birds chirping and saw nothing outside our windows,
we knew that this is one aptly-composed score for the Mel
Gibson-directed movie set in the Mayan civilization. As it
turns out, James Horner has created a sound that makes you
feel like you are in the hearts of the ancient jungle.
Look
out, there comes a tapir!
Yes,
the cues here are nothing melodic, so don’t listen to
it expecting any identifiable main theme. Ethnic percussions,
winds and horns are generously used in this 60-minute album
to good effect. Qawwali singer Rahan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
provides some scary vocal solos that trigger images of scantily-clad
tribesmen hunting for their prey.
The
brief 2-odd-minute “An Elusive Quarry” is an example
of how the vocalist suddenly jumps at you while you are enjoying
the initial undisturbed calming strings. It is moments like
this when you strangely feel that we are too modern for our
own good. Back in the primitive, or as some would put it,
“barbaric” days, music probably took on a different
form too.
That
may also be this soundtrack’s only flaw, because you
have no images to work with while listening to it. The energy
level for lengthy tracks like “Holcane Attack”,
“Entering the City with a Future Foretold” and
“To the Forest...” may be high, but they may wear
out the impatient listener.
Otherwise,
this is a, well, how should we put it, “cultural exchange”,
which relieves you of the common movie scores you are so used
with. Horner’s approach to composing a score with rich
texture and building tensions will bring you to a forgotten
civilization and back – just turn up the volume of your
speakers for a satisfying experience.
SOUNDTRACK RATING:
 
Recommended Track: (10) An Elusive Quarry
Review
by John Li
|
