2014 was a good year for cinema. A diverse collection of films made the top 10 grossing list, and there were several lesser-known beauties as well. Here are five of our top picks for the best film scores and tracks of 2014, in descending order:
5. “Level Plaguing Field,” from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Michael Giacchino
Our list kicks off with a track from one of the most anticipated films of 2014; however, this particular track is much more subdued than the film’s epic marketing campaign. A beautiful texture, remarkably simplistic in nature, runs through the majority of the track. Choral work takes the fore, along with a bittersweet piano.
I had the absolute pleasure of seeing the world premiere of this soundtrack live at the Royal Albert Hall, conducted by Giacchino himself. (This was way before the film’s release, so I knew then that the final mix would deliver, and it certainly did not disappoint.) The score does a fantastic job of not detracting from the film’s main strength of character development.
4. “Maleficent Suite,” from Maleficent – James Newton Howard
Widely accepted to be JNH’s finest work for quite some time (possibly going back as far as Lady in the Water), Maleficent is a master class in so many areas. This score would not be out of place in an animated movie, and at times the gorgeous textures give animation soundtrack master John Powell a run for his money.
The vocal work is fantastically thought through, and the brass work is unlike anything I have ever heard JNH produce before. While this isn’t a typical score for JNH, the intimate and delicate nature characteristic of his work sometimes slips through the net with some glorious piano passages. Superbly imagined and seamlessly produced, this is a very impressive score overall.
3. “Make Thee an Ark,” from Noah – Clint Mansell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu19mqIpM5c
Once a member of rock group Pop Will Eat Itself, Clint Mansell has gone on to do extremely well at making a name for himself in the film industry. His second film score, Requiem for a Dream, contains one of the most recognizable pieces of music in popular culture (“Lux Aeterna“). Mansell’s work and unique production style are consistently arresting, so it’s no surprise that director and long-time collaborator Darren Aronofsky decided to recruit his expertise for Noah.
Those of you familiar with the score from The Fountain will hear resemblances in the Noah soundtrack. The honesty of the string reproduction is a unique trait. The soundtrack promotes tribal tones in the percussion, and the eerie, synthesized woodwinds possess a timbre unlike any I have heard in film. This score is a truly breathtaking work.
2. “Dragon Racing,” from How to Train Your Dragon 2 – John Powell
John Powell works hard in this latest film to maintain his reputation as the greatest animation composer of all time. Everything we love about his work is embodied in fewer than five minutes throughout this bombardment of excellence. Not a bar goes by that isn’t intricately complex, beautiful, and fitting.
This is a flawless track teeming with both originality and traditional composition techniques. If you’re not composing music already, this is one of those scores that might just inspire you to start.
1. “Electro Suite,” from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six
Everything you crave in a Spider-Man film is exemplified in this score, and the color of the music is brighter and more vivid than any other superhero film to date. Let’s just say that if The Amazing Spider-Man 1 were an HDTV, then The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a backlit LED 4K display with HDMI cables made of platinum. You get the picture.
Utterly inspired vocal work lends itself beautifully to the characters’ plight, and Johnny Marr’s guitar work is phenomenal — arguably the soundtrack’s most defining feature. This is an absolutely fantastic soundtrack on all levels, and a worthy winner of spot #1 on our list of great film soundtracks of 2014.
This was a tricky list to compile, but we anticipate this year’s list being even harder. It’s a fantastic time to be alive as a film composer (or even just a film soundtrack fan). We predict an abundance of great film music is headed our way in 2015, so grab the popcorn, sit back, and enjoy!
Featured image by Raymond Shobe (CC BY-SA 2.0)
What are your favorite film scores from 2014? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to give us your predictions for the best cinematic scores of 2015!
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