Fittingly, Williams starts us off with “The Adventures of Han”, a jaunty piece that fits Han and is slightly reminiscent of the iconic “Raiders March”. Since Han didn’t really have a set theme before it makes sense Williams gives him one here. From here on out, it’s all Powell. “Meet Han” introduces us to Powell’s tone and it’s great. A drum undercurrent powers the piece, something that’ll happen more than once. I have no idea where this could be in the movie.

“Corellia Chase” gives Powell a chance to show off his action chops while incorporating Williams’ theme. The quick brass and whipping strings are on point. “Spaceport” morphs to a quieter piece with strings front and center while still retaining action vibes. “Flying with Chewie” continues the action from earlier until it quiets down to bring a sweeping, How to Train Your Dragon-esque melody along. If you haven’t guessed, this is probably where Han and Chewie fly together unless Powell likes to play jokes with his titles.

“Train Heist” (likely found during the train sequence from the trailer) gives us a moment to relax before throwing us into the heist with great Williams-style action. Here we get the first mention of an old motif, I believe it’s from A New Hope. “Marauders Arrive” contains the first appearance of an almost African-sounding choir mixed with another splendid blend of Williams and Powell’s styles.

I do want to take a moment and mention this style blend. If you’re familiar with the other Star Wars scores, it’s apparent that parts of the score sound like Williams and parts are Powell. Not only does it work well but also the styles don’t clash. It never feels like the music is two separate styles, fighting each other for dominance. Instead Powell makes them work together by adding the right amounts of each in the pieces.

“Chicken in the Pot” continues in the tradition of “Yub Nub” and “Jedi Rocks”, among others, of having a vocal piece in an alien language. This features an electronic beat with just enough strings to ground it into the score. I bet this takes place at a cantina, perhaps where Han meets Lando. “Is This Seat Taken?” continues a more playful tone; it sounds similar to a piece you might hear in a Persian market.

“L3 and Millennium Falcon” goes back to a quieter tone before introducing us to the Falcon. I know this because of the sudden swell and a second Williams motif lifted from A New Hope. The choir returns before it ends on a harsh note. “Lando’s Closet” keeps the strings front and center. It’s among the prettiest tracks in the score. “Mine Mission” brings action with a marching beat, Han theme playing throughout.

“Break Out” contains brass so fast and intricate you’d be forgiven if you thought Williams wrote it. It’s also one of the longer tracks at over six minutes and contains another New Hope motif. Softer music returns in “The Good Guy” before the last third throws more action and choir our way. “Reminiscence Therapy” is almost guaranteed to make every Star Wars fan smile.

“Into the Maw” keeps the action and motifs rolling. By now, I guess by now the movie would be going into or at it’s last third. “Savareen Stand-Off” introduces a darker tone and a brief choir line that harkens back to the Emperor’s theme from Return of the Jedi. That tone mostly continues in “Good Thing You Were Listening”.

We get a last burst of action in “Testing Allegiance”, probably the last action scene in the movie. It contains the most modern sound in the score so far, which is a slight letdown. Happily, it’s not there for long and the remaining track ignores it. Piano makes a brief appearance and if I’m not mistaken, it might be the first time piano’s been used in the franchise. “Dice and Roll” starts with an odd use of drums but it isn’t there for long as traditional music closes it all out.

I went in knowing that no matter what John Powell wrote it wouldn’t sound exactly like John Williams. So much for thinking that. Powell did a monumental job. He got the chance to show his ability and delivered. Its action-filled, fun, and most importantly (aside from a few moments) sounds like Star Wars. Regardless of your thoughts on the movie, check this out!

FINAL RATING: 4.7/5

The post Solo: A Star Wars Story appeared first on SCAD Radio.

It begins, appropriately enough, with “The Avengers”, a soaring rendition of the great Avengers theme. “Travel Delays” is a slower track relying on drawn-out horns before switching to straight-up action and containing a couple solid themes. I assume Thanos might appear here. “No More Surprises” goes to a quieter setting, sounding like a piece where nothing’s wrong- until the sudden change that signals something’s wrong (lower key, slower notes) before building to a brief march and ending.

“He Won’t Come Out” and “Field Trip” provide the first bought of action music in typical Silvestri style- rushing strings, horns punctuating every moment, and the main theme appearing in little chunks. The latter track unveils some great brass riffs. “Wake Him Up” introduces a suspenseful tone, which leads me to believe whoever’s being woken up is powerful. With so many characters in Infinity War it’s hard to guess whom.

“We Both Made Promises” gives us a moment to breath before a sudden horn burst marks the return of action. Silvestri goes full John Williams through the action tracks; with enough horns to almost convince me Williams wrote them. “Help Arrives” sees the Avengers theme proper, with a few added ticks that make it a fortissimo horn-fest. That goes away fast, with the low notes returning from before. Methinks Thanos might be arriving on earth.

“Hand Means Stop/You Go Right” is the second-longest track on the soundtrack at just over seven minutes. As with a lot of long tracks it contains a little bit of everything. Softer moments mix with suspense; suspense gives way to action and back again. Even choir makes a brief appearance. “One Way Ticket” and “Family Affairs” provide some needed quiet moments in between the horns and drums. “Family Affairs” also contains a large amount of suspense and tension, sounding ominously like a villain theme.

Tracks such as “What More Could I Lose?”, “A Small Price” and “Even for You” give us a darker, more foreboding sound than before. “Morning After” and “Is He Always Like This?” do little to raise musical emotions, instead returning to suspense and action. The choir also makes an appearance in the latter track. “More Power” keeps the horns and action rolling and throws in several Avengers theme moments and theme variations.

“Charge!” is among the more charged tracks in the score, starting slow but then flying at you with a fast tempo and copious horns and drums. “Forge” doesn’t quite match the previous track’s intensity, instead replacing it with choir and action motifs before building up to another Avengers theme rendition, very similar in sound to the now-iconic scene from 2012. Whatever buildup was there is initially gone in “Catch” before returning in a head-on collusion of action and dread. “Haircut and a Beard” continues the action. “A Lot To Figure Out” gives us a needed break for about a minute until the horns and strings kick back in, making great use of the choir as well.

“The End Game” sure sounds like an end game, with the music firing through its normal set until everything stops and a morbid string melody takes over which is taken over by more action. “Get That Arm/I Feel You” starts with a eerie mix of ambient noise and strings before changing to dread and then the morbid string melody returns. I don’t want to assume what happens but my guesses are someone died or Thanos blew up half the United States. It’s among the darkest tracks in the score. “What Did It Cost?” sees the dark music keep its hold, moving to an almost post-apocalyptic sound.

A sorrow-filled “Porch” follows in the morbid tone. “Infinity War” sounds more shell-shocked than anything, ending with a piano rendition of the Avengers theme. “Old Tech” gives us one last gasp of impending doom before a requiem-like “End Credits” brings the score to a close.

If you haven’t already noticed, Avengers: Infinity War contains a lot of action. That isn’t a bad thing, far from it. It can be a bad thing if not handled by the right composer. There are only about three other living composers who can write action music like Silvestri does here. You don’t get bored and it keeps you engaged. And when he switches to the dark and sorrowful material it’s just as well executed. It may not contain many definitive themes but Infinity War is still a terrific achievement.

Our rating for the soundtrack is 4.5/5.

The post Avengers: Infinity War Movie Soundtrack Review appeared first on SCAD Radio.