by Dinko on 7/4/2006
favorite track: 2
 
This is one hell of a of thrill ride! Not that it's a Steinerian masterpiece, mind you, but then again this trash fest doesn't need one.

The point is: Brian Tyler's score should now become the textbook reference on how to mix such an eclectic variety of musical sources in a stunningly balanced final product.

Try combining these elements in a coherent package:

- symphony orchestra
- (hard) rock band
- dance/house/club/urban/call-it-whatever-you-want beats
- synthesizer effects
- acoustic percussion instruments

Many have tried. Virtually all have failed on one level or another. Tyler gets it right.

The Neela character is treated to a very pleasant acoustic guitar theme. Not unlike what Mark Mancina does occasionally. Romantic and sweet.

The score's most recurring action motif might be the MediaVentures-like chord slashes found at the very opening (Touge/The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift). Truth be told, most of the score sounds like chords banged. There's hardly a true melody to be had. Other than the Neela theme, the rest is effects, variations and essays on how many ways the musical elements listed above can be combined in different permutations.

The variety of different styles and sub-styles that Tyler explores throughout the score, weaving them in and out one after the other in a seamless transition from one to the next, is something rarely if ever achieved. He moves from a mix of orchestra, dance beats and rock band to 70's funk. Electronic beats make way for real drums. Synth elements are replaced by electric guitars before being joined by the orchestra. All of it simultaneously. All of it with a natural ease.

Not only does Tyler get it right in the way he uses all of them, but so does the final mix of the album. More often than not, such mishmash of differing sources ends up rather badly presented on CD. Particularly, the orchestra vs. the rest is a sonic balance that escapes most composers and engineers. Everyone involved with the sound mix has done a first rate job at making everything fit.

There's two great things going for this album:

1) It's one of those "play me loud" experiences. Don't look too deep. Take it for what it initially sounds like: a shallow, over the top wall of adrenaline-inducing noise. Just play it loud and drive (Carefully! Not like a reckless twit as depicted by a certain movie.)

2) Dig a little deeper, and marvel at how many things the underlying structure of the score has going for it; how Tyler mixes and varies everything, rarely repeating the same idea twice.