Sunday, October 13, 2013

Score of the Month - Book Of Eli (2010) by Atticus Ross


JohnnyTwoToes recommends this intriguing slice of post-apocalyptic electronic ambiance


Atticus Ross burst in to the filmdom scoring with his collaboration with Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor with their Oscar winning score for The Social Network in 2010. But what a lot of people don't know is that also that same year he composed a brilliant score on his own for the Denzel Washington post-apocalypse themed film Book Of Eli.

Book of Eli featured a cliched story of a wandering mysterious man in the desolate future who has a equally mysterious book that has the potential to rebirth and revive humanity if it falls into the right hands. In the wrong hands however, all is lost. Considered a vanity project of Denzel Washington by many and starring the likes of Mila Kunis and Gary Oldman, it still was a good film in its own right - slickly filmed, written and directed by the Hughes brothers (Albert and Allen Hughes), who brought us Menace II Society, From Hell and Dead Presidents, all great films. Ross had earlier scored the Hughes brothers created TV series Touching Evil too and had later graduated to films and with amazing results.

iTunes has released an expanded edition of the Book Of Eli score with 4 additional tracks not found on the original release. The first track is Panoramic which is a lengthy track, thankfully at just over 7 minutes but it sets up the electronic ambient textures of the rest of the score and it is one of the best pieces on the album. Outland and The Journey feature some more soft contemplative ambient music with some soft percussion suggesting Eli's step by step journey and his quieter moments at night when he is camped. Amen, The Convoy and Solara Violated are is a jarringly effective tracks suggesting the arrival of Eli's enemy, Carnegie (Gary Oldman) and what his intentions for The Book are. Ross returns to soothing tones for Safe and Human tracks. The Passenger is also one of the prettiest tracks, with soft vocals under laying Ross's beautiful melody.

Book Of Eli is a solid score from start to finish and the bonus tracks are basically, remixes of tracks not on the original release with the exception of Panoramic which has its own remixed version referred to as Eaten By The Earth's Remix. Whether you like the soft, soothing or the loud, percussive tracks there is enough to please any connoisseur of film scoring. Ross's score for Book Of Eli is exceptional work by a relative newcomer to the film scoring business and for that reason alone, he must be commended!

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