31 Days 31 Scores
October 13th
“Why do you think that Dr. Orinsky called you the night that he died? To tell me I was right. Whatever species destroyed Mars, those poor astronauts brought down to Earth. May God have pity on our souls.”
Welcome Back to “31 Days 31 Scores”. Today we look at the 1998 score to “Species II” by Edward Shearmur. Shearmur is another one of those underrated composers. The CD begins with two songs B.B. King’s “Don’t Answer The Door” and Apollo Four Forty’s “Carrera Rapida” with Shearmur’s score rounding out the rest of the disc. The score comes from a very traditional scoring place. The score opens with dissonant sound effects that sound like screaming and then transitions to a lone trumpet followed by a crescendo from orchestra that almost has callback to Goldsmith’s “Alien” and Horner’s “Aliens”. Shearmur creates a wonderful mood of exploration with horns and strings in “On The Surface” which ends with some beautiful solo piano representing Eve. “Mating Season Begins” has a very tribal sound with percussion and strings. The score creates a great creepy mood with urgency as the score goes on using low brass and strings to great effect. Shearmur has a wonderful talent for suspense and he puts that talent to get use in the last cue “In The Barn” and “Eve” rounds out the score with first a piano and then flute rendition of her theme. The cue is slightly sinister suggesting future films with a pulsing synth which sounds like a heartbeat. It’s a shame the score on CD is only about 30 minutes as the score leaves you wanting more. The score was released on the TVT label and is still available.
Join me tomorrow for more 31 Days 31 scores where “This year, the past, the present and the future will all meet at the crossroads of hell.”