Album Description: Acclaimed composer Bear McCreary builds on his impressive Season One accomplishments with this new original soundtrack from the second season of the Sci-Fi Channel's critically praised, top-rated television series starring Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Katee Sackhoff. Once again, composer McCreary delivers a sensational, emotionally rich score that ingeniously melds orchestra, vocals, percussion and synthesizer in a variety of exciting motifs. Simply put, it's an amazing compilation that trancends the genre and brings sci-fi television music to new heights! Former Oingo-Boingo member Steve Bartek plays featured guitar on "Black Market". CD Booklet contains exclusive liner notes from McCreary and executive producer Ronald D. Moore.
Amazon.com: In its own way, this soundtrack to the cult SciFi Channel series embodies all the trends of film and, to a certain extent, TV-scoring circa 2006. Alien universes and mysterious plots are suggested by exotic instruments like gamelans and taikos; an otherwordly woman comes in at regular intervals to vocalize esoterically ("Lords of Kobol"); and thundering percussions suggest action ("Scar"). It's as if cult band Dead Can Dance were on the required listening list for American screen composers ("Gina Escapes"). Composer Bear McCreary pulls off the mix better than some of his contemporaries because, this being TV, he probably doesn't have the budget of a big Hollywood composer and so he can't rely on a ginormous orchestra to do the work for him (i.e., he can't just pile on dozens of violins to suggest mood). Look for ex-Oingo Boingo member Steve Bartek (who's orchestrated many of Danny Hellman's finest scores) on guest guitar on the final track, "Black Market." --Elisabeth Vincentelli
Disc 1:
Colonial Anthem (Theme from Battlestar Galactica) (4:02)
BSG music #2 Great having the music, such haunting music. It makes my wife and I "see" the show in our minds. Also we can just listen to Mr McCreary's music and hear each note and melody. Great addition to the having the BSG DVD's. Good job Bear!
battlestar galactica season 2 soundtrack review I'd have to say, as far as soundtracks go, Bear M. knows his stuff. You get a kind of walk through in the c.d. sleave, Bear tells you a little about each piece listed on the c.d. and its background, and more importantly the feelings of the characters that each piece was composed for. All in all, i give it an "A+". And a "Well done Sir!" If you are a true fan of this show, this c.d. is a must have!
...Something Dark Is Coming. Battlestar Galactica Season 2 Soundtrack - Bear McCreary.
My Review:
After the recent success of the show, Bear McCreary is making himself a household name, with more than one trick up his sleeve to get you into the swing of his matured and very prominently made tunes. He continues the sweeping multi-faceted talent of Richard Gibbs, who's music provided the style and overall ostentatious feel to the series. Bear McCreary gets really into it, adding and mixing constantly what feels right at that right moment, intricacies levelled throughout the entire album, adding true emotion, you may never catch the deepness of these songs the first time and they only get better with time; with clever cross-cut shots to coincide with his musical taste, drama and real build-up of tension unlike most shows these days.
The reason having the title of this review named 'Something Dark Is Coming' is because something dark looms on a precipice at the end of this season's finale. This song in particular stands out like the many others, all of which relax are carefully interwoven with the gorgeous cinematography of the shows excellence. High quality music, for high quality scenes and show. Some great tracks include, 'A Promise To Return)', the considered flawless 'Prelude To War', the incandescent `Allegro', `Baltar's Dream'. The 80's become almost reminiscent in this album, with tracks like `Gina's Escape' and `Something Dark Is Coming' reminding you of an 80's year type soundtrack you grew up on.
Verdict:
Some shows get it right, this happens to be one of them. The composer knows what he is doing and he will do more with it in time. This is but a glimpse of the extraordinary talent of Bear McCreary. 9.5/10.
I love Bear's music I'm so glad that they have continued to use Bear McCreary as the composer for this series soundtrack. His music is amazing, especially his use of other languages and musical styles.
An amazing soundtrack to one of television's best shows This is most definitely one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. Bear McCreary goes above and beyond anything I'd expect from a television soundtrack (even for such a fantastic show). Every piece is unique and there is nothing to skip here. Nothing. The music is atmospheric, sometimes ethereal (Lords of Kobol, main title), other times simply beautiful (Roslin and Adama, Reuniting the Fleet) and other times epic and grand feeling (Prelude to War, Colonial Anthem). His use of percussion is a major highlight of this soundtrack, as it is for seasons 1 and 3 (particularly 3- which I highly recommend as well). In my opinion this soundtrack is the best of the three, although they're all good.
My personal favorite pieces: "Something Dark is Coming" -my absolute favorite, from the finale "Lay Down your Burdens." A very slow, sad and beautiful piece that builds gradually towards a powerful ending. Great percussion. "Martial Law" -incredible, mournful-sounding piece with more great percussion. "Lords of Kobol" -very different, almost like a contemporary soft-rock song. I don't remember this from the show, but I like it (didn't at first- it grew on me). "Roslin and Adama" -just beautiful "Gina Escapes" -a really unique piece with a great ending. I wish it was longer. "Prelude to War" Amazing, epic piece from the outstanding Pegasus/ Resurrection Ship 3-parter. The percussion in this is phenomenal (The Space channel used it in their "Razor" broadcast) "One year Later" -like Gina Escapes, a completely unique theme, (never heard again) that I wish was longer. Really lovely piece.
As I said before, there is nothing on this soundtrack that I ever feel like skipping. Every piece is top-notch. The above are just the pieces that I have found myself playing over and over on repeat because they're really just that good.
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