Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Video Game)
by Winifred Phillips
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Video Game)
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Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (Video Game) Composed by Winifred Phillips
Water Tower Music (2010)
Rating:
7/10
“So long as you’re
not expecting a memorable theme or any particularly innovative
orchestral maneuvers, WINIFRED PHILLIPS’ work on LEGEND OF THE
GUARDIANS offers a wholly appropriate and mostly entertaining
accompaniment to the story of the owls in the game.”
With Notes Sublime
Review by Marius Masalar
Though she may not be a common household name just yet, WINIFRED PHILLIPS
is no stranger to critical acclaim. And this year, she’s finally walking
away from the Hollywood Music in Media Awards with a win. In 2008 and 2009
she was a finalist for Best Original Score in a Video Game, and now she’s
just taken home Best Song in a Video Game for one of the tunes in her
score for LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE. Based, of course,
on the film, the game earned mediocre reviews from critics (as one
unfortunately comes to expect from these quick tie-in titles), though the
score at least has managed to attract more attention after a generous 53
minute release on iTunes.
Following PHILLIPS “Into the Darkness” (1), we learn that the score
follows only lightly in the footsteps of David Hirschfelder’s score for
the film, tending more toward a percussive, punchier orchestral writing
that’s common to the modern media music landscape. No catchy theme is
introduced in this first track, but a strong sound palette is established.
“With Hearts Sublime” (2) is the award-winning track of the album, and it
is certainly a very attractive piece of music with swirling harp arpeggios
and soft strings beneath the haunting vocals. It reminds of the music of
Enya and some of the songs from the Lord of the Rings, though it tends a
bit more toward the generic.
“Eyes in the Night” (3) unleashes some stirring action, but uplifting
harmonic progressions keep our chins up and hearts soaring as the
percussion beats out a steady rhythm beneath the brass stabs. Probably the
strongest track in the album’s opening segment is “The Gathering” (4).
This magnificent and sensitive cue is both dramatic and thematic, and the
gorgeous woodwind solos weaving in and out are a treat to listen to. The
tempo rises again with “Take Flight” (5), a track that begins on a tense
note but soon gives way to playful and bouncy figures in the strings and
woodwinds.
Percussion takes over during “Attack At Dawn” (6), which carries the
anxious mood without offering much else. “Deadly Plan” (7) is sneaky, with
quiet woodwinds tiptoeing around a menacing percussive rhythm. It isn’t
until “Nightmare” (8) that a choir appears in the score, and it’s worth
the wait. Beginning with unsettling dissonances and continuing with
cinematic choral chants, this track is not only rousing but also
satisfying in length, clocking in among the album’s longest. The
development is a bit static, but for a gameplay cue it does its job. “The
Shape of the Wind” (9) returns to the noble drama of the 4th track, but
there’s an undercurrent of worry now, and “Wild Fire” (10) describes it
further with its wild woodwind rips and nervous strings whirling over a
bed of more taikos. It’s an extremely fun piece, so while it doesn’t say
much musically, it makes for a strong boost of energy around the album’s
midpoint.
There’s mystery afoot in “Legends” (11), and the somber uncertainty
remains in place in “Devil’s Triangle” (12), though this latter track
escalates into a threatening atmosphere before relenting. The choir
returns to provide some texture in “The Seekers” (13), an otherwise
unremarkable cue until it passes the halfway point where it becomes a
noble thematic call. Broad brass chords and chugging strings in “To Right
All Wrongs” (14) lay down a propulsive bed, further augmented by the
omnipresent drums and yet still mostly devoid of personality. Thankfully,
that problem is quickly solved in the misty, evocative, and utterly
beautiful textures of “The Fallen (15). Exotic bells, airy woodwinds,
glistening harps, and ethereal chanting from the choirs combine to produce
a truly gorgeous background cue.
The album’s final stretch includes an obligatory final confrontation cue,
“The Siege” (16). PHILLIPS has done a good job of planning the emotional
range of her score, because this penultimate burst of action scoring truly
feels grander than those that came before it, more significant. It also
leads beautifully into “The Guardians” (17), which finally offers us a
strong set of thematic statements. I’m still not sure that fans of motivic
scores will walk away humming something in particular, but at the very
least they’ll have some material to remember the score by. Either way, the
album’s last and longest track is a strong and worthy finish to a
generally satisfying listening experience.
While I understand limited budgets, I can’t help but poke the pink
elephant in the album and mention the unfortunate lapses in quality when
it comes to the production side of things. While most of the sampled
instruments manage to sneak past all but the most discerning of ears, the
brass is positively unconvincing and betrays the mostly synthetic nature
of the score more blatantly than I would have expected, especially given
the talent of the composer. Nevertheless, if you can forgive that
unfortunate fact then there is some great material to be heard in here.
So long as you’re not expecting a memorable theme or any particularly
innovative orchestral maneuvers, WINIFRED PHILLIPS’ work on LEGEND OF THE
GUARDIANS offers a wholly appropriate and mostly entertaining
accompaniment to the story of the owls in the game.
