I’m so excited for this film.  Beautiful cinematography, lavish costumes, spoken french, oh la la.  And no composer would be better to set music to this rich and excessive luxurious life of France than Alexandre Desplat.  I’ll be sure to get a copy of this soundtrack.  I can always count on Desplat to take me on a musical journey and this score will be no exception.

The film stars Audrey Tautou as the fashion designer Coco Chanel, and is directed by Anne Fontaine (The Girl from Monaco).  The screenplay is written by Anne Fontaine and Camille Fontaine, with the collaboration of Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons), and is loosely based on the biography L’Irrégulière by author Edmonde Charles-Roux.

Fontaine and Desplat collaborated to reflect Chanel in the music.  Desplat believed Coco Chanel had a “pair of eyes that were very particular in real life.”  And he believed actress Audrey Tautou also carried that characteristic.

“They both have the same gravity and intensity.  She is not just watching.  She’s scrutinizing and really intensively watching.  She’s grabbing a detail, a color, a shape that becomes something of her own once it goes through her filter.  So, I guess that’s the main thing that I tried to do with the score:  always keep the intensity of her character, not just the fun.  She has a lot of courage and a desire to change things.  And that’s something I like a lot – when artists show the way, a different way, another way, not just follow the flow of the river.  My music should follow this.”

I’m sure it does.  Listen to Desplast’s music featured in this U.S. trailer of the film.

Track List:

Coco Before Chanel
Alexandre Desplat
Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra

1. L’abandon (4:06)
2. Chez Chanel (2:33)
3. Coco & Boy (2:47)
4. Royallieu (2:54)
5. Couture (2:27)
6. Avenue du Bois (1:38)
7. Premier baiser (1:40)
8. Gabrielle Bonheur (1:53)
9. L’Hippodrome (2:54)
10. Arthur Capel (2:09)
11. Confession de Balsan (1:26)
12. Coco rêve de Paris (1:31)
13. L’Atelier (1:48)
14. Un seul Amour (1:53)
15. Le Chagrin de Coco (2:59)
16. Casino de Deauville (1:37)
17. Little Black Baby (Scott Joplin) (1:37) Interprété par Vanessa Wagner sur un Piano Ibach de 1908
18. Qui qu’a vu Coco (Baumaine-Blondelet/Deransart) (1:42) Extrait sonore du film, interprété par Audrey Tautou et Marie Gillain Piano: Patrick Laviosa

By the way, the score is already available on iTunes, for those who prefer a digital copy.

Woo-hoo.  Nathan Barr’s original score for the HBO series True Blood can now be pre-ordered over at the Varèse Sarabande website .  The score CD will be available and ship on or after September 8th.  I was a bit annoyed by everyone’s fascination over this vampire show, but I knew I had to give the show a chance with Creator and Executive Producer Alan Ball behind the wheel.  I love his work. I’m currently renting Ball’s other fabulous series Six Feet Under, which ran on HBO for 5 seasons and won numerous awards.

I’m not quite sure if I like True Blood, but apparently it’s good enough for me, since I’m eagerly awaiting the next disc to come in the mail.  Parts of the show are ridiculously campy and silly, but I love the show’s characters, especially that feisty Tara.  The series’ haunting score, fitting perfectly with the show’s swampy backwoods setting,  is composed and performed by Nathan Barr.  After working as an assistant to Hans Zimmer on the films As Good as It Gets and The Prince of Egypt, Barr has ended up scoring over 24 feature films including, The Dukes of Hazzard, Cabin Fever, Hostel 1 and 2, and Shutter.  This guy is so talented and I hope to see many more projects from him.  I’m glad his work was honored at the BMI Film and Television Awards this year.

Clips of the True Blood score from season one can be heard on his official website.

Track List:

1. Take Me Home Vocal by Lisbeth Scott (2:33)
2. Hairclip (1:45)
3. Bill’s Lament (1:07)
4. Gran’s Story (1:51)
5. Bill’s Entrance (1:28)
6. First Taste (1:22)
7. Tara In The Pool (1:23)
8. Tripping (1:42)
9. Tara And Mother (1:06)
10. Grieve to Grave to Groove (3:15)
11. The Tribunal (2:32)
12. Amy’s Goodbye (2:12)
13. Bill And Sookie Together (2:24)
14. Priapism (2:15)
15. More Than You Can Imagine (1:43)
16. The Cabin (5:22)
17. The Funeral (2:36)
18. Sancto Erico Vocals by Lisbeth Scott & Nathan Barr (1:39)
19. Bill And Sookie’s Reunion (1:23)
20. Jason And Amy (2:17)
21. Love Theme Piano by Lisbeth Scott (2:57)

Canadian Composer Mychael Danna’s latest film score, The Time Traveler’s Wife, is set to release tomorrow.  Audio samples of the soundtrack can be heard on Amazon.com and iTunes.  Danna seems to be the right pick for this film.  I love the minimal electronic sounds that are mixed in the score.  It gives the score an eerie, ethereal feel to it.  I get a   sense that Danna has created a haunting, yet beautiful film score.  We’ll find out soon.

Danna has written several film scores since his debut in 1987 for the Canadian film, Family Viewing.  Other works include, The Sweet Hereafter, Girl, Interrupted, Shattered Glass, Vanity Fair, Being Julia, Capote, Little Miss Sunshine, and Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, partnered with his brother and fellow composer Jeff Danna.  The two wrote music for Terry Gilliam’s latest film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, set to release later this year.

The Time Traveler’s Wife, starring the go to girl for tear-jerker films Rachel McAdams, is in theaters this Friday, August 14th.

Wow, summer is going by fast.  I didn’t even realize that director Nora Ephron’s film Julie & Julia was out this week.  I don’t know how, since I hear,  “I’m Julia Child” at least 20 times a day.  I knew it was coming soon, just not this week.  Anyway, a Julie & Julia release also means a new score from the acclaimed french composer Alexandre Desplat.

The film’s soundtrack is now available on Amazon.com and iTunes and  features 16 tracks of original music and an intro to the classic song “Time after Time” by Desplat.  This score is so bright, warm and fluffy. Excuse me while I go frost some cupcakes.  Listening to parts of this score put me in such a good mood.  I hope the film will do the same.  No matter what how many negative reviews this film may get, I’ll still see it.  I’m a huge Meryl Streep fan and I think Amy Adams is adorable.  Shoot, a score by Desplat alone will get me to see the film.

Here’s the track list with few audio samples:

Julie & Julia
Score Composed, Conducted and Produced by Alexandre Desplat
(p) and © 2009 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Score Published by Colpix Music, Inc., admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI)

1. Julia’s Theme – Alexandre Desplat

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

2. Julie’s Theme – Alexandre Desplat

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

3. Great Big Good Fairy – Alexandre Desplat
4. The French Chef Theme – Alexandre Desplat
5. Starting Out – Alexandre Desplat

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

6. What Should I Do? – Alexandre Desplat
7. Eggs – Alexandre Desplat
8. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
9. A String Of Pearls – Alexandre Desplat
10. Mes Emmerdes – Charles Aznavour
11. Time After Time (Instrumental) – Alexandre Desplat
12. Burning The Stew – Alexandre Desplat
13. Leaving Paris – Alexandre Desplat
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
14. My Husband Left Me – Alexandre Desplat
15. Stop The Train – Henry Wolfe
16. A Bushel And A Peck – Doris Day
17. The New York Times – Alexandre Desplat
18. Bouef Bourguignon – Alexandre Desplat
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
19. Julia Hates Me – Alexandre Desplat
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
20. Last Supper – Alexandre Desplat
21. Time After Time – Margaret Whiting

Finally, sound clips are available of Nicholas Hooper’s score for the long awaited film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  It’s almost here folks.  If the film had it’s original release it would have been on DVD and Blu-ray by now. Lame.
Anyway, sound clips of the score are available here on the sidebar (just click on the Amazon widget) or you can listen over on at Amazon.com.  The soundtrack will be available on July 14th and the film will hit theaters July 15th.

Composer and film editor John Ottman, who was recently honored at the 36th annual Vision Awards with Composer/Editor of Vision, is also celebrating a film score release this month for the thriller Orphan.

Released by record label Varèse Sarabande, pre-orders are now accepted online and will ship on or after July, 21st.  Ottman is mostly known for his scores for many of director Bryan Singer’s films.  His latest collaboration with Singer was for the historical drama, Valkyrie.  Ottman has written music for several other thrillers including  The Invasion, House of Wax, Gothika, and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.  Orphan, about couple who decides to adopt a freaky looking girl and realizes there is something evil about her, opens in theaters on July 24th.

Read on for the Track List.

Track List:

1. Glory of Love Performed by Isabelle Fuhrman (:24)
2. Orphan (2:04)
3. Suite for Jessica and Max (5:27)
4. Opening / Labor of Love (2:35)
5. Not Your Average 9-Year-Old (3:59)
6. Silent Story / Max’s Theme (3:34)
7. Saint Marianas (1:32)
8. Destroying the Evidence (3:09)
9. Painting a Story / Esther Comes Home (2:51)
10. Something Nice (5:36)
11. Wet the Bed / Black Light (2:43)
12. Snooping (1:48)
13. Finishing the Job (3:08)
14. Finding Max (3:44)
15. The Cold Shoulder (3:07)
16. The Glory of Love Performed by Orphanesta featuring Krystle Warren (2:49)
17. Orphan’s Revenge Performed by John Ottman vs Mark “Dog” Sayfritz (3:38)
18. The Glory of Love Performed by Jimmy Durante (2:48)

Audio clips of the score to Michael Mann’s gangster drama, Public Enemies, can now be heard on Amazon.com.  The music was composed by award-winning composer, Elliot Goldenthal, who won an Academy Award for his work on Julie Taymor’s biopic, Frida.

The compilation soundtrack will feature seven tracks of original music from Goldenthal and a selection of jazz greats, including a newly recorded version of “Bye, Bye, Blackbird” sung by Diana Krall.  Basically, it’s a Billie Holiday and Elliot Goldenthal album.  From what I can tell, the score sounds great.  But, I can’t really get much out of three and a half minutes.  Listen for yourself over at Amazon or click on the sidebar to listen.

The film, based on Bryan Burrough’s book Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-1934, will star Johnny Depp as the infamous criminal John Dillinger, and is scheduled to release on Wednesday, July 1st.

Side note:  I figured we’ve seen enough of Johnny Depp in a fedora, so I simply had to post a picture of the beautiful co-star, Academy-Award winning actress, Marion Cotillard.

Public Enemies just had its world premiere in Chicago, which means the soundtrack release is just around the corner.  The soundtrack will feature an original score by Academy Award winning composer, Elliot Goldenthal.  His film credits include Alien 3, Batman Forever, Heat, and Frida, which earned Goldenthal an Academy Award.  Goldenthal was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2007 for his three-act opera, Grendel.

I’m so excited for this soundtrack.  I can’t wait to hear what he has come up with for this Depression era gangster drama.

Track List:

1. Ten Million Slaves – Otis Taylor
2. Chicago Shake – The Bruce Fowler Big Band
3. Drive To Bohemia – Elliot Goldenthal
4. Love Me or Leave Me – Billie Holiday
5. Billie’s Arrest – Elliot Goldenthal
6. Am I Blue? – Billie Holiday
7. Love In The Dunes – Elliot Goldenthal
8. Bye Bye Blackbird – Diana Krall
9. Phone Call To Billie – Elliot Goldenthal
10. Nasty Letter – Otis Taylor
11. Plane To Chicago – Elliot Goldenthal
12. Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah – Indian Bottom Association, Old Regular Baptists
13. Gold Coast Restaurant – Elliot Goldenthal
14. The Man I Love – Billie Holiday
15. JD Dies – Elliot Goldenthal
16. Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground – Blind Willie Johnson

John Powell’s extensive list of film scores just keeps growing and growing and soon his second Ice Age film will be heard in theaters with the release of  Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs on July 1, 2009.  Sound clips are now available on the Colosseum Music Entertainment (manufacturer of Varèse Sarabande albums for Europe, the Middle East and Africa) website.

Excerpt from the site:

“The sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbusters Ice Age and Ice Age: The Meltdown are back, on an incredible adventure … for the ages. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut (while, maybe, finding true love); Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) await the birth of their minimammoth, Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs; and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) wonders if he’s growing too ’soft’ hanging with his pals.”

John Powell is most notably known for composing several animated films, including Bolt, Horton Hears a Who!, Happy Feet, Robots, Kung Fu Panda with Hans Zimmer, and Shrek with Harry-Gregson Williams.  Other works include Hancock, Jumper, X-Men: The Last Stand, and the Jason Bourne film series.  Powell’s next project will be the Green Zone, a film directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, United 93) taking place during the U.S. occupancy in Iraq.  He will also score DreamWorks Animation’s next film How to Train Your Dragon, scheduled for a March 26, 2010 release.

I just noticed sound clips are now available for Steve Jablonsky’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.  Sounds like a powerful score.  I love the high energy, it’s very Zimmer-ish.  The album will be released on Tuesday, June 23.  The highly anticipated sequel directed by Michael Bay will be in theaters on Wednesday, June 24th.

You can preview the soundtrack using the Amazon widget to the right.