Country : États-Unis / United Kingdom Label : Hollywood Records Genres and styles : Contemporary Year :

Benjamin Wallfisch – Alien : Romulus

· by Frédéric Cardin

The Alien film series has given us some great orchestral scores. Jerry Goldsmith’s masterful, atonal Alien 1 remains a benchmark. But I’m also thinking of James Horner’s epic and explosive Aliens or Elliott Goldenthal’s all-too-forgotten Alien 3 (a masterpiece). More recently, Marc Streitenfeld’s Alien Prometheus also offered us some fine sonic and melodic nuggets. So how does Alien Romulus compare with its illustrious predecessors (I’m talking about the original music here, not the films themselves. That’s another debate). Very well, I’d say. Britain’s Benjamin Wallfisch blends Goldsmith’s atonality with Goldenthal’s orchestral sumptuousness. Occasionally, he adds a bit of electronic colour that’s not exactly worm-eaten and sometimes verges on the industrial. This must be very effective in the scene entitled There’s Something in the Water (one can only imagine, if like me you haven’t yet seen the film….). That said, even if the famous thematic signature of weightless flutes is used sporadically, the most romantic music lover will miss the endearing melodies of Horner and Goldenthal (a composer capable of skilfully fusing romanticism and experimental atonalism). All in all, Romulus hits the nail without surpassing its predecessors, offering the music lover a high quality orchestral score, effectively sculpted using avant-garde techniques while draping itself in the subtlety of the music.

Latest 360 Content

A party with post-punk Brooklynites TVOD

A party with post-punk Brooklynites TVOD

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

FIRE! Orchestra at FIMAV: Power Trio Meets Canadian Community of Avant-Garde Players

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Blondshell – If You Asked For a Picture

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Hitting a Fever Pitch at the Ribbon Skirt LP Launch 

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Wu-Tang Clan & Mathematics – Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman.

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Dalit Hadass Warshaw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project / Gil Rose – Sirens

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Howard Shore/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France – Shore : Anthology

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

Quatuor Diotima – Boulez : Livre pour quatuor

LMNL – Rainbow

LMNL – Rainbow

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Strat Andriotis – Exits

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Richard Reed Parry – The Actor

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Tamara Stefanovich – Organised Delirium

Galan Trio – Embrace

Galan Trio – Embrace

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Jack Van Zandt – A Chaos of Light and Motion

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Tommy Crane – Reality Curated: Live at Ursa

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

Thomas DeLio – Anti-paysage

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

No Hay Banda – Steven Kazuo Takasugi : Il Teatro Rosso

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Vancouver Contemporary Orchestra; Vancouver Chamber Choir – Christopher Tyler Nickel : Mass; Te Deum

Hypercube – The Force for Good

Hypercube – The Force for Good

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

PUP – Who Will Look After the Dogs?

Duo AYA – Cycles

Duo AYA – Cycles

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Papillon Social Club – Dur de la feuille

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Coalescent Quartet – The Wall Between Us

Subscribe to our newsletter