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Top Ten (and more) of 2015

THE RUNNERS UP


15) Far From the Madding Crowd
A very pretty score with some excellent violin work. On the whole it didn't blow me away like a lot of other scores this year, but portions of it (especially the opening cue) are as beautiful as film scores can be.

14) The Hateful Eight
A delightfully dark and harsh return to the Old West by Morricone. I like that he wrote something new that really fit the film instead of just piecing together a "Greatest Hits" mashup of his previous Spaghetti Westerns. It's not always a pleasant listen, but for the type of movie it was it delivers in spades.

13) Ant-Man

A great superhero score from Beck, with a catchy main theme and some great secondary ideas as well. The whole thing is infused with a heist vibe that helps give it further personality, and it all results in one of the better Marvel scores to date.

12) The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Definitely one of the most fun releases of the year, a very unique and cool score filled with jazzy, off-kilter ideas. I applaud Ritchie/Pemberton for going in such a different direction, and in my opinion it worked wonders in the film as well as the stand alone album.

11) Brooklyn
A very beautiful little gem of a score, with constantly sweeping strings combined with an Irish touch to produce an intimate and moving experience. It just barely missed my Top Ten, perhaps because it proved to be slightly less memorable than some of the other albums I listened to this year.


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THE TOP TEN


10) En mai, fais ce qu'il te plaît
Loosely translating to "The Darling Buds of May," it's simply gorgeous. There are a couple parts that drag a touch, but Morricone seriously wrote some of the most beautiful string work of anyone this year. Then the last cue pushes things even further adding a solo female vocal and a lone trumpet, and the result is sublime.

9) Cinderella
This is exactly what a fairytale should sound like, full of lush orchestration, memorable themes, and an optimistic, magical feeling to the proceedings. On the whole it's just a very pretty and enchanting experience that puts you in a good mood after a listen.

8) Attack on Titan
Incredibly epic and eclectic, with a huge choir always chanting in English ("GOD. HAVE. MERCY!!!!"), massive orchestration, crazy electronics, some heavy metal, and good ol' dash of pipe organ. It's not going to be for everyone, but it's some of the most ludicrous fun I had this year.

7) Jurassic World
It perfectly captured the Jurassic Park tone, with the same sense of adventure and wonder that quickly turns into danger. While it did pay homage to William's themes, Giacchino's new identities are excellent in their own right, and help carry the score.

6) Pan
Another high-flying (pun intended) adventure score from Powell, with richly orchestrated action and memorable themes combining into a delightful experience. Considering it was done as a last-minute replacement score, it's especially impressive how enjoyable it is.

5) Tomorrowland
It's just so optimistic and soaring that it's hard to dislike. There are several primary themes that all get moments to shine, and the strings and brass all get good workouts. Hopefully the film's performance doesn't leave this score forgotten, as it's definitely one of the most enjoyable works this year.

4) Wolf Totem
A truly beautiful piece of work, written in the style of many of Horner's past romantic efforts. I'd like to think this one would be up this high on my list regardless of what happened to Horner, but I can't ignore the idea that it being the last of his majestic, sprawling scores gives it a little extra weight.

3) Gamba
Another score that wasn't on my radar at the beginning of the year, it's actually an incredibly fun and rousing animated adventure piece, very much in the vein of How to Train Your Dragon. The orchestral writing is excellent, it has a pretty main theme, and it's not afraid to go for big, swelling emotional cues. Seriously, check this one out.

2) Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The maestro is back, and he brought with him a score full of thematic development and a good dose of nostalgia. The new ideas impress for the most part, and hearing some of cinemas greatest themes return is something no one should miss out on. Unsurprisingly, this one sat in the number one position for a while, and really could be considered to be in the "1b" position. Truly wonderful to have the music from this franchise again.

1) Jupiter Ascending
This is an absolutely massive, orchestral powerhouse of a score, filled with themes, lots of choral work, and top-notch action pieces. Even with it's long running time it never falls into boring territory, proving enthralling all the way from it's opening four part movement to the climactic "Commitment." It's very likely Giacchino's best effort to date, and for this reason and more, I award it the title of "2015 Score of the Year."

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COMPOSER AWARDS


COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Michael Giacchino
He wrote four scores this year, varying in quality from good to outstanding, and with three of them managing to hold onto Top Ten spots, I'm not really left with much of a choice.

RUNNER UP
James Horner

"WELCOME TO THE BIG TIME" AWARD
Daniel Pemberton
He's been writing music since the 90's, but hadn't done many high-profile jobs until this year, where he broke out with two very impressive scores ("Man from UNCLE" and "Steve Jobs"), which will hopefully make him a consistent presence in Hollywood for years to come.

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OTHER AWARDS


MOST DISAPPOINTING SCORE
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
John Debney revisiting pirates, and for an animated movie no less? I was very excited about what this might possibly offer. In the end the score started out strong, and then just got drowned in "Mickey-mousing" all the nautical nonsense. It's not his fault, and it's not the worst score I heard this year, but my own expectations soured me on it in the end.

BEST "GUILTY PLEASURE" SCORE
Mad Max: Fury Road
Sure, the music itself isn't rocket science, but the action is relentless and adrenaline-filled, and the softer moments are actually quite tragic and pretty. I've found myself returning to this one more than a lot of other scores this year.

BEST THEME
Avengers: Age of Ultron Main Theme
Elfman has crafted one of the most rousing and captivating superhero anthems ever, and he does so while still honoring Silvestri's previous work. Definitely the highlight of the score.

BEST NON-FILM ORCHESTRAL WORK
Cinema
Andrea Bocelli dedicates a whole album to his love of film music, and the results are magnificent. A lot of his renditions are better than the original, and at the very least he does each song justice. If you have any love for Opera or Musicals, this should definitely be at the top of your list.

BEST SYMPHONIC METAL WORK
Endless Forms Most Beautiful
Nightwish has always been at the forefront of combining an orchestra with metal for quite a while, but they've really outdone themselves this time. EFMB is infused with so much variety and talent that even non-metal fans will find much to enjoy. The final song in particular, "The Greatest Show on Earth," is a masterpiece of music and sound that stretches to almost half an hour, a truly epic finish to an already amazing album.