Caden Wentworth, May 17 2019

Shrek 2 is the second installment in the Shrek movie series. This movie is a fantastic sequel because it is not a replica of the first movie and it introduces new characters, locations, and themes. Set in the Kingdom of Far Far Away, Shrek has to meet Princess Fiona’s parents and adapt to the life of royalty. The best thing that Shrek 2 carried over from the first film is the fantastic soundtrack that is still comprised of fairy tale music and pop songs.

The original score for Shrek 2 is just as good as it was in the first installment of the series. The same classic motif is repeated several times and sounds amazing every time. Even the instrumentation is similar: strings, horns, brass, and woodwinds are all present and they blend together perfectly. Outside of that motif, the rest of the score can hold its own. The brass and percussion are loud and heavy when tension is building but soft and romantic when love is being discussed. Everything anyone could wish for in a fairy tale is appropriately represented by the large ensemble music.

On the other end of the spectrum, the pop songs in Shrek 2 are responsible for bringing most of the excitement. The most notable instance of this is leading up to the climax when Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero begins to play. An outstanding choice of music during this scene makes this scene memorable. I cannot imagine another song that could work as well as this one did. Another example is David Bowie’s Changes playing after character experience a sudden change. This one was a bit on the nose, but it still worked decently. These songs and others did their job to bring something familiar to the audience and provide a comfortable listening experience.

This soundtrack is solid, but it is not quite as iconic as its predecessor. The most memorable song is Holding out for a Hero, but that does not really compare to the entirety of Smash Mouth’s All Star. The original score was still incredible, and the pop songs did their jobs well. I am giving Shrek 2 a 7/10. It is a solid soundtrack, but it just is not quite as good as Shrek’s.

Caden Wentworth, May 15 2019

Megamind is a animated film made by DreamWorks Animation about an evil villain named Megamind and his life after finally defeating the superhero that has always been his rival. It is a heartfelt movie that follows lots of twists and turns to portray a story of good an evil. A solid movie that is paired with a solid soundtrack comprised of two different styles of music: popular classic rock songs and original music composed by Hans Zimmer.

These classic rock songs are always used tastefully even though the songs are cliche. Guns and Roses’ Welcome to the Jungle and George Thorogood’s Bad to the Bone are two cliche songs that come to mind. Just about everyone has heard these songs many times, but this Megamind only uses them in the right situations. For the most part, these songs are used whenever Megamind makes an evil entrance, or does something particularly devilish. They do their job well and they seem to fit into the right scenes and end at the right times. These songs are loud, heavy, and embrace everything that rock’n’roll and being bad have in common; it is an easy layup to pair these themes together. Songs that are always in your face are the easiest to notice, but loud does not always mean good. Hans Zimmer did good work for this film with his original compositions.

The classic orchestral music is the polar opposite of the classic rock songs mention above. Instead of being loud and intrusive these songs bring functional harmony and pleasantness to the ears. Quiet woodwinds and strings can be heard whenever they are necessary; it seems as if the people working behind the scenes had a clear vision of the movie and music as one entity. The music rarely detracts from the scenes and is very easy on the ears. Even during the battles between hero and villain the music does not disappoint. Loud percussion and heavy brass instruments are featured to give the scenes power and dominance. These songs were what the film needed in every scene and are a joy to listen to.

This soundtrack is solid. The heavy rock songs do their job and add amazing contrast to the large ensemble pieces. These pieces are gorgeous and allow the film to breathe and flow without getting in the way. This is a solid soundtrack and it is earning a 7/10. I felt as if different and less cliche classic rock songs could have been used. Otherwise, Megamind is a good film that recommend.

Caden Wentworth, May 14 2019

Agent Cody Banks is a lighthearted movie about a teenage spy that has been recruited by the C.I.A. in order to stop an evil man that plans to use microbots in a mysterious evil scheme. It is a movie that has not aged well, with a lackluster soundtrack. This soundtrack does not work for three key reasons: the music never stops, the music does nothing of merit, and the music never helps any of the scenes.

The music in Agent Cody Banks never seems to cease. Even in moments where characters are simply talking music is almost always present, be it a quiet drum groove or some spy-like flute melodies, the music is there. The film gets audibly never gets time to breathe. This style of throwing songs into every single scene becomes annoying and takes away the scenes where the music is appropriate. This is a spy-movie so there will always be quiet drum grooves or flute melodies whenever characters are sneaking about, and having these same motifs behind the normal conversations makes them feel bland. On top of the music never stopping, the music is just standard spy-movie music. Not a single song in this score sets this film apart from any other spy-film. Drum grooves featuring the hi-hat in a 5/4 time signature like the Mission Impossible soundtrack are present with just about every other spy related music motif or theme. These quiet grooves are far too common and ruin too many scenes. The director should have cut out all of the music that did not take part in an action or espionage scene because the music ruins just about every other scene.

Agent Cody Banks has a pretty bad soundtrack. Boring, bland, repetitive, and often annoying music plays almost nonstop from start to end. So many scenes lost value because of the music, and the frequency of the music made the music more annoying. I am giving this movie a 3/10. This is a very sub par soundtrack. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

Caden Wentworth, May 14 2019

La La Land is a modern musical that is focused on two people trying to make a living in show business in Los Angeles. One of them is a jazz pianist with a dream of opening a jazz lounge and the other is an actor that wants to make it on the big screen. An absolutely gorgeously filmed movie filled with color and fantastic jazzy soundtrack set La La Land in a class of its own.

This jazz inspired soundtrack is packed start to finish with outstanding original music. The majority of the songs were composed for the movie and match perfectly with everything that happens on screen. The singing, dancing, colors, performances, and emotions always feel more important because of the music behind them. One of the best parts of this soundtrack are the recurring motifs found throughout. One easily identified chord profession is used in many different songs in order to make the soundtrack carry more emotion. The chord progression is used in happy ways and in sad ways, making it extremely versatile and often seeming bittersweet. On top of that chord progression, there are several melodic ideas that bounce around throughout the score. For example, the main melody from “City of Starts” is repeated and finds its way into every appropriate place within the story. Along with these motifs and themes comes solid instrumentation.

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The instruments and musicians featured on this soundtrack are absolutely killer. The classic jazz big band and combo sounds meet Broadway fabulously. Bright horn sections ring out while the rhythm sections lock down the time. Because this movie is centered around a jazz pianist, the piano is always present in every tune. Even though the piano is in the spotlight, I think that the bass playing steals the show. The bass player in the studio has amazing time and can swing harder than anyone else. The quarter note that the bass player provides drives the entire band and forces everyone else to sound good. All around solid playing makes this soundtrack a joy to listen to.

This is one of the best soundtracks I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. Every instrument blends perfectly and every song feels tailor-made to every scene. I have never seen a film with such a strong partnership between music and film. This blog post is not long enough to list every detail that makes this soundtrack amazing, but my score should give an idea. I am giving La La Land a perfect 10/10 on this blog. I cannot stress just how good this soundtrack is.

Caden Wentworth, May 13 2019

Avengers: Endgame is the climax to Marvel’s twenty-two film long Infinity Saga. Endgame is a movie about the Avengers living with and eventually trying to repair the damage that Thanos inflicted when he wiped out one half of all life across the universe.

This soundtrack does somethings really well and suffers from few flaws. The biggest flaw with the soundtrack is the overuse of the plagal cadence. This cadence is a common form of resolution, often heard in church hymns and other religious songs (hence why it is also known as the amen cadence). Plagal cadences are everywhere in this soundtrack. It is almost as if the composer was unaware of any other ways to end a song. There were so many scenes where it would have been more appropriate to use half cadence or any form of perfect cadence. The half cadence would not have resolved, but the perfect cadence would have resolved differently than the plagal cadence. The plagal cadence was completely overused and each time that it occurred it got more and more boring to listen to. This was the worst part of the score, but it was a small detail in an otherwise good score. I think that most people without knowledge of music theory would not have even noticed it that much.

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The rest of this soundtrack was rather enjoyable. My favorite part was the jazz music that normally does not get attention in superhero movies. There are some outstanding big band charts thrown in that provide a breath of fresh air among the loud and mostly orchestral music. The jazz harmony and chord spelling bring in new colors that the MCU has never really scene before. The timbre of the old-school trumpets and horn sections paired with the strings are a unexpected but welcome addition to the soundtrack. I really cannot stress how good this music is and how well it worked within the movie.

Avengers: Endgame has a solid soundtrack with a ton of amazing music. The plagal cadences were beaten to death, but that is not that important enough to ruin the score in the slightest. If anything the plagal cadences and loud brass sections just make the jazz music sound even better by adding contrast. I did not think I would ever hear a ii-V-I chord progression in a Marvel movie but I am so happy that I did. This is one of the best superhero movie soundtracks I have listened to. I am giving this soundtrack a 9 out of 10. The jazz music is simply amazing but the plagal cadences hold this soundtrack back from a perfect score.

Caden Wentworth, 12 March 2019

Mulan is a Disney movie about a brave young women (named Mulan) who joins the Chinese army disguised as a man. She fakes her identity to serve instead of her father who is an injured veteran. Mulan has to keep her true identity secret while also fighting in a war against the Huns.

To begin, this movie has some of the best songs to ever appear in any Disney film. “I’ll Make a Man Out You” is one of the best tracks from the film. What does a training montage always need? An inspiring song about gaining strength and courage. Earlier in the film Mulan looks inward and sings “Reflection”, a song about not wanting to conform to the traditions that everyone around her wants her to conform to. With lyrics as beautiful as the melody it is hard to not fall in love with this song.

The music that does not contain vocals is equally as amazing as the music with vocals. The heavily Chinese inspired music is just what the film requires to complete atmosphere. The Chinese melodic patterns and chords are found in the music everywhere. Traditional Chinese stringed, wind, and percussion instruments are present on every song and makes nothing seem out of place. Every song has its own spot while relating to the rest of the score. The songs have both a sense of individuality and a sense of family with each other.

This soundtrack is just a treat. The vocalists consistently crush their parts throughout the entire film. Unlike Tangled, none of the vocal tracks appear to be poorly spliced together. The instrumental tracks are always on point no matter what. Even when western instruments are used the songs still feel and sound Chinese. The composer(s) created an outstanding piece of art in this score. I am awarding this soundtrack a solid 10/10. This soundtrack did everything right at every opportunity and is an absolute pleasure to listen to.

Caden Wentworth, 12 March 2019

Stepping away from strictly movies, this review will cover the entirety of the Nickelodeon TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender (will be called ATLA). ATLA takes place in a cartoon world that revolves around bending: the ability to manipulate either water, earth, fire, or air. Aang is one reincarnation of the Avatar, a person that can bend all four elements and summon strength and wisdom from his past lives. The series shows Aang’s journey to master all four elements to stop the invasion of the evil Fire Nation and save the world.

Taking heavy influence from Asian culture, this soundtrack features many traditional Asian instruments. The soft and often singular stringed instruments usually represent peace and tranquility while the more percussive instruments are used during action sequences or to represent the Fire Nation. The contrast between these sounds help to develop the setting of this Asian influenced world. Without saying a word these simple songs do their job: they make you feel something. Not a lot of TV shows, especially children’s shows, can accomplish that.

Aang is an Air Nomad, who was raised by monks. Some of the songs in the series are traditional monk hymns; they are songs that could have been sung by Aang’s people before the Fire Nation genocide of the Air Nomads. Some of the music is more percussive and dissonant when found in the Fire Nation. The music in the Water Tribes is more tranquil than the Fire Nation but still uses instruments instead of voices. The Earth Kingdom contains it’s own style, more percussive than the Water Tribes, but not as dissonant as the Fire Kingdom. ATLA has such attention to detail that even the cultural music changes depending on where the character are in the world.

This soundtrack is absolutely stunning. The songwriting and instruments used are both incredible. I have never heard a soundtrack that can do so much with so little. The amount of heart these songs possess is second to none. The creators of ATLA show incredible attention to detail as each culture in this fictional world has their own music and style. I am giving this soundtrack a 10/10.

Caden Wentworth, 12 March 2019

Tangled is Disney’s imagining of the fable of Rapunzel. In Tangled, Rapunzel’s evil mother locks Rapunzel in the tower to use her magical hair to stay young forever. At least until Rapunzel escapes with the help of the dashing Flynn Rider to explore the outside world.

This soundtrack was made for an animated Disney film, so it has to be split into two categories. The first section contains the diegetic music, or music that is sang by the characters or can be heard by characters. The source is visible and the music originated inside of the film’s world. The second section is the non-diegetic music. This is all of the music that the characters cannot hear. Songs that fit in the background to display emotion and add a little spice into the scenes.

All of the diegetic music is phenomenal. The vocalists deliver outstanding performances that can only be found in Disney movies. They not only sing the lines but also perform them. The performances are so good it sounds like the characters are singing, not the actors and actresses. Alongside the vocalists are the musicians accompanying them, who provide nothing but perfection. The tone and timbre of every instrument is great and the bands really keep everything tight and in the slot. One small gripe is that one can hear where two vocal tracks were spliced together in “When Will My Life Begin?”. This is a small complaint but it just seems lazy and Disney could have done a better job.

On to the non-diegetic music. Words cannot describe how well this music was put together. This score is gorgeous and full of sounds that bring the fairy tale theme to life. The instruments blend together and balance well. The large ensemble and composer that crafted this music did an outstanding job. The music never overpowers the visuals brings colors into the scenes.

This soundtrack was very well done. Both the singers and the instrumentalists brought great things to the table to make a wonderful soundtrack for people of all ages. I know that I am going to listen to these songs on their own because they are so good. I am giving this soundtrack a 9/10.

Caden Wentworth, 12 March 2019

Arrival is a modern science fiction movie based around the classic concept of aliens landing on earth. However, Arrival approached this concept from a different angle than most other films. The aliens (called Heptapods) communicate through a visual language and it is up to the two main characters to decipher it.

The Heptapods are shrouded in a grey smoke and write words in the air with floating black ink. The outside of their ships are a dull white and completely smooth, similar in appearance to some of Apple’s recent products. A large portion of this film is shot without many colors on screen, and almost entirely without focus on color. The soundtrack mirrors this perfectly and adds to the emotions of the scenes. If the color grey could write the score to a film, this would be it.

The soundtrack mostly consists of long drones that are few and far between. The drones are similar to the drones found in Inception. The low and ominous tones lead to the feeling of fear of the unknown. They purposely have no resolution in order to build tension over the course of the film. The notes would sometimes crescendo and then suddenly cut off to complete silence which brings strong contrast into auditory palette. However, if the soundtrack consisted of only long drones it might become stale and boring. Towards the end of the film is a drastic change of feelings. The environment is full of colors and feels warm to look at. Accompanying this new environment is classical music played by a string quartet. The voice leading, harmony, counterpoint, and cadences provide an enormous contrast to the rest of the movie and really stands out.

The concept of less is more has never been stronger than in this movie. The lack of constant music forces the writing, directing, and acting to be incredibly strong on their own because they cannot rely on the music to provide all of the emotional value. The actors absolutely nail their performances and the scarcity of music gives their words and emotions the space they need.

This soundtrack was wonderfully done and only added to the enjoyment of the film. The use of tension and release was perfectly executed and the drones never distracted from the scenes. The music present during the end of the film acted as a breath of fresh air among the drones and could not have been used in a better fashion. I am giving this soundtrack a 9/10 and I would highly recommend Arrival.

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Role

The role of the bass player is to provide the sonic and rhythmic foundation for the band. The main job is to make the band sound good while establishing the groove underneath. The bass is unique as it is more commonly felt than heard, which makes it the most essential instrument for holding down the groove. This brief guide will cover several important elements to walking bass lines.

Step 1 – Rhythms

For beginners or professionals, the most common rhythm used in walking lines is the quarter note. Keeping everything simple and playing one note on every beat is the first thing to learn. Driving the quarter note into the ground and locking down the groove will make any band sound better than it did before. It will drive the band forward and give the feeling of urgency without pushing the tempo. If the tone of the song is more laid back then a two-feel bass line will provide space for other instruments and lead to a more relaxed feeling. A good example is Ray Brown’s bass line on his rendition of “Teach Me Tonight“.

Step 2 – Notes

The notes you should play while walking on the bass serve as the foundation for the rest of the ensemble. The bassist often plays the root note (the note after the slash on inverted chords in lead sheets) of the chord on the first beat of said chord. After playing the root note there are several different ways to approach the next chord. One common method is to outline the chord tones. If the chord is a C dominant seven chord, one could play the root, the third, the fifth, and the flat seven to outline the feeling of that chord. Another approach is to forget the chord tones and just find a good way to lead into the next chord. For example, if the first chord was G Major and the second chord was C Major, one way to lead into the C chord would be to play G, G, Bb, B, and then the C Major chord on the first beat of the next measure. One good tip to make this system work is to include a note that is a half-step below the next chord one beat before that chord comes. The note that is a half-step below the next chord serves as a leading tone and sets up the chord. These are just two common ways to maneuver through chord changes; there are no wrong answers in jazz so it’s perfectly fine to stray from these paths.

Step 3 – Timing and Locking In

When walking in a jazz group the bass player always has to lock in with the drummer and get into the pocket. The pocket is when the drummer and bassist lock together and play rhythms in perfect sync. The easiest thing to think of when playing swing music is to try to hit each quarter note at the same exact time the drummer hits the ride cymbal and closes the hi-hat. This may sound weird, but nothing swings harder than the rhythm section hammering out quarter notes. One common way to think about walking is by imagining to bounce a basketball; each time the ball hits the ground is when the quarter note should be played. Each quarter note needs to land exactly on the beat every time to drive the band forward.