Average Rating: 4.50 Rating Variance: 0.12 Objectivity Score: 34% (Poorly Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicAdam Young RMS TitanicJames Cameron's Titanic is my guilty pleasure movie. So naturally, I was thrilled to find out that Adam's next composer album was The RMS Titanic. Given the scale and the epicness of Apollo 11, I wondered, doubted, if that would translate into the deeply emotional and traumatic tale of the Titanic. And, of course, Adam did. At first, I was stunned by the entirely different composition, and feel of the album. But, like many things, it grew on me, and still, each time I listen, I find something new buried in the folds of Adam's music. Like last time, The RMS Titanic is a twelve-track album, with cover art by the wonderful James R. Eads. 1. Southhampton Mysterious and magical, this album starts off with strings and woodwinds to portray the premonition of the town where it all began. 2. Boarding A much more exciting track with intense strings and a deep percussion score, this is the track where you can nearly see the lines of 1910's people in crisp suits and flowered hats waiting to board the beauty. 3. Captain Edward Smith Hauntingly regretful, the song dedicated to Captain Edward Smith comes in with a legato piano melody and interlude of horns, truly showing this man's hard decisions and impending death. 4. Maiden Voyage A vast and epic score with dark undertones, this shows the maritime journey of the Titanic over choppy seas with full-bodied strings and a hauntingly playful flute. 5. Lookout Duty This track, complete with deep cellos and a gripping bass guitar line, makes us feel the vastness and loneliness of looking out over the open sea . . .until they come upon the iceberg. 6. The Iceberg Ringing with suspense, horns, and a lonely piano, this song hits the listener with the flutter of panic of seeing that massive piece of ice in the water drawing nearer and nearer and nearer . . . and finally, the stun of when it strikes. 7. Distress Call Complete with whining strings, this track shows the panic and then hopelessness that gripped every member of the Titanic on that lonely night, not only telling the story but making us feel it. 8. Sinking A disturbingly epic and intense piece, that sweeps you off your feet with a complete and full orchestra as you feel the flutter panic as the ship is dragged under. 9. Lifeboats A hauntingly beautiful piece, pulling the listener in with tones of loneliness and trauma, and ending it out with the hymn of Nearer My God To Thee in a brave ballad of survival. 10. Every Man For Himself A short, jarring piece with deep horns and intense strings that completely captures the mounting panic of Every Man For Himself. 11. Silence Evocative and solitary, this track throws you into the depths of the thick silence of that fateful night with a tuneful flute line, leaving even the listener touched with the grinding sounds of the ship's metal creaking down into the icy water. 12. Survivors Heavy and complete, this track brings back the melody from Maiden Voyage in a reflective, regretful piece showing their perseverance and how the survivors moved on. Phew, boy, Adam. You've done it again. I am absolutely in love with this project Adam has going here. It is not only a creative outlet for him, but from the overflow of his creativity, other artists are allowed to burst forth. And the stream of creativity goes on. Some of my general comments include: I love the similar melodic themes that run through it. One of my only critiques of the last score was that it didn't always feel like a cohesive piece, that the song transitions were a little rough since this is meant to be listened to all at once. However, this is seemingly a nonissue anymore, since most of the same instruments were used and the same progressions of melodies and harmonies could be found in the music, like a runaway leaving clues for us to find on a chase. Not only does The RMS Titanic reflect perfectly the emotions of the general public but also each indiviual, but it reflects the times as well. The RMS Titanic sunk on April 15th, 1912, and the deep horns and the flutes reflected the swinging teens of the beginning of the twentieth century. This added something much more to the music that was unable to be found in the last album. You could not only feel the culture within the music, but a new story that needed to be told. Truly, there's not enough words I can say about the beauty of Adam Young's music. You just have to go and listen to it for yourself. ~The WordShaker4.5 superbAdam Young Apollo 11Check out my blog where I post all of these reviews monthly! oliviajthewordshaker.blogspot.com He is a musical genius. The quality of music that he produces is always stellar - and this has got to be a step up from Mobile Orchestra. On that note, I find it interesting the connection between Mobile Orchestra and this first installment of this project. However, I was completely enthralled by this album and am ecstatic about the months to come. In case you were not already aware, on January first, Adam announced that he would be taking a break from Owl City to work on something he described as 'conceptual film scores', and to be released monthly. I was thrilled - I have always fallen in love with his ambient/instrumental music, and I love that he's 'going back to his roots'. And I don't say this because he's changing or that he's shifting styles but that he's telling stories through music, which is what it's all about: telling stories. "This project is about telling stories with music according to the imagination of one mind," -Adam Other than to rave about how gorgeously amazing this album is, I am also going to give a track-by-track review. 1. Launch Epic and enthralling, the music truly reflects the title of the anticipation and wonder, kicking off the album to an intense and glorious start. 2. The Lonely Three This track brings it down with a haunting bass guitar that reflects the essence of staring out a small window back at the glowing Earth. 3. CSM-LM Docking With a more upbeat melody and rhythm, this track goes in hard with the anticipation of finally reaching the Moon, but being just out of reach, and then the relief of completing the long journey. 4. Trajectory Burn An intense piece that reflects the anticipation of flying down to the Moon's surface, this track makes you feel the wonder that must have surrounded those brave men. 5. 400 Degrees Between Sunlight and Shadow Heavy handed on the guitar, this projects the gritty reality and extraterrestrial nature of the moon in epic proportions, and almost shows you the hair-splitting line of the sun on the lunar rock. 6. Lunar Landing A score of epic proportions, this track shows a high point with a vibrant orchestra portraying the epic descent and the excitement and victory beneath. 7. Mare Tranquillitatis Latin for 'the Sea of Tranquility', this hollow, horn-based song lets the listener feel the deep vastness of space and the barren, beautiful wasteland that is our moon. 8. First Step On The Surface "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Ethereal and bursting at the seams of the wonder the galaxies, this piece is childlike and magical, expressing the peace of God's creation. 9. Lunar Liftoff With the victory under their belts, the sailors of the stars buckle down for the hard journey home, but encouraged for the time of their lives. 10. Return to Earth A breath of fresh air on the album, this track shows the monotony of traveling through space and the raw emotion of watching Home draw nearer and nearer. 11. Re-Entry Bringing it up a notch with another rich and epic orchestral piece, this number ensnares the listener in the flames of re-entry. 12. Splashdown A relieving track of glorious victory, this track can make anyone's heart swell with the relief of breathing fresh air once again, and feeling the earth beneath your feet. * Truly, the only critique that I have is that I wish the transitions between songs were smoother and more developed. This truly is meant to be listened to as a cohesive piece and experience, and one could be more pulled in if you could just put it on play and listen to the tracks seamlessly. Overall, I love this album. It bursts with emotions perfect for writing, and the orchestral sound is nothing but beautiful. Every moment of the brave journey can be seen in your mind's eye with this CD, and the listener is transported to a peaceful, more wondrous time. 10/10 would recommend. ~The WordShakerAdam Young The Spirit of St. LouisCheck out my reviews on my blog, at oliviajthewordshaker.blogspot.com! For some odd reason, every month I worry that the album's not going to strike with me. And then, Adam always pulls through and makes another gem. The emotions always translate beautifully, and the interesting thing about these albums is they make you want to go research the event, and be immersed into the story. 1. Takeoff Magically epic, the full strings and pounding drums will make any land-lover's heart soar. 2. Nova Scotia The broad symphony portrays the anticipation and the fresh-facedness of Lindbergh, with the flutes telling of the impending adventure. 3. Over Water Ethereal and deep and reminiscent of last month's score, this score of strings makes the listener feel that our journey has truly begun. 4. Stars Appear Magical and innocent, with soft pianos and chimes, this track gives the intensity of traveling mixed with the beauty of the solemn, clear sky. 5. The Thunderhead Peacefully anxious, this song cries with the symphony of strings, drums and piano on a grandeur scale of an ocean storm. 6. Ice On Wings Calm and mysterious and bringing on more of the electronic side, the coolness of the strings and pads brings the flutter of panic of seeing those blue crystals on the wings. 7. The Fog Beautifully harmonic and dissonant, this track builds seamlessly to create the picture of Lindbergh persevering through and seeing the beauty of it all. 8. Fighting To Stay Awake Technologically unique with pulsing synths, the ethereal piano sweeps you off your feet to where you can feel the heaviness falling over you . . . . 9. Land Ahead But land is ahead! With perky strings and a dark sound giving us perseverance, the track and it's flutes bring a breath of fresh air as the green flush of land approaches. 10. Wheels Down Magnificently triumphant, the glowing symphony swells with the imaginative and determined Spirit of St. Louis in the closing track. Like always, a ten out of ten for me. Keep doing your thing, Adam, and I'll keep buying your music. Stay gold, ~The WordShake4.0 excellentAdam Young The Ascent Of EverestCheck out my blog, where I post reviews like this every month! oliviajthewordshaker.blogspot.com Usually, I'm a bit wary of this new territory that Adam is venturing into, but this month, I felt every bit as confident that this month's score would be just as fan-freaking-tastic as the previous month's. I'm sad to say that I wasn't entirely right this month. However, a little disclaimer. If Adam Young decided to move to Idaho and farm potatoes until he died, I'd support it. If he decided to do anything, I'd most likely back it up. So that means I am sticking with this project, and will still 100% listen to it, but that doesn't mean I don't have some problems with it. Following my problems and formal review will still be a track-by-track description/review. Now something that's different about this score - and I think is one of it's problems - is that it doesn't feel like a cohesive piece. The tracks don't make a story arc the way that the Apollo, RMS, or Spirit do. I mean, heck, they're beautiful and amazing to listen to, but, for me, they do not evoke the same feelings that the others do. They seem to lack something that ties them together. The way that the songs are structured, they seem to have their own story in them, have a rising action, climax and denouement, while they are not building toward anything. The difference here, is that in the three previous scores, each track build the tension or conflict more and more, until you were burning for the climax of the event being portrayed. This, however, didn't feel as cohesive and building toward an ultimate goal here. While the songs perfectly display the setting of the score - the Himalayan mountains - with "frozen, wind burned, sun-bleached instrumentals that become more and more tattered and torn as you listen to them", they do not convey the mental and physical strife or the struggles and the life-threatening danger that would have come with the territory, and then coming in hard with a climax of heart-soaring glory. I feel that Adam stayed on the safe side, here, where he could have gone to dark and daring places with this. The story took a backseat in this score, and I'm not very impressed. I think this is because I couldn't picture any of it in my head. With all three of the previous ones, the songs pulled you in and crafted you into a lonely astronaut, a doomed aristocrat, a brave pilot. You could see this being a background music to a movie, a story. However, I could never feel the emotions or picture the scenery around me as the brave men climbed to the top of the world, which, I find, is an utter disappointment. Enough with that. If you couldn't tell, this month's score is about The Ascent of Everest, when in May 1953 two men were the first to reach the 29,029 foot summit. 1. Base Camp Eerily cold, this track is a beautiful start with humbling and intimidating horns and synths. 2. Khumbu Icefall Gritty and stellar, Khumbu Icefall is a track with crunching synths that reflects the sojourn across the ice. 3. Western Cwm Captivating strings and pounding guitars build to a stunning conclusion about the lonely, cold valley. 4. Lhotse Face This track is layered deeply with electronic sounds and guitar, which build up to be an awe-inspiring, glorious track of impending triumph. 5. South Col Persevering with heavy electric guitars, this track makes it real to the listeners that we're almost there. 6. The Hillary Step Epic and enthralling with intense strings and deep bass lines, this track builds with intensity to marvel the beauty of the snow-capped mountains. 7. The Summit Herculean and viciously triumphant, the closing track bursts with epic guitar for a stunning and joyful conclusion. Do I hate this score? No. Is it my favorite? No. Do I think it has some problems? Yes. Is it still beautiful music? Yes. And that is all, friends. ~The WordShaker
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