I've been a huge fan of Michael Giacchino's music for years, starting with the original Medal of Honor score.  While his Hollywood work has never quite captured the magic of those previous scores (MOH: Underground, Frontline, Allied Assault) he's still continued to write plenty of brilliant stuff.

Interestingly he has two unrelated soundtracks coming out on the 6th -- coincidence or planned?  The first is the Lost Season 3 soundtrack that looks like Giacchino's first 2-CD release, and the second is for the upcoming Speed Racer movie.  I don't have any idea what to expect from the latter, but I'll be interested to hear it.

I remember Angela and Wanderer are Giacchino fans too -- anyone looking forward to either of these releases?

I only watched the first two and a half seasons of Lost before realizing the writers had no idea what they were doing, so I can't comment on most of the Season 3 soundtrack. From what I remember of the first two seasons, Giacchino relied quite a bit on STRINGS OF EPICNESS and/or STRINGS OF TENSION. His subtler themes on the show are much more effective, but I think the subject matter in general doesn't lend itself too well to his strengths.

I've always liked him best with more action-oriented stuff. I loved his work on Alias and especially on The Incredibles (I'm always a sucker for jazz and big band). Speed Racer could be interesting as well, given the innate exciting nature of race sequences. However, I think I'm most interested in hearing his take on the Speed Racer theme.

Considering how well everything ties into everything and the fact that the series has a definite ending, I couldn't disagree more!

I just recently watched the third season of Lost and honestly, there aren't that many musical highlights. He scores the show effectively but for the most part, it's not music that really works outside of its context. I had high hopes for the finale (because we're getting the complete score) but it's really just more of the same.

Speed Racer is lots of fun though. I listened to the complete score (all two hours of it) when it was being streamed. Think Mission Impossible 3 but with more percussion and electronics (and plenty of variations on the Speed Racer theme). It'll be nicer to have a condensed album because I can only think of a half dozen scores off the top of my head that have worked better in complete form and Speed Racer isn't one of them.

To be honest, I didn't even know that Giacchino was scoring Speed Racer. (Shame on me, I know!)  But now that I do, I'm definitely looking forward to the soundtrack.  With M:I3 back in '06 and Ratatouille last year, summer can't officially begin for me without a new Giacchino film score to look forward to.  ^_^

As for Lost, I can't claim to know anything about the scores, having watched very, very little of the actual show.  I've got the first two season boxsets on tap for viewing, but I made a vow to finish the complete X-Files seasons first.

Right, and if you guys didn't know, the complete and uncut version of "Cloverfield Overture ~ Roar!" officially went up for download via iTunes on April 30th...... yet was taken down shortly after, for some unexplained reason.  Luckily, folks have made a download available in its native 256kbps encoded rate. 

Cloverfield Overture ~ Roar!
http://www.mediafire.com/?tzhmvpbui0x

Soprano solo still intact.... sorry, Adam!

Roar! is lots of fun. I get the impression that the whole thing was recorded with everyone in the same room as the soprano wasn't always steady on her high sustained Ds. Giacchino has indicated in interviews that he prefers that method of recording (and honestly, so do I. A certain amount of energy is lost when the musicians are separated). Word has it that the iTunes removal was an accident and it'll be back up there tomorrow.

I still need to see Cloverfield.

As for Speed Racer, I've heard the official album and pretty much everything worth including is in there (although I'm slightly disappointed that two and a half minutes of "Casa Cristo" was cut). The hour of music that's missing is mostly one-minute or shorter cues (a bunch of those) and lots of mickey-mousing Looney Tunes-stylized stuff. It's not missed. Of course, the downside of removing the quieter material is that we get an entire hour of non-stop action music, an issue that plagued Mission Impossible 3 as well.

My favorite cue from the stream ("32 Hours") is on the soundtrack and I'm thrilled!

Picked up the Speed Racer soundtrack today, and it only took one playthrough for me to instantly fall in love with it.  It's a hell of a lot of fun, as Wanderer states - and absolutely masterful in execution and tone.  Giacchino continues to tear it up with his skillful knack at fusing bombast orchestra with highly varied yet appropriately self-contained styles.  Here, surf rock elements, band percussion, and electronica bits couple with the original cartoon's campy sound, giving the score its own distinguished identity.  It's true, the bulk of the score as presented on album is largely action-based, but there are some notable shifts in tonality throughout, from playful, heartfelt, upbeat, and downright majestic, making for a consistently engaging listen.  The inclusion of a full choir allows for some particularly epic pieces, while wailing female solos in other key spots leave a genuinely tense and eerie feel.

The variations of the Speed Racer Theme, at least on the soundtrack release, are implemented so they don't entirely dominate the score, yet makes its presence known with every one of its cues.  (Seriously, who can resist breaking out into the "Go Speed Racer, go!" lyrical mantra each and every time? ^_^)  That is, of course, with the exception of the titular track "Speed Racer," which is a joyfully pure arrangement by Giacchino through and through.  "32 Hours" features a particularly edgy variation of the theme, slyly blending the Vroom And Board theme into the mix.

My favorite pieces, though, include the ones that feature Rex's soaring thematic thread first heard in "World's Best Autopia," which is later reprised in "Reboot" and the finale track "Let Us Drink Milk."  And Casa Cristo is just all kinds of amazing.  I have GOT to hear that two and a half minutes that they cut from Cristo.  (And the rest of the streamed complete score, for that matter.) 

Well, looks like I'll have to see the movie now, despite my initial reluctance.  This is one of those occasions in media where the music strongly dictates the desire to experience the content.  Who knows, it could really be good.  The visuals have the razzle-dazzle qualities to stimulate, at least.

For those worried about the movie (including myself), here's the first seven minutes. Kinda a sample.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/speedra … howVideo=1

It also gives you a chance to hear "I Am Speed", "World's Best Autopia", and a good chunk of "Thunderhead" in context.

Those first seven minutes are very telling, since there's quite a number of crucial story elements hinted that comes into play and evolves throughout the course of the film.  Like that flip-book shot, for instance...... it's VERY cool seeing how that comes to ahead later on.

Got through listening to the two hour complete score, and it is indeed a wonderful treat, especially for someone just coming off the film.   A word on Casa Cristo, as it is one of the most crucial pieces in the movie.  In addition to those two and a half minutes cut, I think the prelude to the track is just as important as the song itself. I'm talking about the full five minutes before Casa Cristo even begins.  Motifs of Cristo are peppered throughout, and it's just an insanely awesome, gut-wrenching build-up before the race begins proper.

I've dubbed the track "The Crucible," which, of course, is the other name Casa Cristo goes by:

Speed Racer - The Crucible:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/angie_liu … c.&.view=l

I'd say the soundtrack release got most of the crucial material (although there's always going to be some great stuff left off of it... and we're extremely fortunate to have that music available). Of course, there are a lot of edits even to the cues we did get (the aforementioned "Casa Cristo", a good minute off of "Grand 'Ol Prix" and so on). I should go out and see the movie. It seems to be a love it/hate it film but I'd watch it just to hear the music in context.

(What does "32 Hours" underscore, out of curiosity? I'm guessing it's a racing scene. A good chunk of the second half probably is.)

It's interesting.  To me, both the movie and score feel like a tight, three act production.  So tracks 1-8 serve as the first act, tracks 9-14 are the second act, and tracks 15-20 wraps up the third and final act.  The second act is my favorite, since its focus is almost entirely on the exciting events that transpire at Casa Cristo.

Not exactly, but you're somewhat close.  I don't want to spoil it, but I will say it's a prepping sequence that predates the final race.  :)

Well, that settles it! I'm definitely going to see this film now! Your enthusiasm is infectious!

Did I ever tell you the story of how I first discovered (sorta) Giacchino?

Back in 1999, I played a little game called Medal of Honor, noticed the music and I wrote him a letter, saying I was a music student interested in music for media and asking if he could send me the sheet music to it. He wrote back, saying that that would be a LOT of pages (little did I know...) but that if I had a favorite cue, that would work out. I selected "Locating Enemy Positions" and several months passed, where I promptly forgot about the whole thing.

After a while, I got a package with a signed copy of the cue (where he actually apologized for taking so long, blaming the recordings for "Metal of Honor Underground") AND he sent a three-track sample CD of said score. This was a few months before the soundtrack was released. I was completely blown away. It goes without saying that I've carefully saved those 20 pages of 8.5 x 14" paper.

Really nice guy... and this was before he got *really* popular and busy.

Cool story. I guess I'm the only one thinking of Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow when hearing Giacchino.

I'm not the biggest Giacchino fan around, but still, the Speed Racer score did not excite me much from the first listen. Might be worth a second try from the positive comments in the thread.

Certainly not! Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow is actually my favorite soundtrack of his. However, I find it hard enjoying the SNES or Genesis versions since I was initially exposed to the more realistic sound of the PC version. I wonder how much Giachhino composed for it as opposed to the co-composer, Patrick J. Collins. I've tried to contact both to get a clarification on this, but sadly they did not reply.

For the Giacchino fans, a recent interview with AICN's ScoreKeeper:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43054

So, a mini-poll: Giacchino's definitely had a busy and productive year.  Which '09 film score of his was your favorite?  Star Trek, Up, or Land of The Lost?

Up is my favorite, closely followed by Star Trek (tragically under-represented on the soundtrack) and then the weak Land of the Lost.

There's also Earth Days... but I fell asleep halfway through the soundtrack.

Star Trek still tops the list for me, though Up is no slouch either.  I've yet to actually see Land of The Lost, but even given Giacchino's apparent passion for the project, the score was just a bit too eccentric for my tastes.

I'm definitely looking forward to watching the making-of music featurettes on the Blu-ray releases of Trek and Up.