Top 10 scores of 2008

Posted by Steven Anthony

January 23, 2009

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Throughout the year I heard quite a lot of scores. So when Jorn asked me to think about the top 10 I had to think hard. As you may or may not know I am an action oriented guy. I like scores which contribute to a fast paced excitement. So you’ll see a lot of action/suspense oriented scores in my top 10. However, as Jorn said in his announcements there will be surprises. I maybe be action oriented but it’s not the only thing I listen to. So here we are now. Below you’ll find my top 10 scores for the year 2008.

10. Carter Burwell – Burn After Reading

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Usually no fan of Carter Burwell but i liked the sounds of this one. A smart movie about stupid people.

9. Trevor Rabin – Get Smart

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Trevor Rabin has always been one of my favorite composers. He created some nice spy sounds for this movie based on the show from the 60’s.

8. Brian Tyler – Rambo

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When I got word of the new Rambo movie I was excited. When I got word of Brian Tyler composing. I became more excited. When I listened to the CD I was satisfied. The sounds are good and the CD was packed with a lot of tracks.

7. Ramin Djawadi – Iron Man

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Has some nice raw action cues with some solid slower tunes in between. From the man who created the sound of Prison Break.

6. Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard – The Dark Knight

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One of the most anticipated soundtracks of the year is also in my top 10 list. Also one of the few soundtracks who had so much releases in such short time. I liked it. A great sound for the movie. Not one which I would put on the number one spot for this year though.

5. Theodore Shapiro – Tropic Thunder

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I never heard anything of Theodore Shapiro before this one but I immediately had to get this CD. it was just pure fun. And a ride to listen to. The movie was also a great watch. This soundtrack made me listen to more of Theodore Shapiro’s works.

4. Brian Tyler – Bangkok Dangerous

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Brian Tyler, The man of the blockbusters. In 2008 he gave us Bangkok Dangerous and Eagle Eye. The hype began when I listened to the track Assassin for the first time in 2007 on his Myspace page. I knew it had to be a great cd. And it was. O and 33 tracks on this CD = awesome

3. Atli Orvarsson – Vantage Point

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A newcomer came to my attention in the name of Atli Orvarsson. I loved the sound for the thriller Vantage Point. Tension driven cues fill this cd up and create a nice listen thru various situations with modern sounds. I could listen to this a lot of times.

2. Paul Haslinger – Death Race

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AS a fan of the Paul haslinger scores I was looking forward to this one. haslinger + a popcorn action movie which stars Jason Statham and a lot of mayhem sounded like a golden combination to me. I saw this movie and was full of energy after this movie. The sound was one heck of thrill ride. Raw energetic action. I love it!

1. A.R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire

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Well here we are. The number one spot of 2008. For a lot of you a surprise. I stumbled on this soundtrack by A.R Rahman and gave it a shot. I must admit that I haven’t heard any of his previous works. As I was listening I was captivated by the sound. It’s beautiful, it’s modern, it’s Art. it’s a mix of a lot of different styles and I like it. Definitely my number one for the year 2008.