Soundtrack Review: Seven Pounds (2008)

Posted by Jorn Tillnes

March 6, 2009

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012209 1809 soundtrackr1 Soundtrack Review: Seven Pounds (2008) This is a review of the motion picture score Seven Pounds by Angelo Milli.

“Seven Pounds is clearly one of the best film scores of 2008 and everything from the haunting main theme to the subtle underscoring is near perfect”

With Seven Pounds, Angelo Milli has finally gotten the break he needed to seriously be considered a top class composer. This is the first I have heard of him and his work and he truly impresses with this minimalistic but powerful score. When I watched the movie I didn’t necessarily hear much of the score, but when I did, it was very moving and powerful. His simple use of piano has to be the main weapon and he use it well, like a pro. It complements the moody ambient underscoring using strings and electronic sounds while keeping it warm and fuzzy.

Track List

Seven Days Seven Seconds (*****)
Seven Names (****)
Sarah (*****)
Assisted Living (***)
Inez (****)
I Thought I Was Strong (****)
Leaving Home (****)
I Am Nowhere (****)
A Good Man (****)
New Life (*****)
Shower Flashback (****)
The Field (****)
Love Theme (*****)
Requiem (*****)
Surgery (*****)
Tim’s Eyes (*****)
Seven Pounds (*****)

Filled With Highlights

This score has more highlights than most and from the first cue ‘Seven Days Seven Seconds’ where he presents his main theme we know we are in for a treat. Sometimes you can just put on a CD and listen to the quality of the sounds, the main theme, the underscoring and know that this will be one of the best listens in a long time.

The main theme ‘Seven Days Seven Seconds’ only lasts for 2 minutes and 28 seconds, but due to the perfect pacing and choice of instruments, it feels longer. What I like about this cue is it’s simplicity. You feel like even yourself could make this, but Angelo Milli makes the hard sounds simple. The piano is perfect for this slow and graceful little cue which is easily one of the best you have heard in 2008. ‘Sarah’ is not far behind in simplicity and excellence. It start off almost the same with an ominous ambience before the main theme plays with even more eeriness than before because of the reeverb.

Serenity & Requiem

In ‘New Life’ the piano takes a rest as strings and horns take over into a beautiful cue where you can almost feel the warm sun wash over you with serene waves from the ocean splashing gently in the background. Of course it is all in my imagination, but it’s a wonderful feeling. The love theme is simply called ‘Love Theme’ and if you listen carefully beyond the main theme, you will hear the incredibly warm strings used in combination with a somber horn to have it simply float inside your mind. This is clearly music to stimulate your pleasure center.

‘Requiem’ is the longest cue on the Seven Pounds soundtrack at 9 minutes 28 seconds, and it’s also one of the best. It collects the best of the score and assembles it into this long but beautiful cue. It’s begins slightly more dramatic with the fast strings in the background and over it is the piano which I love. At around 3:30 is my favorite part as the strings get a seldom main part in a very powerful swinging ensemble. At 7 minutes, the strings get a little visit from a choir which gives this cue a powerful emotional touch. It ends in a dramatic way in which the string and choir fight over supremacy.

The ending couldn’t have been much better with ‘Surgery’, ‘Tim’s Eyes’ and ‘Seven Pounds’. ‘Surgery’ is a dark string theme, but with an optimistic choir used to lighten it up a bit. ‘Tim’s Eyes’ on the other hand is almost a repeat of the first cue ‘Seven Days Seven Seconds’, at least in the beginning but there are some wonderful variations of the main theme is this one. It’s a more optimistic cue in many ways with a lot of happiness and afterthoughts. ‘Seven Pounds’ ends the score and the movie of the same name. It’s an excellent piano theme, in fact it only uses the piano. It’s like an acoustic version of the score, and it couldn’t have been done more beautifully.

Conclusion

Seven Pounds is clearly one of the best film scores of 2008 and everything from the haunting main theme to the subtle underscoring is near perfect. There’s not one weak cue on this 17 track soundtrack and it’s enjoyable listening from start to finish.

012209 1809 soundtrackr2 Soundtrack Review: Seven Pounds (2008)