Soundtrack Review: Enterprise “In A Mirror Darkly” and “These Are The Voyages” (2005)

Posted by Jon Blough

May 11, 2009

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star trek enterprise in a mirror darkly This is a review of the television scores Enterprise: In a Mirror, Darkly & These are the Voyages by Dennis McCarthy.

“Spend your hour plus listening to music that does something good for you, rather than something you’d loathe with a passion if you had any emotion left.”

I like listening to albums while I review them so that I can pick out little details and jot them down before organizing everything…until now. With Dennis McCarthy’s (presumably) final scores Star Trek, one would expect continued improvement in quality. Instead, we got his worst traits: anonymous and droning. So, picking out technicalities in the album won’t really work. To compensate, I have decided to include Gamecast of the current Rockets-Lakers game, and its commercials. Enjoy!

Things Go Wrong

As soon as that synth hit concludes the small-ball take on First Contact’s conclusion, things just go wrong. (Why would someone buy a car solely for residual value in this economy? Now people buy for gas money and cheapness! Land Rover=dumb) Sure, the following action isn’t generic noise like past McCarthy albums…it’s…Media Ventures? Yep, same synth layering over minor orchestrations, same portentous brass and choir bellowing.. (Olga Kurylenko is FINE, though no way anyone’s skin is naturally that color) None of the remaining cues are really that blatant, as the following tracks are filled with more low-key synth brass hits and “important” drum hits, but it’s still engrained throughout. And it’s not in a “well, it’s still fun” mode like Transformers. Think more like Outlander with a bit more motion. (Lamar Odom stumbles around drunk, Pau Gasol still scores)

Tons Better Ways To Write Darker Music

I can’t imagine the defenders making a good challenge here on the “it works in episode” line. There are tons better ways to write darker music, not to mention this stuff makes for one boring album. (Yao went to the bench because of a foul…not having a backup center SUCKS against a team this large. Next, Pau dunked and the ball bounced out, by far the easiest way to make yourself look like a goofball in this league, unless you’re Zach Randolph) There may also be defenders of the “consistent style”, however, there is a between staying to a strong style and mixing things up throughout with orchestration or energy (Rambo: First Blood Part 2 seems a good example) and…well…not doing that. An easy way to pick out the difference is that scores in the latter category will quickly produce a “how long has this been going on?” sensation. (When did it become okay to wear a Mohawk again? Von Wafer has one, Ron Artest has one, Greg Oden had one last year. No, no, no) So much of the music just drones on…it’s like Mike Post of Law and Order scoring or McCarthy grabbing his boring cues from TNG and DS9 and synthing them up for one big jamboree, just without the excitement that is required by having a jamboree (I’ve never actually seen a jamboree, but I’m betting it has to be thrilling or enjoyable…you know, things this album isn’t).

Something the defenders will not get by is the lack of track titles. Geez, if you’re going to put out a promo, or if someone’s going to rip an episode score and provide it to the masses, give us some damn references. (You know people who collect unicorns, no matter what color or model? That’s what Craig Sager is like) M42, M19…it just makes the whole “this is all the same effect” even worse. Also missing is the lack of loyalty to the saga. (Speaking of Sager, go to Youtube and see Kevin Garnett make fun of his crap wardrobe. Yes, something worse than listening to this album) For detractors of that problem in past albums, this promo represents the absolute low point. I do not want music that would’ve worked in Basic Instinct 3: The Xena Chronicles dominating my Trek music, especially not when it makes me yearn for other episode promos I have normally found too short. (Phil Jackson looks like a colonizer with that clean-shaven look. Seriously, bring back the hippie look!)

Conclusion

It’s such a relief when we make it to the first cue from These Are The Voyages, with a more sparse orchestral touch. Seriously, my ears felt better when we got there; I have never been so happy for typical string work EVER. (Yes! Soul Plane is on BET!) However, nothing proceeds to happen, and I was just as bored as before. There’s one tidbit of decency: the final cue that sends us off with the Courage fanfare, Goldsmith’s fanfare, and McCarthy’s theme for the series. (Rick Adelman, when seated, looks like a prospector) It’s all one big tease though, not just for what the album could’ve been but the entire TV saga. And I thought Nemesis was a bummer of a closing! Spend your hour plus listening to music that does something good for you, rather than something you’d loathe with a passion if you had any emotion left.