Sometimes the musical score is an overlooked part of a production, especially on television where the movements are short and often, how shall I phrase it, cookie-cutter in nature. But the soundtrack for Green Lantern: The Animated Series has been a hugely foundational part of the show’s success, and I know for me it’s an integral part of the storytelling. Like a major Hollywood film, the score for the show carries with it unique themes for the major cast, and as the liner notes from Composer Frederik Wiedmann point out, those themes evolve over the course of the series as the characters themselves grow and change.
As a viewer it has been easy to see that Wiedmann takes great care with his work on the show and it is great that we can now enjoy some of his work in the soon to be released soundtrack CD from La-La Land Records. The release features thirty six tracks which sample some of the high points from the first thirteen episodes. Of course the prerequisite opening title is present, but the other thirty five tracks take you on a journey with some of the best musical beats from the show.
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| Composer Frederik Weidmann |
Wiedmann points out that when he first saw the visuals for Green Lantern that he was immediately taken by the quality of the work, inspiring him to make sure that the supporting audio layer he was hired to create needed to be composed on a grand scale. Some of the choices in instrumentation, such as using an electric violin and cello, add an almost alien sound to the score since they are not the usual choices one would seek out. Wiedmann also chose to use more exotic wind instruments which add wonderful nuances to many of the tracks on the CD.
Free from the voice of the characters one can really appreciate the amount of care that Wiedmann has put into his part of the bigger whole. Tracks like “On a Planet Far Away” audibly creates the vision of an alien Shangri-La while another, like “Saint Walker’s Destiny” play off of the relation between everyone’s favorite Blue Lantern and the peaceful warriors of the Shaolin Monks. Other tracks clearly play up the sonic frenzy of the battle between the Red Lanterns and our heroes or showcase the noble heroism of the crew of the Interceptor. The track “Carol Sparks” is hauntingly beautiful, musically telling us the story of her feelings of sorrow and loss over the assumed death of Hal Jordan. If it sounds like there’s a lot here, there is in the form of one to three minute long sonic masterpieces. One listen and you won’t wonder why Wiedmann got an Annie Award nomination for the score of the pilot last year.
Series producer Giancarlo Volpe also adds his own commentary in the accompanying booklet, commenting that he replayed the opening sequence from the pilot when M’ten died because the score so magnificently underscored the tragic nature of the scene. The whole CD reinforces how incredibly luck fans are to have so many people who legitimately care about the quality of the finished product. As someone who routinely listens to musical scores when I read my comics this one has gone to the front of my playlist.
With so few products being made available for Green Lantern: The Animated Series I know this is one that I’m really glad that the great people at La-La Land Records is making available for fans. While I’m grateful that they sent me a reviewing copy, I’m gladly going to order a second to show my support for the show. This one easily gets a five out of five lantern rating.
The Blog of Oa is teaming up with La-La Land Records to give away five copies of the soundtrack. To enter the drawing, click here to be taken to the entry form.
Track Listing:
1. Green Lantern Main Theme 0:36
2. On a Planet Far Away 1:03
3. Battle of Betrassus 3:44
4. Royal Devotion 1:52
5. Atrocitus 2:29
6. The Red Knight 2:41
7. Hal vs Atrocitus 2:37
8. Aya’s Birth 1:06
9. Saint Walker 1:07
10. Into the Abyss 1:22
11. Resolution 1:51
12. Razer Saves Kilowog 3:35
13. Love Remembered 1:00
14. Bumpy’s Lazy Eye 1:15
15. Rescue Mission 2:32
16. Saint Walker’s Destiny 0:37
17. Red Empire 1:45
18. I am Mogo 2:29
19. A New World 2:01
20. The Inconvenient Truth 1:45
21. Hal’s Lantern 3:52
22. Carol Sparks 1:40
23. Maelstrom Collapse 1:50
24. Aya’s Mission 2:31
25. Blue Power 2:26
26. Dead Man Walking 2:11
27. The Invasion Begins 1:51
28. Byth Rok 2:02
29. Star Sapphires 2:26
30. A Lost Love 1:01
31. Failure to Death 1:19
32. Kilowog Supercharged 2:13
33. Red Supremacy 1:28
34. The Blue Lantern 1:03
35. The Destiny of Atrocitus 2:47
36. Victory 2:00
2. On a Planet Far Away 1:03
3. Battle of Betrassus 3:44
4. Royal Devotion 1:52
5. Atrocitus 2:29
6. The Red Knight 2:41
7. Hal vs Atrocitus 2:37
8. Aya’s Birth 1:06
9. Saint Walker 1:07
10. Into the Abyss 1:22
11. Resolution 1:51
12. Razer Saves Kilowog 3:35
13. Love Remembered 1:00
14. Bumpy’s Lazy Eye 1:15
15. Rescue Mission 2:32
16. Saint Walker’s Destiny 0:37
17. Red Empire 1:45
18. I am Mogo 2:29
19. A New World 2:01
20. The Inconvenient Truth 1:45
21. Hal’s Lantern 3:52
22. Carol Sparks 1:40
23. Maelstrom Collapse 1:50
24. Aya’s Mission 2:31
25. Blue Power 2:26
26. Dead Man Walking 2:11
27. The Invasion Begins 1:51
28. Byth Rok 2:02
29. Star Sapphires 2:26
30. A Lost Love 1:01
31. Failure to Death 1:19
32. Kilowog Supercharged 2:13
33. Red Supremacy 1:28
34. The Blue Lantern 1:03
35. The Destiny of Atrocitus 2:47
36. Victory 2:00
Total Running Time: 71:20
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Green Lantern Animated Soundtrack Details(blogofoa.com)
Ch’p and Tomar-Re to Appear in Green Lantern: The Animated Series(blogofoa.com)
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