The Spiderwick Chronicles

James Horner

Rating: 7.7


2007 was the first year since 1979 in which no James Horner work was released. With the quantity of Horner's music fans have come to expect, there was high expectations for The Spiderwick Chronicles. Being the composer's first venture back into the fantasy genre for many years, many hopes were also laid for a return to the style some of his previous popular fantasy scores. The combination of his older fantasy style with some of the newer writing techniques that he had been picking up certainly was a tantalizing thought. With all these hopes in place, fans eagerly awaited Spiderwick.

"Writing The Chronicles" begins the album, and sets the tone for the following music, with brooding, bass-heavy orchestrations and string glissandi slowly outline a long musical theme. This theme is interesting, because it is not a melody, as movie themes often are, but is instead a series of harmonies and textures. It is in no way hum-able, nor does it lend itself to easy recognition. But the listener who will listen to, as opposed to only hearing, the music, will be rewarded. Because it is not a melody, it certainly lends itself more to thematic development, but is also harder to develop while retaining enough of the original to be recognizable. Horner's ability to develop certain parts, while leaving enough of the original intact, is on display here. Sometimes it is the string glissandi, sometimes the quiet bass drum rhythm, or sometimes the harmonies themselves which remain. However it is attained, Horner succeeds in developing the theme in an interesting and meaningful way. This is just one of the many examples of the complexity of scoring that permeates the soundtrack.

Throughout the album, Horner manages to hold together an orchestral texture quite unique to this score. String glissandi, harpsichord, anvil and accordion are just some of the devices and instruments employed in the creation of this soundtrack's texture. With these and other somewhat exotic combinations, it might seem as if the album would lack continuity. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Through the consistent way in which Horner orchestrates these effects, a sound-scape is created which gives this album a very unique fantasy ambiance.

Horner's ability to maintain tension throughout action scoring is evident with tracks such as "Dark Armies From The Forest Attack" and "A Desperate Run Through The Tunnels". A semi-religious feel is attained through the use of chimes in "Burning The Book", and "The Flight Of The Griffin", which seems to have emerged as the Horner fan favorite, truly soars. "Coming Home" is a very nice combination of many themes from the rest of the album, and "Closing Credits" serves basically the same purpose. One of the only problems I have with this soundtrack is the end of "Coming Home", which is stagnate, and serves no musical purpose. It is the sort of ending which makes the listener say "Wow. They must have had a bunch of people get on the credits for this film". A rather unfortunate finish to such an otherwise solid score.

Horner's habit of eschewing the use of click-tracks when recording is a major element which sets him apart from other film composers. Instead of composing and timing his music to match things such as orchestral hits perfectly with movie scenes, he writes music for scenes, but records music for music. Sometimes pacing is not perfect with the scene, or other things don't match up perfectly, but this gives the music a much more operatic feel with the movie, and there is no doubt it makes the album version better. The music ebbs and flows wonderfully, and is in no way mechanical feeling, as is sometimes the result of click-tracks.

When taken as a whole, the consistent creativity in orchestrating, and the originality in themes (although there are very occasional occurrences of the infamous Horner self-quote) make this album stand far above most competition. Does it meet the built-up expectations? I think it does. The first listen through I was not impressed. But the second and subsequent listens revealed to me the depth and maturity of this work. Those who need memorable melodies might come away disappointed, but hopefully they can appreciate what Horner has done. At the risk of making this not the easiest nor most immediately compelling soundtrack, he has made a very original and creative score. Give this more than one listen, because the depth easily overcomes any lack of easy listening material.

-Colin Thomson


Track List:

Writing The Chronicles
So Many New Worlds Revealed
Thimbletack And The Goblins
Hogsqueal's Warning Of A Bargain With Mulgarath
Discovering Spiderwick's Secret Workshop
Dark Armies Of The Forest Attack
Burning The Book
A Desperate Run Through The Tunnels
Lucinda's Story
The Flight Of The Griffin
Escape From The Glade
The Protective Circle Is Broken...!
Jared And Mulgarath Fight For The Chronicles
Coming Home
Closing Credits