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Journey Themes

Written By: admin on Jun 11

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This is a review of the television score Lost Season Three by Michael Giacchino .

“The most well rounded Lost album so far.”

By now the musical world for Lost is no longer a welcome jolt of cliché abandonment, having become quite familiar after multiple album releases and five seasons. The trick with the more recent Lost albums is how to make them still sound fresh while rounding all the many thematic bases that fans want tagged. For Season 3, Varese Sarabande essentially said, “screw it, let’s give people as much as we can” and released a 2CD set, complete with the full scores for the final two episodes of the season. Listeners who feel Lost albums must be becoming redundant be now will probably cry foul. Then again, those listeners probably won’t be reading my review.

Fresh Action

I personally have yet to find a Lost release “redundant”, and digging deeper into this release allows one to notice how Giacchino continues to advance the concept. The action continues to be fresh and feels more aggressive here. “Awed and Shocked” ferociously rumbles away its piano, brass, and variety of exotic percussion. “Sweet Expose” explodes with a full-blown approach not heard since Season 1 (S1). The suspense music also refuses to be stagnant; good luck figuring out how many percussive elements fit into the impressive array in “The Island”. Yet the more uplifting moments like the meditative “Shamala” (a peaceful highlight for the series) sound fresh. The devotion to expanding both the uplifting and suspenseful styles helps make this the most well rounded Lost album so far.

Also still fine are the continued thematic variations, continuing to prove why Lost’s character-driven scores sit head and shoulders above all other television scores.
Hearing Desmond’s theme given a full expansion in “Distraught Desmond” is gorgeous. All of Hugo’s themes feature evocative variations (you could reference “The Lone Hugo” and “Fetch Your Arm” for that alone), though the heroic burst of the bouncy motif in “Act Now, Regret Later” remains the hilarious highlight. The journey theme gets a number of variations throughout the second disc, and the use of S1 main theme feels appropriately worn down. A welcome surprise is the regretful piano take on Ben’s otherwise menacing theme; the variation gives it a lot more depth than its brass slurs had indicated. Sure, some tracks like “Pagoda of Shame” feel like reprises. On one hand, this is inevitable, but on the other, the cues do make the album a little less fresh. Thankfully, such overt familiarity is rare.

Themes For Fans

For fans of the show, the real treats here are some long awaited themes (and approaches). Kate’s theme is finally given a more romantic approach in the intimate harp plucking in “Romancing the Cage” and leads into the first performance of the show’s gorgeous love theme that itself would receive a fine, light-hearted, strumming take in “Heart of Thawyer”. Jack’s winding 8-note theme (the similarities to Kate’s theme are smart) shows up mostly for quality suspenseful moments like “Under the Knife” and “She’s Dynamite”, though its potential melodic interactions with Juliet’s theme in “Ocean’s Apart” (these winding themes are a bit tricky to pick apart sometimes) are a soaring highlight of the series. And the five-note traveling theme that was prominent in Season One finally jingles away in “Juliet is Lost”.

The only major structural bummer is that no new Season 3 themes leave a definite impact. Charlie’s theme for the penultimate episode is a bit too restrained, probably a lot more appropriate when heard in context. The new racing action theme for the Others is only memorable due to its frequency. It’s closing segment is a bit too similar to the winding themes for Kate and Jack, and I did find myself with the chromatic theme for the Others was more present, especially considering how shortchanged it was on Season 2’s album. Only diehard fans will appreciate the more minor motifs for Jack or the flash forward synth chords in the final cue. However, much of this minor issue is mitigated by the above paragraph.

Conclusion

Indeed, there’s probably enough material here to constitute another great Lost album, perhaps the best yet considering how almost every included theme gets multiple and varied performances. Yet it’s just TOO LONG. I can’t fault Varese for giving us MORE music from Lost (which is what we wanted anyways), but as an uninterrupted listen (2.5+ hours!) it becomes a bit exhaustive by the end, even for a listener who loves the series. It’s not that the final cues aren’t good, in fact “Looking Glass Half Full” perfectly weaves Charlie’s theme with the “Life and Death” theme and “Naomi Phone Home”’s subtle hints at S1’s main theme are most welcome. But there’s quite a bit of filler in the second album; no way “Manifesting Destiny” makes a normal season release. Nonetheless, another really good Lost album, and I thoroughly look forward to the next one.

2-CD Release (154:09)
Disc One
1. In with a Kaboom! (1:56)
2. Main Title (:16)
3. Awed and Shocked (1:34)
4. Fool Me Twice (3:18)
5. Pagoda of Shame (2:02)
6. The Island (2:57)
7. Eko of the Past (2:45)
8. Church of Eko’s (:58)
9. Leggo My Eko (3:12)
10. Romancing the Cage (1:48)
11. Under the Knife (4:18)
12. Teaser Time (2:52)
13. Here Today, Gone to Maui (4:53)
14. Distraught Desmond (3:36)
15. Achara, Glad to See Me? (2:25)
16. Ocean’s Apart (3:02)
17. The Lone Hugo (3:34)
18. Fetch Your Arm (2:24)
19. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Nothin’ (2:05)
20. Shambala (2:04)
21. Claire-a Culpa (5:21)
22. A Touching Moment (2:34)
23. Sweet Expose (4:36)
24. Storming Monster (1:31)
25. Heart of Thawyer (1:51)
26. Juliette is Lost (1:28)
27. Beach Blanket Bonding (1:54)
28. Rushin’ the Russian (1:06)
29. Deadly Fertility (2:05)
30. Dharmacide (3:56)

Disc Two
1. Paddle Jumper (1:16)
2. She’s Dynamite (1:16)
3. The Good, the Bad and the Ominous (1:07)
4. Charlie’s Fate (2:58)
5. Paddle Jumper Reprise (2:12)
6. Ta-Ta Charlie (1:28)
7. Heirloom Holiday (1:21)
8. Greatest Hits (6:03)
9. Flying High (6:30)
10. The Good Shepherd (:58)
11. Manifesting Destiny (:40)
12. The Looking Glass Ceiling (3:30)
13. Ex Marks the Jack (2:10)
14. Jintimidating Bernard (2:42)
15. Benomination of the Temple (:39)
16. An Other Dark Agenda (:36)
17. Kate Makes a Splash (:32)
18. Diving Desmond (:47)
19. Weapon of Mass Distraction (:50)
20. The Fallen Hero (:26)
21. Sticking to their Guns (:58)
22. Torture Me Not (2:44)
23. Through the Locke-ing Glass (2:13)
24. The Only Pebble in the Jungle (1:31)
25. Early Mourning Mystery (1:54)
26. Patchy at Best (2:04)
27. All Jack’ed Up (:12)
28. Hold the Phone (3:49)
29. Code of Conduct (1:42)
30. Act Now, Regret Later (5:11)
31. Just What the Doctor Ordered (1:24)
32. Hurley’s Helping Hand (1:06)
33. Looking Glass Half Full (4:16)
34. Jack FM (:30)
35. Naomi Phone Home (4:01)
36. Flash Forward Flashback (4:16)
37. End Title (:32)

Listen to Lost Season Three by Michael Giacchino below:

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Fashionably Adornedsaid...

Great advice or challenge however you look at it!!! We are often times restrained within the "boxes" we build around ourselves, afraid of failure and the "what if's"..one thing Taekwondo has taught me.. You are not a failure if you try and give it your best, even if you don't succeed....It's amazing how freeing it is when you remove the box around you and live!!!

Lets see those rings!!
:)

June 10, 2009 1:38 PM Fashionably Adornedsaid...

Your a schweetie!!! thanks!!! :)

June 10, 2009 1:45 PM Kathleen Krucoffsaid...

Hi Janice,
I really enjoy the content of this post. Especially the last paragraph to take a step and just keep that momentum building. Great!

June 11, 2009 12:25 PM

Filed Under: Life Journey

Journey Books

Written By: admin on Jun 11

Jay Lake's sixth novel, Green , is an inventive fantasy of exotic cities, weird gods, conspiracies, stabbings, and kicks to the head. And here come the spoilers...

It begins as a girl, born into poverty and ignorance, is sold into slavery by her own father. She's stolen away from the warm land of rice paddies and the timeless rhythms of peasant life that are all she's ever known, and put on a steamboat bound for distant Copper Downs, capital city of the Stone Coast. Copper Downs is a cold, bustling metropolis of commerce and power at the dawn of an Industrial Revolution, populated by even colder people, pale as corpses.

Her culture, her language — even her very name — are all stripped away. The girl is imprisoned in the Pomegranate Court at the House of the Factor, with only the Teaching Mistresses for company. They teach her all manner of domestic skills as well as a plethora of academic subjects, the arts, and the social graces expected of an aristocratic lady. Enduring abuse and humiliation, she must excel at her lessons in order to survive.

A decade passes and the girl approaches womanhood. Her master, the Factor, has deemed her suitable to be sold as a pretty bauble of some powerful lord, perhaps the Undying Duke himself. She is meant to be a "prettypet" to charm the aristocracy at gala balls and in the most exclusive parlors with her exotic beauty and witty conversation. The Factor dubs her "Emerald" and deems her worthy of sale. She rejects this name, calls herself "Green" instead, and swears to be no one's tool. She will be free, she will battle the unjust system that stole her from her native land. Green is twelve years old, pissed off, and has other plans, but so has Fate.

Eventually Green makes her way back to the land of her birth, Selistan (perhaps a pun on "Celestial Kingdom") only to find herself now a foreigner mistrusted by her own people. Impoverished in a society that treats women as chattel, she reluctantly finds sanctuary at the Temple of the Lily Goddess in the city of Kalimpura. This religious order takes inconvenient girl children or women too independent to fit into their assigned roles. At the Temple women can take roles generally reserved for men: law, accountancy, and Martial arts. The most promising fighters are chosen to join the Blades of the Lily, the city's brutal law enforcement.

Free to be themselves, these women rely on each other for strength, understanding, and love. Yes, there are sex scenes involving teenage lesbian warrior nuns that will raise eyebrows among some squeamish readers (like this reviewer). But like his infamous snuff-porn Dwarf Pits in Trial of Flowers (Night Shade Books, 2006,) Lake uses these brief, vivid passages to good effect serving the plot or developing a character; not to shock or titillate.

Although the very believable societies Lake imagines here are loosely based on the China and England of the 19th Century, this world is definitely in the realm of fantasy. Green is set on a flat (possibly endless) plain, with a procession of suns drifting across the sky. We already know Jay has a fondness for impossible cosmologies after visiting the 1:1 scale clockwork orrery Earth in Mainspring and Escapement (Tor, 2007 and 2008 respectively) or the infinite vertical cylinder in his short story "The Lollygang Save the World on Accident" (from Extraordinary Engines , Nick Gevers ed., Solaris, 2008). Another similarity to Trial of Flowers is Lake's treatment of the very real gods in Green's world. These deities are weird and powerful but usually treat with mortal concerns in subtle and inscrutable means. When the powerful try to use the gods to further their own goals, entire populations suffer. The lesson here: let sleeping gods lie; magic may seem like an easy solution, but people are better off relying on themselves.

Green has a mind as quick and sharp as a dagger and possesses an amazing arsenal of skills (she's a great cook, too). Given all these abilities she is still very much a child, alone in an unforgiving world. For all her rigorous education, she has negligible people skills. She feels driven to stop the oppression of women and children, but she has only vague plans involving stabbing and kicks to the head. Green must grow into the role she has chosen for herself. To survive, she must find the strength to endure the crap around her. To succeed, she must develop patience and wisdom to match her passion and intellect.

Jay Lake writes beautifully. His language hearkens back to a more formal age, without disguising the brutal truths of the world he has created. Green is split into three distinct acts with the action, pacing, and fantastical elements ever-increasing to an exciting climax of mythic proportion. Personally, I would have enjoyed more detail about the steam-driven and flywheel technology (to which there are only a few tantalizing references,) but that's how I roll. At times unsettling but always compelling, Green abounds with intrigue and adventure. A feminist fable lovingly written with a father's hope and concern for his daughter's future, Green is the story of a strong-willed young woman trying to find her place in a world that would rather ignore her. Green will not be ignored.

Green hits the shelves at your local independent bookstore this Wednesday.
Or go to Amazon.

Note: A version of this review appeared in last month's newsletter of Borderlands Books.
Commenter Grey_Area is known to the ninja furries as Christopher Hsiang. He is in awe of Mr. Lake who has possibly the largest collection of weaponized Hawaiian shirts in North America.

Title: North of Beautiful

Author: Justina Chen Headley

Published: February 1, 2009

Page Count: 384

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

My Rating: 5/5

It’s hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She’s tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably “flawed” face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob’s path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

Going into North of Beautiful , I assumed it would be a decent YA book, but nothing special – great characters, an interesting plot, and good writing – a book that I would like but not love.

Well, I was way wrong about that. This book was beyond fantastic. And I LOVED it. North of Beautiful got to me, it really did. First of all, I have to say that I saw a lot of myself in Terra, so that is definitely one of the reasons I fell in love with the book so much. Growing up, my father had a similar personality to Terra’s father, and as a result (of that and other things, too) I had little to no self-esteem for most of my childhood/teen years. So when I say I got her, I REALLY got her – I saw so many of my thoughts, feelings and even behaviors as a teen mirrored in Terra. It was hard to read, because I so related to her, but it was also a great experience for me because I truly felt like I was right there with Terra – both in her physical journey to China and in her personal journey to self-discovery.

Okay, let’s talk about the book itself. First, the story. I loved where Justina Chen Headley took the plot – China!! How fun is that? I have never been to China, but it’s clear that Chen Headley has – the descriptions of the sights, smells, and sounds of Shanghai were just too perfect for her not to have experienced it herself. I loved reading about all the places they visited and even though the China trip was a huge part of the book it didn’t detract in any way to the more intimate plot lines of Terra and her mother’s relationship, and Terra’s newly forming relationship with Jacob.

Speaking of relationships, that is the other fabulous thing about North of Beautiful . What I usually love most about YA books are the relationships between the characters, both romantic and otherwise. This novel was no exception to that. I loved following along with Terra and Jacob’s blossoming romance, it was so perfectly written that I easily went back to the days of crushes, when just spending a few minutes in that person’s presence could put a smile on your face for the entire day. And Jacob was just such a sweet, wonderful guy – he obviously cared about Terra and wanted to be with her, but never laid it on too thick or pushed her to be more than friends before she was ready. And, really, just reading about their freindship was nice – they were just so CUTE together! I also enjoyed reading about Terra and her mother’s relationship, especially once they got to China. Without getting into too much detail, before the China trip Terra didn’t have much respect for her mother. But once they started breaking down the walls between them and really getting to know each other without the presence of her father, they became such a close mother/daughter pair and really, it was so heartwarming to read about.

North of Beautiful is truly an amazing book. I loved it, and I think it’s a must-read for YA fans. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for more of Justina Chen Headley’s books – she has written her way into my heart with these characters and this wonderful story.

More reviews -

Stephanie at Novels Now
Sarah at The Last Book I Read
Kristi at The Story Siren
The Compulsive Reader
Alisonwonderland at So Many Books, So Little Time
Swapna at S. Krishna’s Books
Becky at Becky’s Book Reviews
Reader Rabbit
Lenore at Presenting Lenore
Jessica at The Bluestocking Society

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