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by Jon Blough / Soundtrack Geek



Soundtrack Review: Quantum of Solace (2008)


This is a review of the motion picture score for Quantum of Solace by David Arnold.

“While Quantom may not have as many explosive highlights of past Bond scores, we can take solace in the fact that Arnold’s more layered approach is almost as good.”

Whether this film equals Casino Royale’s superb mix of modern, blunt action and traditional sex appeal and wit will be determined in the coming weeks, but for us Soundtrack Geeks the task of seeing if Arnold could equal his fine return to form for that score can be handled now. The downside after multiple listens is obvious: this clearly is Arnold’s weakest Bond score, which, given the heights of the last outing, makes this somewhat of a disappointment. But just because the next “African Rundown” can’t be found here doesn’t mean the score is poor, indeed, Quantum of Solace contains many fine elements that are a real first for the composer.

Popish But Impresses

The first change is Arnold’s incorporation of the title song, which at first listen seems too popish and Alicia Keyesed but eventually impresses, especially with its opening guitar and trumpet volleying and the superb weaving of guitar, strings, brass, and Keyes at 2:20. Normally Arnold incorporates one or two lines from the songs into the score proper, but here he intelligently mixes numerous parts. The main theme is a six-note variation on the chorus line of “another way to die”, best called out on brass (end of “Time To Get Out”, 2 minutes into “The Palio”), though the orchestral relaying of “Talamone” is brief fun. The rolling line from the verses is slyly used by strings in “Camille and Green” and “Field Trip”, though at other times merely the first three notes create a sense of menace as with “Time to Get Out”. Other minor incorporations abound, and there’s another theme unrelated to the song that has a modern cool in “Inside Man”. While this tapestry of themes may leave the score without a dominant personality (something all the other Arnold Bonds had), the overall feel of the score is deep and resonant.

Action & Romance

Arnold also continues his intelligent applications of the traditional Bond themes. “Time To Get Out” unleashes the Bond chords at their boldest, brassy best, even doubling their tempo to propel the action, a technique that curiously and regretfully has never appeared before and doesn’t appear again. The theme is also uniquely plucked out at the end of the track. “Perla De Las Dunas” features a more methodical take but still just as strong take, with strings pounding out the chords amidst strong brass backup. “Bond in Haiti” features a distant take on guitar, while the last 30 seconds of “Pursuit at Port Au Prince” give off a cool vibe. The xylophone and flute work on “Field Trip” gives off a spying mystery that Arnold couldn’t really get at with his electronic approaches in earlier works. The second half of “Oil Fields” may be the best usage though, mixing the Bond chords in with slightly restrained brass flares.

The action and romantic material are still good, even awesome at times for the former, but stuffer slightly due to the heights of Casino Royale. “Pursuit at Port Au Prince” may have the most head-banging enjoyment and a great Bondian action climax, yet its “ROCK OUT!” approach seems slightly unsuited to the franchise, even for a reimagining. While “The Palio” may boast exciting string work, its last minute stylistically rehashes “Stairwell Fight”. “Target Terminated” and “Perla De Las Dunas” are certainly frenetic and propulsive but aren’t memorable. As for the love themes, while the film may not necessitate the grandiose structure of Bond and Vesper’s theme, the lack of development of the used themes is still somewhat bothersome. Only in “Forgive Yourself” does Vesper’s theme get any new development, while what appears to be Camille’s theme (an ethnic flute in “Camile and Green”) is not around enough to be substantial.

Conclusion

And yet it is Arnold’s new work that checks back some of those shortcomings. Check the work on the themes for the villain Dominic Greene. Casino Royale’s theme for LeChiffre was just four descending notes, and I was worried it set a standard for these new Bond films. However, Arnold manages to craft two six-note themes for Greene, one mostly called out on horn and the other plucked away on various instruments. The best example is “Night at the Opera”, where a harp plucks the latter theme against various uses of the former to near-hypnotic effect. The music may not have the menacing power of, say, Carver’s theme, but hearing Arnold produce an understated yet well-constructed villain theme is quite engaging. Also of note is the density of both “Bond in Haiti” and “Bolivian Taxi Ride”, as well as the beautiful guitar strumming to close out “Camille’s Story”. All these elements add up for a consistently strong listen. While Quantom may not have as many explosive highlights of past Bond scores, we can take solace in the fact that Arnold’s more layered approach is almost as good.

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