Hans_Zimmer-The_Simpsons_Movie-OST-2007-

0721






















Artist : Hans Zimmer
Album : The Simpsons Movie
Label : Rhino
Genre : Soundtrack
Bitrate : 190 kbps avg
Source : CD (LP)
Playtime : 00:40:39 (58.8MB)
Rls date : 2007-07-21
Store date : 2007-07-24


[Track List]
1. The Simpsons Theme (Orchestral Version) 1:27
2. Trapped Like Carrots 2:14
3. Doomsday Is Family Time 2:27
4. Release The Hounds 2:19
5. Clap For Alaska 1:55
6. What's An Epiphany? 2:07
7. Thank You Boob Lady 2:45
8. You Doomed Us All... Again 5:52
9. ...Lead, Not To Read 2:05
10.Why Does Everything I Whip Leave Me? 3:05
11.Bart's Doodle 1:01
12.Worlds Fattest Fertilizer Salesman 5:05
13.His Big Fat Butt Could Shield Us All 1:46
14.Spider Pig 1:04
15.Recklessly Impulsive 5:27


by Brian McVickar:

I must admit that when I read Hans Zimmer had been signed
as composer for The Simpsons Movie, I felt a bit bad for
Alf Clausen and yet understood why the decision was made.
One could argue that Clausen's music for The Simpsons
television series, even in its briefest statements, is
perhaps more the soul of the series than even Danny
Elfman's famous title tune. Over the years, Clausen has
had to accentuate, augment and play against so many
thousands of absurd and sincere scenarios, punctuate so
many visual gags, that I thought it'd be wonderful to hear
his contribution stretch out on the big screen. But since
Clausen still has the series itself to score, producer
James Brooks often goes to Zimmer for his films and after
listening to the The Simpsons Movie album, I feel that
Zimmer did a pretty good job in his own right.

It opens appropriately with Elfman's series main title,
performed by a very large orchestra in suitable
celebration of the grand theatrical upgrade. Following
this is "Trapped Like Carrots", a bustling cue featuring
Zimmer's sprightly new main theme for the film, which
seems loosely based on Elfman's, a few notes here and
there and similar phrasing, working well in this context.
Funny enough, it emerges as a tune Bart might whistle
absent-mindedly as he slides down the stair banister.
"Doomsday is Family Time" opens with a more sweetly
charming statement of the theme, essayed on piano and
flute with strings swaying, a nice respite before the
unexpectedly raucous, grungy, surf-rock tone of "Release
The Hounds", a great track. "Clap For Alaska" begins with
a grand, mock-serious inspirational cue for orchestra and
choir before scaling down to woodwinds and strings, while
in "What's An Epiphany", Elfman's theme is led through
several variations and the track itself carries an overall
Elfman vibe, due to instrumentation, some of the harmonic
language and mischievous nature.

Elfman's theme is granted an even broader canvas in "Thank
You Boob Lady", heard first in an exciting mold, and then
later moving into more sweeping statements and variations.
The lengthiest track, "You Doomed Us All… Again",
surprisingly contains some of the most sensitive writing
of the album, with a lovely, delicate, slightly melancholy
new secondary theme featured in a flute and piano duo, but
soon the tone shifts to menacing, martial brass and
percussion, a steady ostinato and some rapid action, based
back on Zimmer's main theme. "…Lead, Not To Read" returns
to shades of energetic Elfman in its bongos, upper
register strings and female choir and bright brass, plus a
bold statement of his Simpsons theme, capped off by a
propulsive finish and dovetailing directly into Zimmer's
homage to Copland, "Why Does Everything I Whip Leave Me?"
(the homage being musical, not the question asked in the
track title). It's a great, rousing track, still referring
back to Zimmer's theme in big brass exclamations.

"Bart's Doodle" probably could have been scored in any
number of ways, but Zimmer chose hilariously chirpy, 40's
style female vocalists, "La-De-Da"ing along in a
blissfully ignorant fashion, not unlike how Elfman scored
Nicole Kidman's character in To Die For ("Suzie's Theme").
The most extensive and expansive treatment of Zimmer's
theme occurs in "World's Fattest Fertilizer Salesman", as
pizzicato strings percolate and the theme moves from low
woodwinds, mid-range piano and onto larger orchestral
variations, broken up by a lumbering, waltzing section in
the center. It's even got the signature "descending
swirling strings" that Elfman has been known to employ.
"His Big Fat Butt Could Shield Us All" moves back to
gentle scoring for harp, acoustic guitar, winds and
strings (sort of the Good Will Hunting instrumentation) in
its first half while the second half features sweeping
orchestral gestures, shifting between Elfman's and
Zimmer's thematic material. "Spider Pig" is an amusingly
large-scale choral rendition of a tune written for the
film, based on the old TV series Spiderman theme everyone
knows. Finally, "Recklessly Impulsive" is a techno remix
of Zimmer's material – fun for a bit, probably could have
been half the length.

I do not think it is a slight against Zimmer to note the
Elfman-esque qualities in this score, as they are
appropriate and do not specifically borrowing anything
from him except harmonic and instrumental qualities. Plus,
Zimmer has created a very enjoyable album which covers not
only the devilish and manic nature of the series, but also
that more difficult quality to highlight, that of the bond
between the Simpson family members. It has always been
scored by Clausen from a sweet and genuine approach, but
never saccharine or overwrought and here Zimmer rides that
fine line perfectly in such tracks as "Doomsday is Family
Time" and "You Doomed Us All… Again". And yet, the Zimmer
flair is still present at times, never overshadowing what
the film required, making for a colorful amalgamation of
the differing styles. When 2007 began, I never thought
that the two scores I would most greatly enjoy thus far
would be Zimmer's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
and his accomplishment with The Simpsons. D'oh, indeed!


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