TWO MORE FROM LAKESHORE RECORDS

Took me longer than I thought, but here I am with two more releases from Lakeshore Records. First up is Hans Zimmer and Lorne Bale's enjoyable score for the latest Dreamworks animation Megamind, which was released to U.S. Theatres on 5th November. Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell) is described as "the most brilliant super-villain the world has ever known ... and the least successful." Constantly thwarted by super-hero Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt), when he finally defeats him a new villain arrives and Megamind might just have to turn hero to save the day.
Zimmer has been collaborating a lot with Balfe lately and the two of them have certainly come up with a winner here, with catchy melodies a plenty right from the outset, sometimes surprisingly light, at others more heroic or villainous, with some appropriately propulsive action scoring in the likes of "Crab Nuggets," "Black Mamba"and "Game Over;" romance ("Roxanne"); and even a little pathos in "Mel-On-Cholly" and "Rejection in the Rain." Overall, a thoroughly entertaining listen, particularly, for those of you who, like me, enjoy melodic writing.
In addition to the score, the Megamind album also features numbers by George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Minnie Riperton, and no less than Elvis Presley.
The Megamind soundtrack is available both on CD and as a digital download.
Lakeshore have also released John Powell's score for the political thriller Fair Game, starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, which sees the composer re-team with director Doug Liman, with whom he has previously worked on the likes of The Bourne Identity and Jumper. This score is a very different animal. Mixing live musicians and electronics, Powell comes up with some undeniably catchy grooves in the likes of "The White House," "Joe's Report," and "Smaky," as well as a few rhythmic action moments along the way, with a streak of ethnicity throughout. There's something of a love theme in "Uncomfortable Love," but it's not pretty, with its twangy electric guitar lead, and ends in more rhythmic action in any case. The most "in your face" music to be found is in the percussive "Ready to Fight" and "Testify," both of which blend together to bring the album to a powerful conclusion.
The film was released in U.S. Theatres on 5th November, and the Fair Game soundtrack album is now available in stores, or as a digital download.