PRINTER FRIENDLY VIEW
(inverts site colors)

It would have been fascinating to hear what Rahman himself would have written for a project like Elemental, though the end result from Newman gives us a viable idea about what Rahman may have written. The greater East Indian infusion to Newman's usual methodology is certainly a strategic choice to accentuate the immigration and multi-cultural elements of the story, and it may turn off some casual listeners. For Newman's own enthusiasts, though, the score represents both a familiar and comfortable base sound and refreshing additions from the Indian side, making for music that is, at the very least, an interesting listening experience. Whether it works for the characters in this particular story, especially as it relates to the Lumen (fire) family, is an entirely separate matter. It's not totally unexplored territory for Newman, for whom this music is a further extension of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and, to a lesser extent, Victoria & Abdul and Towelhead. The Indian elements center around sitars, tabla drums, and bansuri flutes and extend most prominently to the score's vocals. While resembling both Tolkien and Finding Dory at times, Newman really pushes the vocal technique of konnokol, Indian vocalized rhythms that serve as a form of breathy percussion, sometimes in an improve-like Indian raga formation ("Stop Wade"). At other times, female vocals are streamlined with a more accessible appeal ("Bubble Date"). Beneath these Indian contributions are more typical Newman stalwarts, including acoustic guitar, electric bass, slide guitar, finger snapping, and synthetics. The electric bass is particularly vital to the soundscape in this score, lending a contemporary touch to the much of the work. Rambling electronica over vocals furthers this sound in "Firetown Flood." For listeners desiring dominance of orchestral elements in Newman's work, Elemental may disappoint. Warm, tonal strings are often present for the heartier romantic passages, and a handful of rare brass-led moments exist throughout, sometimes with piano, punctuating action sequences or fanfares. There's straight old-school jazz in "Meet the Ripples," and Newman's trademark vibraphone tones return in "Fern Grouchwood." Wind-like burps in "Clod" provide some humor. Sadly, the composer makes no obvious attempt to assign one section of the orchestra (with or without synthesizers) to each element type in the story, showing no preference to strings for water, woodwinds for air, and so forth. Ultimately, the Indian elements are dedicated mostly to the fire element, and that's about it.

More disappointing is Newman's lack of thematic development and enunciation in Elemental. The song's melody may be hinted late in "Hot Air Balloon," but expect no obvious crossover. Newman concocts two recurring themes for the movie, but both are so tepid and understated that few listeners will even notice their purpose. A main theme of sorts is lumbering, with one note per measure at times, but its chords remain consistent. Summarized best in "Across the Ocean," this main theme's simple alternations are heard immediately on piano at 0:06, its ancillary two-note phrases forming at 1:32 on strings. The full ensemble explores the idea at 2:05, brass and strings taking it to ultra-positive ends in an ascending formation at 2:24, and strings alone finishing its summary at 2:56. The main theme starts "Elemental" on piano and is reprised at 1:13. The same piano performance opens "1000 MPH" while fragments inform early sections of "Full Purple," a solemn moment at 2:04 into "You Were the Dream" is provided by keyboard, and the easy piano rendition returns early in Bà Ksô (The Big Bow). Meanwhile, a love theme of sorts struggles to emerge in the score, its ascending phrases nebulous but lending beauty to "Elemental" and "Hot Air Balloon." It figures briefly on sitar and vocals in the first half of "Beach Glass" and on strings in the middle of "Mineral Lake." This romantic material recurs in the latter half of "Lucky" on guitar and is extended in new directions during the middle of "You Were the Dream." But do not expect either of these themes to leave any lasting impression upon you outside of their friendly instrumental personalities, Newman conveying warm and fuzzy feelings rather than any impressive melodic identity. In the end, Elemental is a score almost entirely built upon its style, its blend of Newman's vague worldliness and Indian emphasis for the fire-related portions of this story almost completely defining the work. A healthy 70 minutes of score is joined by the song on the album, which is hopelessly and frustratingly out of film order. Listeners will need to reprogram the tracks anyway to separate the attractive romantic passages, the outright wild Indian vocalized portions, and the bevy of rather mundane but not outright boring Newman underscore in between. For listeners who loved the path the composer took with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the more fluidly accessible parts of Elemental will play as a very satisfying extension of that method. Other parts may sound too foreign for this context, and that was a risk Newman and Sohn explicitly chanced, for better or for worse. If only the score made use of prominent themes, it could have joined Turning Red as one of the most uniquely engaging Pixar soundtracks of all time.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Thomas Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.14 (in 37 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.18 (in 60,837 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 73:27