Score Sample - Skyfall - Thomas Newman

When director Sam Mendes was brought on to tackle a James Bond film, movie music fans pondered, would Mendes bring his usual composer, Thomas Newman? Or would he stick with the David Arnold, the man who had been scoring James Bond films since the 1990s starting with Tomorrow Never Dies?

Well obviously we got Newman, a man known for his intelligent but atmospheric music. This was a bit of a departure from the typical James Bond score where bombast is the name of the game. Newman sticks to his style, keeping things low key, but never boring. He takes the James Bond theme, deconstructs and modifies it. But some of the best tracks are the more obvious takes on the theme, and where Newman just gives us some classic Bond sound. Here is one of my favorite tracks Komodo Dragon which plays as Bond enters the casino in Macao. You'll hear hints of the classic Bond theme, as well as the main song from the film Skyfall.

Score Sample – American Beauty – Thomas Newman

This is one of those movie scores that made an impact. Not only did Thomas Newman’s music fit the film perfectly, but it also ended up becoming the style for quirky comedy/dramas for the next decade or so. As such, the style has worn a bit thin for film score fans. But hearing it in context makes it seem fresh again. The music tends toward atmospheric, not really having a theme, but creating the perfect mood. It’s very delicate at times and can even be relaxing. Here’s the opening track Dead Already, offering a bit of everything Newman include in the score.