Continuing the seemingly relentless plunge into lunacy of modern television
scores, the producers of the show Farscape hit the new low of hiring a rock band
to score this traditional sci-fi serial. SubVision, a small, three-member
family organization composed "music" for the first season of the show,
utilizing tepid minimalism, electric guitars, and a barrage of bargain-basement
synthesizers that, when combined with hackneyed themes, techno-riffs, and
general "spacey" ambience, forms a decidedly Sub-par descent into
madness. For the second season, the producers perhaps realized the error
of their ways and sought the services of the amateur classically-trained
composer Guy Gross, whose work forms the second half of Crescendo's
much-too-generous 70-minute album. Gross's portion arguably seems worse
than the Sub-Vision drivel, since it forsakes any semblance of originality (a
quality that, even if hopelessly squandered, the previous half of the album
featured), instead content to pad the scenes with mind-numbing synthesized
string ambience, clichéd "noble action themes" that would sound at
home on an informercial, and the traditional pitfall of inexperienced sci-fi
composers - forsaking any kind melody for endless stretches of huge minor-chord
string triviality. Gross indeed.
As is usual for their loving releases of sci-fi shows that will be forgotten in
five years, GNP Crescendo's album of Farscape includes lavish artwork and liner
notes, as well as a seemingly-eternal 70 minutes of music. In summation,
only die-hard worshippers of Farscape should even venture to touch this album,
since it could possibly conjure fond reminiscences of the show's episodes, while
most of the rest of the score-collecting community (except for fans of
highly-annoying techno-synth amalgams) should avoid this testament to the
obnoxious. At its best, this CD plays as rather inferior video game music,
and at its worse, it violently mutates into a wild orgy of banality.
Track by Track Analysis
SUBVISION:
1. Theme from FARSCAPE (2.04)
2. Wormhole! (5.18)
3. Time Trouble (3.07)
4. Tannot Grooves (3.02)
5. Fields of Joy (2.47)
6. Goodbye (4.01)
7. Maldis (3.32)
8. Namtar's Magic (3.45)
9. Delvian Dreams (3.32)
10. Trouble in Paradise (4.56)
11. Parting Comrades (3.28)
GUY GROSS:
12. Pilot Arrives (1.31)
13. Aeryn and Velorek (2.43)
14. Peace Keeping (3.28)
15. The Nogelti Crystal (2.14)
16. Romance (2.12)
17. Crichton's Daughter (2.34)
18. Crichton x3 (1.24)
19. Goodbye Caveman (2.46)
20. Vorc Arrives (2.54)
21. Parasite Hunting (5.02)
22. Crichton's Wedding (1.30)
23. Theme from FARSCAPE - Reprise (.48)
| Music Rating | 2/10 |
| Packaging/Liner Notes | 8/10 |
| Sound Quality | 8/10 |
| Length | 4/10 |
| Orchestral Performance | N/A |
