Realmscapes

The Best Ten Albums & Twenty Singles I Heard in 2011

SINGLES SHORT LIST:

"It's Our Fight", Steve Jablonsky, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
"I'm Just the Messenger", Steve Jablonsky, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
"Tall Ships", Bill Leslie, I Am a River
"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)", by Journey, Frontiers
"Entranced", by John Adorney, The Other Shore
"All in a Moment", by John Adorney, The Other Shore
"Cult of Personality", Living Color, Vivid
"Living in a Dream", Finger Eleven, Life Turns Electric
"Bright Lights Bigger City", Cee Lo Green, The Lady Killer
"Christ is Risen (Radio Edit)", Matt Maher, Alive Again
"Age of Discovery", Immediate, Trailerhead
"An Epic Age", Immediate, Trailerhead
"Glory Seeker", Immediate, Trailerhead: Saga
"Oratio Sanctus", Immediate, Trailerhead: Saga
"Arthur's Farewell", Enaid, Avalon: A Celtic Legend
"The Way", Jeremy Camp, We Cry Out

ALBUMS SHORT LIST:

Daft Punk, TRON: Legacy
David Arnold, The Musketeer
Vangelis, 1492
Craig Armstrong & A.R. Rahman, Elizabeth: The Golden Age 
Immediate, Trailerhead
Immediate, Trailerhead: Saga 
Enaid, Avalon: A Celtic Legend
David Arkenstone, The Seasons of the Great Smoky Mountains 
Brian Crain, Sienna 
Anuna, Cynara
Steve Jablonsky, Transformers 3

Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - Pts. 1 & 2
Bond, Born
Brian Crain, Change of Season
Brian Crain, Piano and Cello Duet
Adam Hurst, Elegy 

Not all of these are 2011-released albums and singles, just music that we heard/purchased for the first time this year. Musical scores from previous years count because certain tracks/scores often cannot be truly appreciated until they are heard separately from the film/TV. This doesn't always happen right away either because of no pressing interest or because the score wasn't available. This list covers all genres.

The singles and album recommendations on this list may be previewed and bought via the iTunes playlist we have created. 

THE SINGLES

"Roll Call", Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori, Halo 3 (2010) - I am not much into video game music, but this track caught my attention among several others on the album. An eclectic blend of ethereal neo-classical and choir, cello, electric guitar, piano and percussion.

"Hope Runs Deep", Steve Jablonsky, Gears of War 2 (2010) - Another video game score, this one with Jablonsky doing what he does best: epic strings, horn, chorals, and percussion. But this one has a more serious feel to it than anything he did on Transformers. For me, this track (and several others on the album) provided a taste of what this talented composer could do with something on the level with epic fantasy of the Narnia/Middle-earth type. Hopefully he gets the chance.

"Never Forget", Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori, Halo 3 (2010) - This is the track that first turned me onto this album. Reminiscent strings, followed by hauntingly beautiful piano and chorals, which combine to finish this album up in a manner that fits the track's name.

"Within the Outline", Robert Linton, Whisperings at Nightfall (2006) - Saxophone is a tricky instrument for me. Mostly I am not a fan, but when a musician mixes it with a slight reverb effect I am lost in its trance. Then add an accompanying guitar played with a moderate tempo like from a long ago memory...well, don't expect me back for awhile.

"Into Battle", David Arnold, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2011) - The longest track on the album by far at just over eleven minutes is also the best track on the album by far with a full orchestral range of epic instruments and chorals. It pretty well sums up the whole film and album by itself.

"Sons of Odin", Patrick Doyle, Thor (2011) - This is the music heard when Thor and Loki are introduced to the court on the day that Odin All-father ntends to declare that Thor will be his successor. It contains Thor's main theme and deserves to be recorded in film history as one of the greatest iconic character themes ever created in modern cinema--it certainly stands valiantly beside Zimmer's and Elfman's Batman themes, Elfman's Spider-Man theme, and Norman's Bond theme.

"Blessings", Laura Story, Blessings (2011) - Gorgeous piano with soaring and poignant vocals that remind that God's greatest blessing to us can often be found in "raindrops", healing "tears", "a thousand sleepless nights", and some ouf our "greatest disappointments" and trials. And why? Because, as Laura says us: "When friends betray us, When darkness seems to win - We know that pain reminds this heart - that this is not, this is not our home"; and most especially that "the aching of this life - Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy".

THE ALBUMS

Patrick Doyle, Thor (2011) - The #1 Marvel and Superhero Film score. Superb musical capturing of both the Asgard and Earth realms. The adventuring and action tracks are high inspirational; "Prologue/Sons of Odin", "Ride to the Observatory", "Thor Kills the Destroyer", and "Can You See Jane?/Earth to Asgard" are some of the gems in this bejeweled crown of music.

 

Favorites of Entertainment: 2011

Here is a little taste of the "favorites of" everything in several categories across entertainment. Not everything on this list necessarily came out in 2011--but 2011 is the first time I heard/read/saw the entertainment.

Be forewarned I am SO far behind on my TV shows, lol, so don't expect to see current favorites listed or current seasons.

Each category has my #1 favorite and a runner-up:

Get Your Minstrels of Yuletide: Christmas in Middle​-​earth!

Click each track to hear the complete song:

25 All-Time Favorite Scores (Film, TV, Video Games)

These are our picks from films, TV miniseries, video games that we have heard. Most of these are (or have been) available on CD. In some exceptional cases a composer's entire body of work for one franchise is listed as one entry.

UPDATED! New scores are in Bold.

These are not in any particular order:

1. The Star Wars Saga (John Williams)
   
2. Transformers 1 & 2 (Steve Jablonsky)
   
3. Highlander: The Series - Volume 1 (Roger Bellon)
4. Kingdom of Heaven (Harry Gregson-Williams)
5. King Arthur (Hans Zimmer)
   
6. The Chronicles of Narnia (Harry Gregson-Williams)
7. Angels & Demons (Hans Zimmer)
8. Indiana Jones & The Raiders of the Lost Ark (John Williams)
   
9. The Lord of the Rings (Howard Shore)
10. 1492 (Vangelis)
11. The Dark Knight (Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard)
12. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Klaus Badelt)
    
13. Myst (Robyn Miller)
14. Riven (Robyn Miller)
15. Gladiator (Hans Zimmer)
    
16. The Mask of Zorro (James Horner)
17. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Craig Armstrong & A.R. Rahman)
    
18. Highlander: Endgame (Nick Glennie-Smith & Stephen Graziano)
    
19. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Brad Fiedel)
20. National Treasure (Trevor Rabin)
21. The Greatest Story Ever Told (Alfred Newman)
    
22. Goldeneye (Eric Serra)
    
23. The World is Not Enough (David Arnold)
24. Halo 3 (Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori)
25. King of Kings (Miklós Rózsa)

Honourable Mention:
The Living Daylights (John Barry), First Knight (Jerry Goldsmith), The Incredible Hulk (Craig Armstrong), Thunderball (John Barry), Batman Begins (Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard), For Your Eyes Only (Bill Conti), Finding Neverland (Jan AP Kaczmarek), Stitched Crosses (Joe Harrison), Iron Man (Ramin Djawadi), The Mummy (Jerry Goldsmith), Batman (Danny Elfman), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (John Barry), Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ (Miklós Rózsa), Spider-Man (Danny Elfman), Quantum of Solace (David Arnold), The Karate Kid (Bill Conti), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Kevin Kiner), Master And Commander (Davies, C Gordon & Tognetti), Equilibrium (Klaus Badelt), 24 (Sean Callery), The Musketeer (David Arnold), The Last Samurai (Hans Zimmer), The Prince of Persia (Harry Gregson-Williams), Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance (Ronan Hardiman), Highlander: The Series - Volume 2 (Roger Bellon), The Legend of the Seeker (Joseph LoDuca), Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)

One CD - Christian Music

The premise here is, if I was told I could only own one CD of Christian music, what somgs would be on that CD. These are in no particular order, and the links go to Spotify where you can hear the full song...

1. "I Can Only Imagine", MercyMe
2. "Speechless", Steven Curtis Chapman
3. "Christus Resurgens", Anúna
4. "You are God Alone (Not a God)", Phillips, Craig & Dean
5. "Show Me Your Glory", Third Day
6. "I Know Now", Bebo Norman
7. "Strong Tower", Kutless
8. "In Christ Alone", Newsboys
9. "Christ is Risen (Radio Edit)", Matt Maher
10. "Ruins", Bebo Norman
11. "East to West", Casting Crowns
12. "What Faith Can Do", Kutless
13. "Call My Name", Third Day
14. "Here I Am", downhere
15. "He Will Carry Me", Mark Schultz
16. "You Are Everything", Matthew West
17. "No More No Less", MercyMe
18. "You Are a Child of Mine", Mark Schultz

The Best Ten Albums & Twenty Singles We Heard in 2010

Not all of these are 2010-released albums and singles, just music that we heard/purchased for the first time this year. Musical scores from previous years count because certain tracks/scores often cannot be truly appreciated until they are heard separately from the film/TV. This doesn't always happen right away either because of no pressing interest or because the score wasn't available. This list covers all genres.

The singles and album recommendations on this list (except for Harrison's Stitched Crosses and Armstrong's The Incredible Hulk) may be previewed and bought via the iTunes playlist we have created. The other two albums may be previewed/purchased from here and here (respectively).

THE SINGLES

20. "Conquest of Paradise", Vangelis, 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) - The film may have been an epic failure, but this track is an ethereal exercise in what might have been...

19. "Ebla", E.S. Posthumus, Unearthed (2001) - If you really like cathedral chant with your electronica blend then check this one out.

18. "ShowStopper", TobyMac, Tonight (2010) - TMC had a couple excellent singles off his latest album ("City on Our Knees" being the other), but this has to be the first time a full-time Christian music artist has had a piece of rap-rock permeate so many mainstream venues, from a WWE pay-per-view to the NCAA.

17. "Aethera Et Terra", Magna Canta, Enchanted Spirits (2007) - There has been some fantastic New Age chant-theme music coming out in the last years. Here's a uber-cool one for your neo-retro pleasure.

16. "The Tempest", Jennifer Thomas, Key of Sea (2007) - Gorgeous New Age violin and piano. I get chills eveytime.

15. "Written in My Face", Sean Jenness, WWE The Music: Volume 10 - A New Day (2010) - A poignant theme made specifically for another of WWE's top newcomers, Sheamus, who also became the first-ever Irish WWE champion.

14. "Confession", Blue Stone, Breathe (2006) - For those who like a blend of medieval chant and string with your New Age synth. This group must be what it is like to get the Sirens on a music label.

13. "Mayhem In Monaco", John Debney, Iron Man 2 (2010) - We were a little disappointed that Djawadi didn't come back for a sophomore outing. But Debney did an admiral job, and churned out some fantastic tracks, like this one.

12. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman", MercyMe, The Christmas Sessions (2005) - The Christmas Song of Christmas songs in the digital age of music, right here.

11. "The Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift", Brian Tyler, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) - It's Fast, and it's Furious. Hang on for a wild ride!

25 Recommended Christian/Gospel Albums

These are our favourite Christian music albums that we also highly recommend. This isn't a traditional "best of" list since there are some top-selling artists that have best-selling records who just aren't among the selection of artists that we listen to. These are not in any particular order: