Soundtrack review: A track-by-track analysis of Howard Shore's score to THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE

It is common knowledge that Howard Shore’s film scores are true musical adventures that lend themselves easily to enrapturing existence outside of the film medium. Whenever one of his scores is released, movie music fans become ravenous to consume a new chapter in his ever-darkening catalogue.

So it has come to pass that he has finally entered the realm of vampires. With a filmography comprising some of the most twisted, morbid movies in recent history (DEAD RINGERS, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE FLY, and SE7EN, to name but a few), it almost seems strange that Shore has never before visited the world of bloodsuckers.

Handpicked to score the third entry in THE TWILIGHT SAGA film series (as discussed in the Examiner interview), Shore lends his magic touch to ECLIPSE, which results in a collection of music that easily stands among his pantheon of increasingly creative (some would say legendary) musical landscapes.

Read on, as we provide a track-by-track review of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE – THE SCORE!

1. Riley – ECLIPSE kicks off with a slow burn, horn and percussion tension-drilling piece. As the track builds, whipping strings, reverberating electric guitar strains and the percussion builds to a murderous fever-pitch that is relinquished as it transforms into a conga-and-trombone-fueled chase sequence, as Riley is relentlessly pursued. Within this mere 1:53 minute cue, Shore plucks the listener from his/her seat into a world of unpredictability.

2. Compromise/Bella’s Theme – Comprised of a barebones piano track, Shore nods to Alexandre Desplat’s tonal construction of NEW MOON, echoing the difficult life situations that tend to avalanche upon Bella. The cut serves as a bit of closure to the previous chapter, while offering a glimmer of hope for a possible bright future.

3. Bella’s Truck/Florida – Shore expands upon his hopeful motif with a string conglomerate that could easily serve as an over-arcing romantic theme for the film. The track mildly hearkens to the tragic characterization Shore explored in Eastern Promises without becoming too heavy too soon.

4. Victoria – Droplet guitar effects and rambunctious orchestral strings highlight the damned soul of Victoria. As muted horns enter and the amalgam of sound washes together, Shore ultimately paints Victoria as an unfortunate, Shakespearean character, cursed by her own will.

5. Imprinting – Crystalline guitars and mournful cellos set the tone for this track. A muted lead guitar introduces what will become the “Jacob Black” theme. As orchestral accompaniment and background effects ease in to control the track, one’s heart begins to pour out for the sorrow that will eventually befall Jacob.

6. The Cullen’s Plan – the tension builds through a swelling tidal force of strings that bursts into rabbiting percussion. A menacing second wave of low-end strings churns in the background, preparing for an inevitable strike, though it never surfaces, as it is tempered with clean guitar peppering, as though forewarning the calm before the storm.

7. First Kiss – Mid-tempo strings reintroduce “Jacob Black” in a passionate near-waltz, uninterrupted by additional accompaniment until the end, where the fleeting moment of passion is shaken by a banshee wail of sound, abruptly ending what should not be.

8. Rosalie – Somber female vocals lead in to a tale of tragedy as Rosalie Hale recounts her origins to Bella in hopes of changing her mind about entering the world of vampirism. This track is classic Shore, bridging the danger-thickness of “The Black Gate Is Closed” from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS to the malevolent drama of “Lecter Escapes” from THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

9. Decisions, Decisions… – A billowing, archaic tribal sentiment pecks at the back of the listener’s neck as a war is about to erupt. The percussion acts like the ticking of a bomb, while the surrounding instrumentation pushes towards an inevitable destiny.

10. They’re Coming Here – The ticking continues as the characters become restless, anticipating a great battle. The tension in this track is a constant burn, slowly bringing the blood to a boil. However, midway through, the tension breaks into meditative repose and contemplation. And yet, the third movement in the piece marches back into a warlike theme.

11. Jacob Black – The centerpiece of the score, this theme is yet another stark, piano-driven piece correlating the enduring loyalty of Jacob’s character with the heavy-heartedness of unrequited love.

12. Jasper – Jasper’s theme is a willful, determined cue with an underlying sense of brazenness and a touch of violence. More than any other in the ECLIPSE score, “Jasper” hearkens classic Hammer vampire film music. It expresses a charm of the unknown and the hypnotic allure to an obvious danger.

13. Wolf Scent – This track begins with the string-only “Jacob Black” theme, then lulls into a gentle howl as a clarinet picks up the theme, and sleekly pulls back into the string arrangement. As that subsides, fearful tension bounds in and overtakes the track as danger quickly approaches.

14. Mountain Peak – The danger motif bleeds into this track, as sinewy guitar strains weave and bob through, building to a nail-biting crescendo. And then all at once, the white-knuckle tension breaks, and moves into character drama until conventions of horror intermingle (screaming violins, abrupt string blasts, etc.) with Shore’s patented majestic horn wails that thrust forth an unexpected sense of regality.

15. The Kiss – A string-laden version of “Compromise” is the central theme here, though it is overshadowed by a welling sadness, as a clarinet weeps the “Jacob Black” theme. A team of violins soak up the moroseness and increase the tempo of his theme, as he comes to terms with Bella’s ultimate decision. The strings explore this pain further, and the track closes with a sense of uneasy acceptance.

16. The Battle/Victoria vs. Edward – Clocking in at 6:40, easily the longest track on the score, here is the brutal moment of truth that the entire album has been consistently hinting at and finally revealing. Think of a fight sequence in THE LORD OF THE RINGS, a random act of violence in A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, and “Killing” from EDGE OF DARKNESS, and you are chipping away at the iceberg that this mammoth piece entails. This is no-nonsense warfare – brutal, remorseless, and chilling.

17. Jane – A Mordor-like theme befalls the Volturi Jane – bitter and cold. As it progresses, a foreboding sense of calculated evil casts a darkening shroud over the score, even as it draws to a close.

18. As Easy As Breathing – Like many of Shore’s dramatic scores, this one eases into conclusion with gentle cellos, bordering on romantic sentiment with a mild touch of a teardrop or two. Classy and slightly depressing, a reminder of Jacob Black creeps into the piece, intentionally inducing a throat-lump. However, the strings pull the track to a close with a renewed sense of purpose.

19. Wedding Plans – A stronger, yet whimsical “Bella’s Theme” emerges, bringing the score full circle. Strings prance in time with subtle guitar accompaniment as though preparing an elegant ballroom dance. At approximately 2:30, the track bursts into Metric’s “Eclipse (All Yours),” causing an intoxicating heart-swelling, chin-raising confidence. However, the album closes with a deeply disturbing, throbbing reverb as if to say that the protagonists are not yet out of the woods! 

 

 

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