Category: Albums

Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem

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The first time I watched Adult Swim’s “Metalocalypse,” I was completely blown away by the animated series’ perfect combination of humor, breathtaking art, long-form storytelling and searingly hilarious insight into the process of making music. The band in the show, Dethklok, had a fantastic heavy metal sound, and I immediately heard influences of Queen, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Ennio Morricone and Basil Poledouris.

Digging through the show’s credits, I was shocked to realize that this incredible music was written and produced by the show’s executive producer, writer and star Brendon Small. I tracked Brendon down through mutual friends and we hit it off. Because we share similar musical tastes, but come from entirely different backgrounds, we found a number of opportunities to collaborate over the years. We produced and performed a Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, he played guitar on my single “Maverick Regeneration,” and he contributed heavy metal guitars to my score to the upcoming film “Knights of Badassdom.” 

I appreciate Brendon’s guitar contributions to my projects, but always hoped for the chance to return the favor, to be able to add my own style of orchestration to his music. That opportunity finally arrived when he called me to discuss his newest project, “Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem – A Klok Opera.” (more…)

Da Vinci’s Demons – Collector’s Edition CD

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I am proud to announce the second physical CD release for Sparks & Shadows: “Da Vinci’s Demons” Original Television Soundtrack, Collector’s Edition. The two-disc limited edition album is available starting TOMORROW, OCTOBER 22, through Amazon.com and other digital retailers. The first 360 orders through La-La Land Records’ website will get an AUTOGRAPHED BOOKLET! These exclusive signed copies go on sale at noon PST and usually sell out very quickly, so be ready to move fast to snag yours.

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As I wrote in my mission statement when I founded Sparks & Shadows, I still believe in the physical format as a way for collectors and fans to treasure soundtracks. Our initial focus for “Da Vinci’s Demons” was in getting a digital album released quickly, so fans could download the music while they were still watching the first season on the air. I always knew I wanted to go back to this material and release it in a physical format. (more…)

Caprica Series Soundtrack Album

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This summer has been very exciting! I was recently announced as the composer for Joss Whedon’s new series, Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” as well Starz’s epic new pirate drama “Black Sails.”  That same week, I was nominated for an Emmy for my Main Title Theme for “Da Vinci’s Demons.” My record label Sparks & Shadows shortly thereafter released my new soundtrack for the theatrical feature “Europa Report,” capping off a successful series of albums including “Da Vinci’s Demons” and  two albums of “Defiance.” Plus, I directed a music video and co-wrote a new song for a breathtaking time-lapse video! With all that happening to blog about, something very important silently slipped through the cracks, an event I’ve been eager to announce for several years: the release of my expanded soundtrack to the full series “Caprica.” I am thrilled to partner with my friends and La-La Land Records (for a fourteenth time!) to make this music available to fans in a two-disc limited edition CD (Click here to purchase). (more…)

Defiance: Soundtrack Album

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My second “Defiance” album is available now on iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers!  This record contains songs and score from the SyFy television series, and acts as a companion piece to the videogame album released in April.

The “Defiance” television soundtrack is unlike any other record I’ve ever released, because it includes a substantial number of songs in addition to my score.  This is not one of those annoying “music-inspired-by” cash-grabs that became so frustratingly popular starting in the 1990’s.  I produced or co-produced every song to tell us something specific about the Votan / Human culture in Defiance.  I arranged this record to flow seamlessly between songs and score and to provide the listener with a musical guide to this alien, yet familiar, world.

The songs tell us about the culture, while the score cues follow the narrative arc of our main characters.  Fans who have already picked up my “Defiance” Videogame Soundtrack will immediately hear the thematic and sonic connections.  Where the game score emphasized propulsive action, the television score emphasizes character and melody much more.  But, they are two sides of the same coin.  Listeners need to hear both records to get a true feeling for the franchise.

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Da Vinci’s Demons: The Hierophant

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“Da Vinci’s Demons” returns after a week-long hiatus, and what a big week it is. I’m thrilled to say that my original score has been released digitally by Sparks & Shadows!  This marks the first time in my career that a television album has been released while the episodes are still airing. This has always been one of my dreams and I’m very excited that everyone at S&S pulled it off.

The “Da Vinci’s Demons” album contains over 90 minutes of music, across 26 tracks.  It is available digitally from iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers. We’re working on a physical CD set for later this year. Interestingly, this is the first television album I’ve ever released where the cues are presented in chronological order.  I normally put the cues in an aesthetically pleasing order.  However, the development of the themes on this series is so crucial that no other order would have made sense.

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Tonight’s episode, “The Hierophant,” is well-represented on the album, and for good reason.  (more…)