The Mole

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

One of the more unique concepts of recent Television is the game called 'The Mole', invented by us Belgians (for once we do something good you ought to say it) and Americanized for a wider audience to enjoy. The concept of the game is simple, a dozen of players starts the game in various countries, trying to win as much money through beating obstacles and courses. Yet there is one person who is there to stop them from making as much money as they can, without falling through his disguise. And at the end of the show, everybody tries to guess who the mole is, and the one with the least correct answers leaves the group. Quite simple and in the end quite compelling also since I never guessed who the mole was until his or her identity was revealed. Now, we Belgians (since we are a small country) used every conceivable film music available, and this led to a mixing job done with the highest achievement. You could flow from a straightforward action cue from Zimmer to one of Horner within a flash. It all sounded cool and very fitting. But the American based series was having the problem of having to pay too many dollars to obtain the rights and so it was wiser and cheaper to hire a composer of their own to score the series. No big name but appropriate and suitable composer David Michael Frank was hired to give the show its most suitable incognito cover. And that he succeeded is an understatement since this music makes so much sense by just reading the track titles, it would work without question inside the scene itself. And to have its own theme is appropriate too, and 'Main Title' starts the Mission: Impossible flair good enough with it. There are of course a wider variety of musical tracks, and that's the beauty and strength of David Michael Frank that he made it succeed. From the playful Thomas Newman like 'Brain Game' to a cool suspension build up with great brass in 'Captured', it all makes sense.

From 'Sad Farewell' which sounds emotional with its piano to the groovy and fetching 'Dirty Laundry', the style reminds me here of Matchstick Men with its accordion but its good nonetheless. From the the cool dark piece with beats 'Sabotage' to the heroic attitude with great brass statements of 'Heroic Jump'. They all click and they work around a theme during the whole duration of the track, even though the themes are all close to one another and work as variations as times to the main theme, such as 'The Arrival' which is great with its electric guitar theme. From the romantic accordion music of 'Nighttime in Paris' to the same tension theme of track 4 with added bells and a cool build in 'Cornfield Maze', they all flow in one another. The flamenco flair with added guitar and maraca's is way too groovy to pass when you're talking about a track as fun as 'Sancti Petri'. Of course, there is the chance to hear something stylistically similar or influenced from an other source naturally, since no doubt they also used temp music but they didn't use it in the series. But the key is also that David Michael Frank's music stays close to the same style, so his own voice is more at work here. But 'Reunion' has a theme I know but not from what film and 'The Players' and the second part of 'Deception' is clearly Bond inspired. Or watch out for the marriage hymn in '751 Sheep' that's good. 'Floating' by then adds a short soft choir and recreates a soothing atmosphere through Jerry Goldsmith's 'The Trees' of Medicine Man and some could equally call this one 'Alan and Archer' of Small Soldiers. A waltz in 'Lap of Luxury', a Spanish mix with electric guitars works well in 'The Bullfight' and the main theme in 'End Credits' for the close. You get it all. I can call the effort (considering the awesome film music mixing job the Belgians did) of David Michael Frank a successful one, since his ideas are perfect for what happens on screen (or so we feel through the titles). The Mole is capturing a strong spy feel and with that the City of Prague Philharmonic orchestra and with some added beats, synthesizers and electric guitars they carry the music of The Mole to the final revelation. Guessed already who the Mole is?

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title (0.44)

2. Who Is The Mole? (4.10)

3. Brain Game (2.19)

4. Captured (3.32) Excellent Track

5. Sad Farewell (1.25)

6. Dirty Laundry (2.58)

7. Sabotage (1.21)

8. The Unusual Suspects (3.29)

9. Heroic Jump (3.13)

10. The Clock Is Ticking (3.53)

11. Nighttime In Paris (1.38)

12. Cornfield Maze (3.16)

13. The Execution (2.03)

14. The Arrival (2.53) Excellent Track

15. Reunion (2.17)

16. The Players (2.08)

17. Taking The Bait (1.10)

18. Sancti Petri (4.31) Excellent Track

19. Deception (3.18)

20. 751 Sheep (3.17)

21. The Fortress (4.23)

22. Floating (3.35)

23. The Rescue (1.20)

24. Lap Of Luxury (3.20)

25. The Bullfight (3.25)

26. Traveling In Circles (3.30)

27. End Credits (0.56)

Total Length: 74.19

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