Disclosure

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Sometimes I wonder what people see in Ennio Morricone. I know, I have listened to exactly 0,50 % of his composed work but three of the four so far felt either out of place or simply uninteresting in the development. Could be a mere coincidence but also a sign that I don't approve the typical style of this Italian composer. Now anyway, Disclosure is one of the two commercial hot spots in '94 for Morricone and either one on album seems to do something wrong with either me or other listeners. Wolf was more the moodsetter but once more, I feel that Disclosure does it over the top or simply is not interesting through its use of tone. It is not bad musically and a number of tracks uses building suspense music but the tone simply is uninteresting and a hard nut to grasp onto. Disclosure uses sax, horns, flutes, but for the most part electronics which mess up the mood. These electronics represent the reality of computers and basically nothing wrong there, but it doesn't click in the musical ability and there lies the problem of Morricone's score in my book. Things don't seem to click when they make sense on paper.

The score starts promising in a way that the air is light and playful. 'Serene Family' is a bouncy little tune that feels as thin as the air surrounding it, very light. But from track 2 the mood starts to shift and you barely receive the light air again. 'An Unusual Approach' is just like 'With Energy and Decision' and 'Virtual Reality' a non interesting use of either instrument, tone or nature. The first is an uncomfortable suspense builder (with sax through it), the second is even filled with touches of electric guitar and electronics (a la Mission to Mars) and the third is the most loud suspense builder I've ever heard, which completely wrecks the atmosphere in the scene. It is so over the top and the horns and other instruments almost make it sound like horror music. The thing you notice is, there is a story to be told of the first five tracks. 'Preparation and Victory' is the best track, not because it has the first two minutes the same sense of bore, but because the sole fitting tone appears at the end with a relieving and proper theme, sadly for just a minute and a half. The rest which follows after this is made up of 1 minute "light airy theme" of track one and the "suspense building" tone. The electronics especially through the last 4 to 5 tracks really annoy the more you hear them and the last simply is the victim of this overabundance of it.

Together you have 50 minutes of Morricone music, perhaps 6 containing a light and uplifting spirit, 42 containing a suspense and unease feel and 15 to 20 created partly through these obnoxious electronics. This makes the score definitely not pleasing for its running time and actually a drag the more the score continues. Disclosure is the second score that I feel is too noticeable for the movie. Noticeable that it attracts the attention while it actually shouldn't, making the music sound non fitting because you pay attention at it. The best music is the one that you notice but still flowing through the scene, giving the magic of wonder of what is happening and the sound of what is played. Morricone here keeps the music so on edge it feels non appropriate for the movie it accompanies. Sad in a way but also frustrating for those not liking what they hear. Disclosure is another soundtrack of Morricone that I will skip easier than listen to again. I want to appreciate any composer and his initial work but these projects create more a distressing feeling than a satisfying mood.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Serene Family (4.11)

2. An Unusual Approach (7.07)

3. With Energy And Decision (2.07)

4. Virtual Reality (6.24)

5. Preparation And Victory (4.03)

6. Disclosure (0.49)

7. Sad Family (1.29)

8. Unemployed! (1.10)

9. Sex And Computers (2.50)

10. Computers And Work (1.59)

11. Sex And Power (2.33)

12. First Passacaglia (4.21)

13. Second Passacaglia (1.41)

14. Third Passacaglia (4.33)

15. Sex, Power And Computers (4.23)

Total Length: 49.50

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Ennio Morricone ===