Elf

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Even in higher demand then before, but perhaps not for the genre that we want to see him the most, John Debney scores now the one monster hit after another. Simply see for yourself, Bruce Almighty, Elf and now The Passion of the Christ, finally Debney is doing well for himself. But Debney has in fact always done well in the comedy genre and that is clear here too. With Elf, he makes another lighthearted genre ticking of his style but while Bruce Almighty was very lovely but somewhat in the genre as we heard it before, then Elf has a few more surprises waiting for us. While in the end I like Bruce Almighty more, you kind to have a knack to enjoy Elf because of its curiosities, but when you do, then you're all for it. For instance Elf uses not only the Christmas attitude and occasional famous Christmas jingles but also for instance the accordion. While not the most loveable instrument of all time, it works in a certain kind of way of course. This accordion is used a lot and what or who it actually represents is still unclear, but it still makes a certain kind of flair. But also the whistling at times is a charm attitude and wits up all the hard day feelings when you hear it from the start of the score. The way Elf starts is of course a true dream, with a brief version of the song "Jinglebells" before a choir starts to do a version reminiscent of "Mr. Sandman" in 'Papa Elf', being followed by whistling. None of these pieces comes close to what Bruce Almighty in general sounds like. Makes of course the score fairly new and keen for a time of two. 'Main Title' states back the "Sandman" routine and here the accordion makes its first noticed appearance. Of course brief, you have to dig the sound of the instrument.

This tone of accordion appears for instance elsewhere too, 'A Stroll with Buddy' has the accordion and a tuba together working for or against your pleasure, 'A Walk in the Park' the accordion while 'Spaghetti and Syrup' is a mix of the accordion and the violin in unison. But there are more surprises, 'Christmas Medley' is a funny and enjoyable jazz piece of several famous songs while that jazz is rushed to a great tempo in the crazy 'Attack of the Little People', the whistling appears also in track 5 while too in 'Buddy's Journey' which marks a great orchestral performance of Buddy's theme. This main theme appears tinkling soft in 'Buddy's Theme' while 'Central Park Rangers' has it with light choir and above all a large danger fanfare which starts and ends the cue. Some laid back jazz and piano is heard in 'A Snowman's Advice' while some light action music, with entertaining results spices up 'The Frozen Battlefield'. The same can be said of 'Showdown in the Park', also having the dark fanfare and whistling and accordion while in the end the only Buddy's theme can sort of end this score in 'Buddy and Santa's Flight' in both string and whistling greatness. Together it all isn't that much, and in a way it isn't. I basically like listening much more to the predictable Bruce Almighty, but in a way several people will be interested more in a diverse comic listen as Elf. Its for certain persons because the accordion and whistling isn't really that interesting for several people, and the really high points can not make the entire album work. But as a overall listening experience, its more the quality of the score that can entertain you while not actually paying attention at it. Debney's voice is also somewhat not that predictable but when the action or larger orchestral portions are heard, then we hear it too clearly. Altogether, Elf isn't so grand, but for 30 minutes solely, its more then a diverse score that can cheer you up when you are down. I guess the same can be said of the film.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Papa Elf (1.35)

2. Main Title (1.58)

3. Buddy's Journey (2.37)

4. A Stroll With Buddy (1.31)

5. Christmas Medley (2.22)

6. Weird Wonderland (1.34)

7. The Frozen Battlefield (1.28)

8. Buddy's Theme (0.57)

9. Santa's In Trouble (2.05)

10. A Walk In The Park (1.00)

11. Attack Of The Little People (1.14)

12. Central Park Rangers (2.53)

13. Working With Dad (0.36)

14. A Snowman's Advice (1.46)

15. Showdown In The Park (3.31)

16. Buddy And Santa's Flight (1.15)

17. Spaghetti And Syrup (1.36)

Total Length: 30.08

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

=== Link to Composer Site: John Debney ===