Snowpiercer
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Composer:Marco Beltrami
Varese Sarabande Records
Tracks: 20
Running Time: 56 minutes
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
Releasing on July 22nd is Marco Beltrami’s score to the fantastic Joon-Ho Bong film, Snowpiercer. Snowpiercer is the name of the post-apocalyptic train which shelters all remaining life on Earth in a dystopian society arranged from the haves in the front of the train and the haves-nots in the back of the train. Chris Evans’s Curtis leads a rebellion from the back to the front and Beltrami’s score excellently compliments his struggle.
Most of the tracks feature heavy metallic percussive beats that emulate the chugging along of the train as well as the battles along the way. Most notably in the “Blackout Fight” track. Fitting for one of the most exciting sequences of the film. Similarly “Steam Car” manages to maintain this train soundscape while also layering in the steamy atmosphere.
Frequently Beltrami lets up on the action to make way for eerie, sparse piano and orchestral work to accent the more decadent cars of Snowpiercer as in “Sushi”. He also manages to work in the thumping club music of the “Seoul Train”–so different visually in the film–into the forward motion of the rest of the score.
I will admit I enjoyed the action score much more in the context of driving the film, but the haunting piano work it kicks off with and spread throughout is more than enough to recommend giving this a listen on its own. Also, much to my amusement the final track also throws in the charmingly terrifying propaganda anthem from the classroom car (Sample: What happens if the engines stops? We all freeze and DIE!).
Track Listing:
1. This is the End
2. Stomp
3. Preparation
4. Requesting An Upgrade
5. Take the Engine
6. Axe Gang
7. Axe Schlomo
8. Blackout Fight
9. Water Supply
10. Go Ahead
11. Sushi
12. The Seven
13. We Go Forward
14. Steam Car
15. Seoul Train
16. Snow Melt
17. Take My Place
18. Yona Lights
19. This is the Beginning
20. Yona’s Theme