Full Series The Music of TCW

I hope Kiner stays far, far away from live-action film scores. There’s something so creatively suffocating about “Williams-lite.” In the spirit of George himself, Lucasfilm should keep pushing creative boundaries, including on music, ala the Mandalorian. That score wipes the floor with Kiner’s ten times over. Not even close.

 

If I had to describe any Star Wars composers as 'Williams-lite' (which just seems to imply they're using the same kind of classical music roots as the films), then stuff like Gordy Haab, Mark Griskey, or even John Powell's score for Solo would fit in that mould more (and I love a lot of their work on SW, Powell's being my fave non-Williams' score so far).

Kiner (and the various other tv composers who also worked on TCW) is actually much more novel with his variety of styles, particularly in the early days. Sometimes this is a bit on the nose, like the Season 1 droid arc being scored mostly with techno, something never done in SW before, but there's a lot of work done to create unique soundscapes, so that various planets and such use different instrumentation. Toydaria for example uses a lot of didgeridoo music, the Clones go for more military brass, the Nightsisters have female chanting as a heavy motif. The Jedi Crash duology uses flutes and chirping woodwind, while Naboo uses celtic fiddles.

Yes, Rebels at times, especially early on, uses an unsightly amount of direct quotations from the movies, but anytime Kiner is given the freedom to compose something new, he always goes for it the full amount. To my ear, Kiner's scores are easily separable from Williams'.

 

Yeah, I liked his early TCW stuff much better because of that. Over time, it got more and more derivative.

 

I liked a lot of his more generic scores towards the end, they gave a slightly more downtrodden aesthetic feel than the vibrant music of the first two seasons

 

This is probably my favorite (non-main title) piece from Kiner. It's got a unique style, yet it feels VERY Star Wars.

 

Tracklist for final season episodes 5-8 soundtrack:

Spoiler

01 Trace & Rafa 03:39 - Sean Kiner
02 Getaway Dreams 2:32 - Nolan Markey
03 Ahsoka to the Rescue 2:39 - David Glen Russell
04 Cafe Coruscant 1:52 - Dean Kiner
05 Launching the Silverangel 2:10 - Nolan Markey
06 Droid Madness 1:31 - Kevin Kiner
07 Spices 4:35 - David Glen Russell
08 Evading the Guards 2:11 - David Glen Russell
09 Desperate Breakout 2:14 - David Glen Russell
10 Prison Cell Talk 3:06 - Sean Kiner
11 Explosives 2:41 - Peter Lam/Dean Kiner
12 Pikes and the Dark Side - 2:21 Sean Kiner
13 Chase in the Valley 1:37 - Nolan Markey
14 Ahsoka and the Martez Sisters 2:59 - David Glen Russell/Sean Kiner

I'm still going through them, so I haven't yet sorted them in the spreadsheet, but the first track contains 3 cues from Gone With a Trace.

 

Beautiful. His best stuff so far.

 

I wonder if that beard ever is an inconvenience playing strings like that.

Kiner has now firmly established a motif/theme for Maul between Rebels and S7 TCW, which I think is awesome. He might be the first character from the films to get a non-JW composed motif.

 

Padme would be the first. (Or at least, ahead of line before Maul.)

(and to get really geeky, Luminara and Barriss.)

 

Padme has a motif in The Clone Wars? I must've missed it.

 

That second one is beautiful. It's a shame you can barely hear it in Hostage Crisis.

 

Padme's themes are very nice to listen to.

I think this is my favorite track from the season so far



I love when it starts thumping around 1:12. Reminds me vaguely of the track from "The General" when the 501st starts marching through the narrow canyon which also has some scaling bass. I have no idea what that one is called.

 

Was listening to the new Ahsoka arc soundtrack on Spotify today... they’ve got the pop tune from the wharf/cafe! Coruscant Cafe it’s called... It’s got this sweet Joy Division/Sisters of Mercy vibe!

 

Kiner used the same music for Maul's hologram that he did for him on Rebels. Its not as good as Maul's music from SOLO.

 

I could see it being used in the final Ahsoka/Maul confrontation because Kiner already used it in part for Rebels for that same circumstance.



this new theme for Maul is actually recycled from the Grand Inquisitor; which is appropriate when you consider the double blades, dark side and relationship with Sidious. "Duel of the Fates" is more reserved for the grandiose battle between light and dark, which is why I'm certain we'll hear some of it when Maul and Ahsoka finally clash, after all it will mirror Yoda vs Sidious in the timeline. The established Jedi and Sith vs the rejected Jedi and Sith.

 

Not sure I feel about bringing in the Rebels Maul theme into TCW. That theme has a lost, desolate tone to it which fits the Rebels Maul's lost Gollum-like existence. But in Siege, Maul is at the pinnacle of his power. A mix of it and Savage's theme might fit better? We'll have to see how it works.

 

Don't get me wrong, its fine for Maul on Malachor but not as good as Maul's signature theme from TPM . His Rebels music was basically inspired from the opening of Wagner's Siegfried's Funeral March from his The Ring cycle coupled with Williams' themes for Maul in TPM(as you also get some Sith voices and Duel of Fates intertwined). As Maul is basically a tragic near invincible warrior and demi-god character in the vein of Achilles and Siegfried and the Sith holocron as as basically the The Nibelungs treasure - which belonged originally to evil dwarfs who had a magical but cursed treasure of gold.

 

Maul is 100% not at the peak of his power during SoM. He has lost Talzin, who restored him to full health and was able to enhance his abilities. He also lost his apprentice.

 

I've been unable to find 00:53-End (00:56-End in video) of Droid Madness in the Gone With a Trace, meaning it is possibly unused. Although I could have just simply missed it. Anyone know if it is actually used anywhere?

 

Duel of the Fates/ Death Watch remix

 

Well yes. The music stepped up a notch this last episode.

 

Kiner has completely outdone himself in the last two episodes. Mind-blowing. I’d say he should go even further and drop the occasional lapses back to traditional orchestral music. When he experiments, he knocks it out of the park.