arscape is one of SCI FI's most popular programs, not only
because it offers an engaging story arc and colorful characters, but also due to
its inventive soundtrack. Music from the show's first two seasons is now available on a new CD, presenting fans of the series with an eclectic selection of electronic melodies.
The opening half of the 23-cue collection is devoted to the program's
maiden year. Composed by SubVision--an Australian ensemble comprising
Chris, Braedy and Toby Neal--these works incorporate extensive sampling
and audio processing. The energetic "Theme from Farscape" merges a
hypnotic female chant with a potent beat, while "Time Trouble"
intermingles forceful percussion and choral components. Tracks such as "Maldis," with
its unusual Middle Eastern motif, and "Fields of Joy," which features subtle
Indian intonations, emphasize the team's ethnic influences, just as quiet
keyboards and shimmering effects on numbers like "Delvian Dreams" and
"Parting Comrades" elicit a traditional "space music" ambiance.
Guy Gross, a classically trained musician, created the 11 cuts culled from the show's second season. His contributions--also produced largely
through samplers--sound somewhat more orchestral than those of SubVision.
"Pilot Arrives" launches this portion of the disc with a resonant,
militant atmosphere, although subsequent cues such as "Romance" and "Crichton's
Wedding" showcase genuinely tender themes. Other works, like "Goodbye
Caveman" and "Parasite Hunting," offer poignant, plaintive elements, which
are combined with slightly mysterious tones on such tracks as "The Nogelti
Crystal" and "Crichton's Daughter."
Along with a three-sentence synopsis of the series, the liner notes
contain brief comments from Gross and Farscape executive producers
Rockne S. O'Bannon and David Kemper. Photographs of all the musicians are
also included, plus numerous images from the show and a small advertising
insert hawking various Farscape collectibles.
Evocative, diverse and distinctive
As concisely described in the booklet accompanying the disc,
Farscape follows the adventures of a group of disparate individuals
who encounter "exotic lands and extraordinary civilizations." The music
must therefore accentuate the show's eccentric settings and characters. To
varying degrees, both SubVision and Gross accomplish this objective, creating an
effective and generally pleasing mélange of innovative compositions.
Derived from the program's premiere episode, "Wormhole!" is clearly the
most dynamic cue on the album. From its exhilarating percussive opening
through various passages filled with electronic effects and strange
noises, the piece simultaneously evokes senses of wonder, danger and excitement.
Other SubVision creations nicely emphasize different aspects of the show:
A mock chorus combined with sampled church bells and an undulating harp
create a reverential yet slightly menacing atmosphere on "Namtar's Magic," just
as "Goodbye" proffers heartache and sorrow through its slow pace and lonely
instrumentation.
The melodies from the second year are equally passionate. "Aeryn and
Velorek" is a lovely number brimming with synthetic strings and delicate
keyboards. Gross even exhibits a skillful sense of humor on such cuts as
"Vorc Arrives," which opens with a soft prelude before introducing creepy
but comical staccato noises.
With a couple of exceptions, Gross's compositions are showcased within
short, two-to-three-cue episodic suites, while most of the SubVision tunes
are presented as stand-alone selections. Coupled with the fact that the
first-year themes are also comparatively atonal, the second-season works
tend to be a bit less abrupt (and therefore more pleasing). Folks unfamiliar
with the show might find the CD uneven, but Farscape fans will discover
that the music, like the series itself, is--as O'Bannon and Kemper keenly
note in their commentary--"emotional, evocative, diverse and
distinctive."
