Wrong Turn 2 (Soundtrack)
Steve Barton
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Music by Bear McCreary
Distributed by La-La Land Records
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Bear McCreary’s music. After endless pestering from friends and colleagues, I had resigned myself to watch an episode of Sci-Fi Channel’s redux of Battlestar Galactica, a show I had absolutely zero interest in. Corny title and bad network I thought. I was quick to eat those words when the first five minutes promptly kicked my ass up into my skull. It wasn’t just good, it was one of the darkest and most daring shows I had ever seen. A large action scene with spaceship dogfights kicked in, and the music suddenly burst into a pulse-pounding mix of deep percussions, electric guitars, and exotic instruments that shook the contents of my bowels. This was the Sci-Fi Channel. Where were the bad FX and cheesy synthesizers?
From that point on I became addicted, not just to the show (sci-fi fan or not – if you’re not watching, shame on you!) but to McCreary’s blistering music, which quickly became the most replayed soundtrack on my iPod. I even sat through the dung-heap that was Rest Stop just so I could hear the man’s score from beginning to end. Now we come to Wrong Turn 2 (review here), McCreary’s second (in a hopefully long) foray into the horror genre. While most people won’t be clamoring to pick up the soundtrack to a DTV sequel, the music – like the film – is a gleefully demented surprise.
With track names like “Birth of Baby Splooge”(!) and “Arrow Through Two Heads” it’s pretty obvious that you’re not getting your typical soundtrack, and the humorous liner notes by McCreary and director Joe Lynch perfectly set up the flavor of the album. If Mike Patton and KMFDM crash-landed into Deliverance, I’d imagine the results would be similar to this hyperactive music fusion. Psychotic banjos, electronics, tribal drums, and hillbilly whistles are just a few of the things you’ll find here, and each track moves with enough intensity to boost your heart rate. Galactica fans will feel right at home with the more percussion-based tracks (“Into The Mill”) while the techno-inspired bits brilliantly spoof reality show music (“Ultimate Survivalist” Theme Song). Completing the film’s 80’s-inspired insanity, Oingo Boingo members Steve Bartek and John Avila even join in on electric guitars.
Sometimes even good soundtracks lose their flavor when they’re not accompanied by the images on screen, but McCreary’s music has the exact opposite effect. Every eclectic note feels more pronounced and makes for great solo listening whether or not you’ve enjoyed or even seen the film. If you like fast-paced experimental music or just feel like creating an earthquake in your living room, look no further than this album!
4 out of 5
Categorized:Reviews
