StreamingSoundtracks.com - Afterwards

#	Track Listing	Length	Played
01	The Wonder Of Life Alexandre Desplat	2:57	44
02	Crossroad Alexandre Desplat	4:58	22
03	River Flows Alexandre Desplat	3:00	32
04	N.D.E Alexandre Desplat	4:25	9
05	Vision Alexandre Desplat	2:05	14
06	Dandelions Alexandre Desplat	2:16	27
07	Alexandre C Alexandre Desplat	1:25	7
08	New Mexico Alexandre Desplat	3:19	9
09	Last Exit To Albuquerque Alexandre Desplat	2:15	7
10	White Sand Alexandre Desplat	1:19	7
11	Kind Of Red Alexandre Desplat	5:16	8
12	The Messenger Alexandre Desplat	4:50	8
13	Tell Me When Alexandre Desplat	2:09	6
14	Here & Now Alexandre Desplat	1:20	8
15	The Night Blooming Cereus Alexandre Desplat	3:00	10
16	Angel Reflections Alexandre Desplat	3:12	18
17	The Swan's Song Alexandre Desplat	2:22	21
18	Lost Alexandre Desplat	2:53	43

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Reviewers Rating

1 review done for this album.

Simplistic but moving score

By:	jadedtitan
Date:	16 Aug 2009
Rating:

Alexandre Desplat has certainly made his mark on Hollywood films, adding a foreign flair to the norm circling the score composing world. While Desplat usually uses a minimalist style, never very many instruments or loud bombastic music, his simple scores add a great deal of feeling and emotion to the films they are trying to portray giving the listener a better feel for the characters. This is a great score to showcase Desplat’s style, few instruments are used but they are used in a way that best gives the listener a way to feel.

The first track, Wonders Of Life, introduces the listener to the main theme heard throughout the film. It is played out on just a piano to start, a simple but touching song. It increases in its intense feelings as background strings enter the track and push the theme further in its emotion; ending the track with just the piano replaying the theme over again. Crossroads is the second track, again starting with the piano in the simplistic and minimalist style. A few soft notes to begin as the strings take up the main melody, switching between the two as they interplay throughout the track. The soft jazz styled trumpet adds to the track with a few notes interjecting into the mixture of other instruments. A soft suspense filled track.

River Flows again showcases the piano and soft string in the background. The piano wanders across the keyboard like a river, meandering through the notes it plays, soft slow and in no hurry to get to the end. N.D.E. is composed of the same strings and piano combination, few notes, minimalist style again, with very little music able to portray a lot of emotional background. It is similar to Crossroads with the jazz trumpet coming in for its few notes. Vision starts off with the slow strings but quickly moves into quick hastened playing, giving the feeling of pressing need to get something done.

Dandelions goes back to the piano and string pairing, the piano again creating the melody and the strings following along quietly in the background. Changing from the others, midway the strings build to a crescendo, build the emotion and then fade back down as the piano comes back into the melody. Alexandre C is a short string dominated track, just a few notes back and forth creating a moody feeling. New Mexico is a bit more hurried than the other slow moving track previously played. The track is still dominated by the strings, doing most of the melody carrying in this track. The violin and piano make solo but brief appearances throughout the track.

Last Exit To Albuquerque starts with a wind instrument solo with the hurried strings accompanying it. The violins take up the melody, minimal in style until dissonant brass comes in to create a foreboding to the feel of the track. They play a quick few notes, leaving the string to carry the slow eerie melody to the end. White Sand brings back the solo piano and introduces the solo cello working with the piano to create a slow mournful type song. Kind Of Red takes the listener back to the string accompaniment of the piano, needing only a few notes it provides the emotion and depth in a simplistic way. The brass comes in mid track to create the hurried feeling then again going back to the slow strings as noted in previous tracks.

The Messenger again has the jazz trumpet, solo piano and strings in the background. The few notes that are played by each instrument are short, concise and give the listener a feel for the moment, hurrying along as the strings pick up the pace as the track progresses. Tell Me When again showcases the jazz trumpet but in a much quicker paced track. The brief but insisting strings give a frantic feel to the track, accompanied by occasional brass. The track is mostly dominated by the strings and increases in intensity till the high point near the end of the track. Here & Now takes us back again to the hurried strings providing background for the solo piano and violin which Trade off turns to provide the melody for the track. The Night Blooming Cereus takes us back to the slow jazz trumpet and string accompaniment, building for a mid track crescendo and going back to the soft slow feel. The end brings in the solo wind instrument and the sad notes of the violins in the back.

Angel Reflection has solo piano with the long notes of the violins in the background. The piano again gives that feeling, with its slow, precise notes, one at a time, just the minimal to give the listener that emotional feel. The solo jazz trumpet comes back in also, giving a similar feel as of that of the previous tracks. The Swan's Song brings back the solo piano accompanied by moody strings in the background, the piano plays the most prominent part, giving a richer feel to the song. Lost ends the score with the main theme reprises its role on the piano. This track is much like the first track, with the strings in the background creating a moody feel to the song and adding more depth to end the score. This track fully brings back the main theme and the deep emotional pull of the music created by Desplat.

I have come to appreciate Desplat more as I listen to him more often. This score is no different. I love the piano he uses and the simplistic way he scores complex emotions. A must listen for anyone wanting something simple in style but complex in depth created through the music.

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