{"id":2166,"date":"2011-01-12T19:56:10","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T00:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=2166"},"modified":"2011-01-12T19:56:10","modified_gmt":"2011-01-13T00:56:10","slug":"cd-i-sell-the-dead-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=2166","title":{"rendered":"CD: I Sell the Dead (2008)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews<\/a> \/ <\/em>I<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Rating: Excellent<\/p>\n

Label: MovieScore Media (Sweden) \/ Released:\u00a0July 13, 2010<\/p>\n

Tracks & Album Length:\u00a018 tracks \/ (44:24)<\/p>\n

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Special Notes:\u00a0Available on CD and as a digital album<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Composer: Jeff Grace<\/p>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

Although Jeff Grace has scored a number of horror films, the black comedic style of I Sell the Dead<\/strong> shows the composer in a much lighter & happier mood, using less grim experimental techniques and shrillness, and opting for a quirky title theme that evokes pure skullduggery.<\/p>\n

The score is meant to capture the comedic nuances of the actors as they dig up cadavers, confront zombies, and try and outwit a ruthless rival gang who ply the same grave-robbing skills for profit. Grace\u2019s main theme is built on top of a steady rhythm, somewhat reminiscent of Nino Rota\u2019s carnivalesque themes for Fellini, with low brass and nervous, fluttering ornamentation from flutes and clarinets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWake Snatching\u201d is a more diffuse theme variation where Grace uses an Irish fiddle jig to underscore the rapid corpse-snatching during a busy wake, and the rustic acoustic instruments perfectly capture the energy of the caper and chase, as well as the grungy atmosphere of the 19th century period.<\/p>\n

Most of the score is derived from the pulsing skulking motif, with the tempo often broken up or frozen for brief pauses, and short woodwind flourishes punctuating the misanthropic characters as their earnest attempts to make a living are confounded by undead cadavers.<\/p>\n

\u201cA What Witch?\u201d is drunken theme variation with soft oomp-papa keeping the pace, and the occasional twang from a rubbery mouth harp, whereas other cues are reminiscent of Jerry Goldsmith\u2019s orchestral comedy writing, such as the use of loose tempi and woodwinds to deepen the absurdity of characters caught in socially improper situations (\u201cValentine Kelly\u201d).<\/p>\n

At 44 mins., MovieScore Media\u2019s CD presents the bulk of the score, and it\u2019s a fun, mordant ride as Grace uses his brilliance with orchestras to craft a work that playfully contrasts light themes with sometimes dark and dissonant imagery (\u201cGuts for Garters\u201d), delves into tongue-in-cheek silliness (such as the up-tempo \u201cA Hard Slog,\u201d with sliding notes and harpsichord), or aims for more straight-faced horror in the eerie \u201cA Foot?\u201d with multiple actions from brass, percussion, and strings gnashing their way through a blend of comedic and horrific statements before a soft fadeout.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2011 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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Related links:<\/em><\/p>\n

Interview: Composer Jeff Grace<\/a> <\/strong>(2009 & 2010)<\/p>\n

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Related external links (MAIN SITE):<\/p>\n

DVD \/ Film: \u00a0I Sell the Dead<\/a> <\/strong>(2008)<\/p>\n

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External References:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>— Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Soundtrack Reviews<\/a> <\/em>\/\u00a0I<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Return to:\u00a0Home \/\u00a0Soundtrack \u00a0Reviews \/ I . Rating: Excellent Label: MovieScore Media (Sweden) \/ Released:\u00a0July 13, 2010 Tracks & Album Length:\u00a018 tracks \/ (44:24) . Special Notes:\u00a0Available on CD and as a digital album. . Composer: Jeff Grace . . Review: Although Jeff Grace has scored a number of horror films, the black comedic style […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[33],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-yW","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2166"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2169,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166\/revisions\/2169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}