Friday, April 26, 2024

Alien: Covenant

 


Alien: Covenant
(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Music by
Jed Kurzel

To commemorate this year's Alien Day, Renovatio Records proudly presents the score for the 2017 film Alien: Covenant. Directed by Ridley Scott and featuring a stellar cast including Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Demián Bichir, the film serves as a direct sequel to the 2012 hit Prometheus. The film follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they journey to a remote planet, only to confront perilous encounters with hostile life-forms, including the enigmatic android David, survivor of the ill-fated Prometheus expedition. While the film received mixed reactions from critics and audiences alike, its undeniable strengths lie in its breathtaking set pieces, impeccable production design, and heart-pounding suspense.

The music of the Alien franchise has always been a topic of discussion among film music enthusiasts. From Jerry Goldsmith's iconic score for the original Alien to the varied approaches of subsequent composers, including James Horner, Elliot Goldenthal, John Frizzell, and Marc Streitenfeld, each installment has brought its own sonic identity to the table. The significant variation of musical styles has elicited mixed reactions from audiences with some fans embacing the evolution of the music, while others feeling that certain scores deviated too far from the tone established by Goldsmith's original. 

The music Alien: Covenant was no stranger to controversies. Initially, Scott’s regular collaborator Harry Gregson-Williams was set to compose the score. However, the composer departed due to scheduling difficulties and creative differences. Scott then turned to Australian composer Jed Kurzel for the score. Initially met with skepticism due to this indie rock background, Kurzel defied expectations and managed to deliver a very accomplished piece of work.

In the score for Alien: Covenant, three distinct aspects stand out, each contributing to the film's immersive atmosphere and emotional depth. The first involves the interpolations of Goldsmith’s original Alien theme. Kurzel skillfully makes several hints and references to the classic woodwind, flute and trumpet ideas making standout performances in cues like "Covenant", "Planet No. 4" and "Launcher Landing", evoking a sense of familiarity and nostalgia for longtime fans while seamlessly blending with Kurzel's contemporary vision. The second aspect is Kurzel’s contemplative material that underscore the personal and existential struggles of the colony ship crew. Katherine Waterston’s character is treated with a lamentful piano melody in "A Cabin on the Lake", while a somber yet reassuring motif for the crew, often carried by a French horn, appears in cues such as "Neutrino Burst", "Sails", and the opening of "Terraforming Bay".  These themes effectively convey the characters' sense of loss and the weight of their mission, while also providing surprisingly warm tones. The third aspect is expectedly the horror element, and here is where Kurzel exploits his electronic textures, with ambient suspense and pounding rhythms to build tension and suspense. A two-note theme for the hostile life-forms adds an ominous layer, heightening the sense of danger and dread in cues like "Med Bay", Cargo Lift" and "Terraforming Bay". Kurzel also keeps the string section quite busy during suspenseful sequences. Cues like "Perfect Organism" include chilling bursts of high-pitched string mayhem that will certainly catch you off-guard and give you quite the fright.

Kurzel's execution throughout the score is also commendable, blending orchestral richness with innovative sound design to navigate familiar terrain with both personality and conviction. Moments like those heard in the latter half of "David Appears," as well as in cues such as "Derelict Ship" and "Creation," showcase a juxtaposition of traditional orchestration and modern soundscapes, evoking a captivating sense of both terror and wonder, a feeling that any fan of the Alien franchise can relate to.

Kurzel's score for Alien: Covenant was released as an album by Milan Records in 2017. While presented in chronological form, a number of the cues added to this album were fillers that disrupted the narrative arc of the film. Renovatio Records’ release addresses that issue; while much of the original program is retained, some cues were removed, unreleased material was incorporated, and many cues have been merged together to enhance narrative coherence and musical flow. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the franchise or a newcomer to the world of Xenomorphs, this album certainly promises to captivate.

Join us in celebrating Alien Day by immersing yourself in the spine-tingling soundscape of Alien: Covenant and revisiting our previous releases of the iconic scores that have defined the Alien franchise for generations. Today, we pay homage to the enduring legacy of Ridley Scott's visionary universe. Happy Alien Day!



Track List:

1. Covenant (3:18)
2. Neutrino Burst (2:42)
3. A Cabin on the Lake (2:49)
4. Sails (3:28)
5. Planet No. 4 (3:06)
6. Launcher Landing (2:33)
7. Derelict Ship (2:09)
8. Med Bay (5:55)
9. David Appears (5:09)
10. Survivors (2:03)
11. Payload Deployment (1:37)
12. Command Override (2:34)
13. Bestiary (3:48)
14. Creation (1:55)
15. Perfect Organism (2:54)
16. Cargo Lift Rescue (5:12)
17. Terraforming Bay (4:28)
18. A Kind World (1:38)

Total Running Time: 57:18



Size: 276.3 MB
Files type: FLAC Audio File [.flac]
Channels: 2 (stereo)
Sample Rate: 44.1 KHz
Sample Size: 16 bit
Bit Rate: 1,411 kbps


Cover Artwork:





Credits:

Music by Jed Kurzel

Score Produced by Peter Cobbin & Kirsty Whalley
Executive in Charge of Music for Twentieth Century Fox: Danielle Diego
Music Supervised for Twentieth Century Fox: Patrick Houlihan
Music Production Supervised for Twentieth Century Fox: Rebecca Morellato

Business Affairs for Twentieth Century Fox: Tom Cavanaugh
Music Clearance for Twentieth Century Fox: Ellen Ginsburg

Music Programmer/Engineer: Matt Lovell
Score Orchestrated by Hugh Brunt, Adam Langston, James Brett & John Ashton Thomas
Music Preparation: David Hage for Dakota Music Service
Orchestra Contractor: Isobel Griffiths
Assistant Orchestra Contractor: Lucy Whalley
Conducted by Cliff Masterson and Robert Ames

Performed by London Contemporary Orchestra
Orchestra Leader: Thomas Bowes
Trumpet Solos: Phil Cobb
French Horn Solos: Richard Watkins
Cello Solo: Caroline Dale
Chamber Improvisation: Galya Bisengalieva, Mayah Kadish, Robert Ames, Gregor Riddell & David Brown
Solo Improvisation: Robert Ames
Pre-Record Flute Solos by Helen Greenwood

Score Recorded by Peter Cobbin
Score Mixed by Peter Cobbin & Kirsty Whalley
Score Editors: Cécile Tournesac & Fiona Cruickshank
Scoring Preparation: Cécile Tournesac
Score Recordists: Fiona Cruickshank & John Barrett
Assistant Engineers: John Prestage, Alex Fergurson & Matt Jones
Additional MIDI Programming: David Menke & Jean-Gabriel Raynaud
Score Recorded at Abbey Road Studios & Air Lyndhurst Studios
Score Mixed at Henry Light Studio, London
Music Editors: Tony Lewis & Arabella Winter

"Theme from Alien"
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith

Original Film Score Published by T C F Music Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP)


Cue Assembly:

Track Title

Slate & Cue Title

1. Covenant
1m3 Covenant
2. Neutrino Burst
1m4A Neutrino Burst
3. A Cabin on the Woods
1m4B Packing
1m5B Cabin on the Lake
4. Sails
2m6a Space Funeral
2m6b Sails
5. Planet No. 4
1m5a Team Meeting
2m7 Planet No. 4
6. Launcher Landing
2m9 Launcher Landing
2m10 Wheat Field
7. Derelict Ship
3m11 Spores (Edited)
8. Med Bay
3m13 Med Bay Creature (Edited)
9. David Appears
3m14 Tall Grass Attack
3m15 Dead Civilization
10. Survivors
4m17 80KM
3m16 Survivors of Prometheus
11. Payload Deployment
4m20a Payload Deployment
12. Command Override
4m21 Rosenthal’s Death
4m22 Command Override
4m24 Cargo Lift (Edited)
13. Bestiary
5m25 My Beautiful Bestiary
5m26 Facehugger
14. Creation
5m27 Chestbuster
15. Perfect Organism
5m28 Lonely Perfection (Edited)
5m29 Facehugger Second Attack (Edited)
16. Cargo Lift Rescue
5m30 David vs. Walter – Cargo Lift Rescue (Part 1) (Edited)
17. Terraforming Bay
6m32 I’m Here to Serve
6m36 Terraforming Bay (Edited)
6m36A Daniels Appears
18. A Kind World
6m38 Closing (Alien Covenant Theme) (Edited)

Motion picture artwork, photos and Fox Trademarks and © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
Cover artwork ©2024 Renovatio Records. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
For promotional use only.

Renovatio Records [0-01702-19061]