Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein – “Stranger Things 2 (Soundtrack from the Netflix Original Series)”
Album Reviews | Dec 1st, 2017
Record Label: Lakeshore Records
Genre: Film Score
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Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein from Survive are back with the second season of Stranger Things 2. To say that these guys have blown up on the map is an understatement. The second season of the series was great, as well as the music on the show. The score is brilliant in spots, and other times it feels like subtle background music.
The score features more of the same from first season but there’s some new things that the duo experimented with. “Walkin in Hawkins” is a good introduction back into the show and the music. I noticed it on the show and notice it on the score, when they are thinking about Barb or someone dies. There’s this BB-8 sounding singing over the synth score and it sounds…different but I like it. You can hear it in the track “Eulogy.”
The beginning of the score sounds a lot better because it’s not just action cues or thrilling type of scare music that might happen on the show. The first time I listened to the second season score, I definitely didn’t like it as much as the first season score. After a few listens, it grows on you and you notice things that you might have missed the last time. I feel like the show has the main motif or the duh-duh-duh-etc sound more than it does on the soundtrack. You can hear some of it in “Looking for a Way Out” but I wish they would use it more. It gets quiet in the middle of the score but “Soldiers” stands out, which seems like a cover of a Depeche Mode song. It starts to pick up steam again around “Crib” and “The Return.” “Escape” is a really good techno synth-y tune and a highlight on the entire score.
I liked the music better on the show than I do on this album. It’s still very good, but the tracks are hit or miss. The subtle, spooky type of tracks work for the show but not the type of score I listen to a lot. Song that I listed as highlights are the types of tracks I would listen to over and over though. I wish the composers would use the main motif more in the score because it’s such a killer theme song.
Bottom Line: Just as good as the first season’s music but slightly different and more experimental
Notable Tracks: Walkin in Hawkins, Eulogy, Presumptuous, Looking for a Way Out, Escape
Overall Rating:
