Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight Soundtrack [2008] [2CD - Special Edition] [FLAC] [7L]

Even high-budget Hollywood movies generally get by with one A-list composer, but the renewed Batman series that kicked off with Batman Begins under the direction of Christopher Nolan in 2005 used two, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, both of whom return for the second installment, The Dark Knight. Although Zimmer and Howard are co-credited with each of the cues (with Lorne Balfe given a credit for unspecified "additional music"), their styles are sufficiently distinct that their individual contributions don't seem hard to delineate. The highly percussive synthesized music, much of it seemingly already mixed in with sound effects, sounds like Zimmer; the more conventional orchestral passages, sometimes giving way to solo piano, sound like Howard (who is, in fact, credited with playing piano on the soundtrack). Both approaches are combined in these sometimes lengthy cues, however. Those pounding, thunderous drums (or synthesized percussive effects) are never absent for long, even if certain tracks, notably "Harvey Two-Face," "Blood on My Hands," and "Watch the World Burn," have a pastoral, classical feel. Other tracks, such as "I'm Not a Hero" and "A Little Push," in which the percussion dominates, may be more Zimmer than Howard. Still, the two work well together on a score that, by definition, is "dark," laden with ominous sounds and relentlessly rhythmic accompaniments to the fast-paced action in the film. [Warner Bros. issued an expanded edition in 2008 as well. It included an additional 14-track CD of bonus material.


--Allmusic

CD 1


1. Why So Serious? (9:14)
2. I'm Not a Hero (6:34)
3. Harvey Two-Face (6:16)
4. Aggressive Expansion (4:36)
5. Always a Catch (1:40)
6. Blood on My Hands (2:16)
7. A Little Push (2:43)
8. Like a Dog Chasing Cars (5:03)
9. I am the Batman (2:00)
10. And I Thought My Jokes Were Bad (2:29)
11. Agent of Chaos (6:55)
12. Introduce a Little Anarchy (3:42)
13. Watch the World Burn (3:48)
14. A Dark Knight (16:15)


CD 2


1. Bank Robbery (Prologue) (05:23)
2. Buyer Beware (02:55)
3. Halfway To Hong Kong (03:43)
4. Decent Men In An Indecent Time (02:50)
5. You're Gonna Love Me (04:51)
6. Chance (03:33)
7. You Complete Me (04:50)
8. The Ferries (09:57)
9. We Are Tonight's Entertainment (05:37)
10. A Watchful Guardian (06:45)
11. Why So Serious? (The Crystal Method Remix) (05:30)
12. Poor Choice Of Words (Paul van Dyk Remix) (06:14)
13. Gunpowder And Gasoline (Mel Wesson Remix) (04:33)
14. Rory's First Kiss (Ryeland Allison Remix) (06:03)