Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email


2025 October 13 • Monday

The 878th Soundtrack of the Week is The Runestone's score by David Newman.

"Prologue/Main Title and Discovery" begins with long tones and echoey percussion hits before strings and horns introduce the main theme, a swaying 3/4 piece that apparently was inspired by "Teddy Bear's Picnic".

The next piece, "The Runestone Travels", is a Goldsmithesque suspense-in-motion composition that could easily fit into a Marvel movie today.

More echo percussion starts "The Voices Appear/What Do You Want?", which gets a lot out of long synth tones and blending electric and acoustic instruments for a tense atmosphere.

Some syncopated triad patterns give "Supernatural Romance" an urgent pulse that's occasionally interrupted by sustained notes.

A bass drone, monomaniacal hitting of one note, echoed percussion, string pads and some ethereal synth sounds start out "The Keys/No Turning Back", which ends with a relentless action/horror section that has swooping strings and a pounding march-like figure.

The triad play from "Supernatural Romance" gets a different voice from the strings for "Second Killing" before bringing back the march-like feel of "No Turning Back" and some James Horner-like brass writing.

"Martin Grabs Maria/Martin Is Crazy" is a feature for the synth in its melodic, rhythmic and textural capacities, as well as its ability to blend with other instruments. There are several different moods here, none comforting but all interesting and well done.

The triad motif returns in a different synth voice and slowed down for "No Atheists in Foxholes", which has a soothing celestial quality to it.

The beginning of "Marla Escapes Fenrir" would have fit in nicely among some of Lalo Schifrin's Mission: Impossible cues but segues into more of a horror/dread/awe area quickly.

The lovely main melody with its minor thirds and achingly beautiful feel comes back for "Heavy Petting" and then it's a mixture of bittersweet synth textures and driving, agitated action music for "Bingo/To the Mine".

Heavy synth pads and grooves, echoey percussion and lots of space open up "Slaughters at an Exhibition/Sigvaldson to the Rescue", which has some intense musical explosions while creating feelings of intrigue and pulse-pounding forward movement and, ultimately, terror.

"Jakomin/Fenrir vs. Officer Newman" starts with an uptempo run through the triad motif, making it sound like John Carpenter's Halloween theme's next-door neighbor. There's some very effective piano work in here too.

A different groove and a different, mysterious feel open "Battle/Round One", which also brings out the brass instruments for some fanfare-like figures.

"Fenrir Is Held Back" has some of the giant orchestral intensity of oft-used cues from the original Star Trek series while "Sigvaldson Offers Assistance/Persuasive Eyes" slows things down for a few minutes of more contemplative though still compelling music.

Some beautiful piano and woodwinds playing are the feature of "That's Enough" after which the full ensemble brings the energy level way up for several cues that use Newman's action and horror themes so far: "Jacob Gets the Axe/Sigvaldson & Fenrir Reunited"/"Jacob Brings the Axe/Final Battle" and "They Kill Fenrir/Final Scene".

Then it's time for the "End Credits", a mostly subdued piece that plays with variations on the main themes, and then "The Party", a groovy synth track that starts with a Miami Vice feel but becomes a more lighthearted dance track at the end.