JOHN CARPENTER
"Cathedral" (Sacred Bones; 2026)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
I don't think John Carpenter invented synthwave, but he was the person who first brought it to my attention with his brilliant film scores, including the truly legendary "Halloween" and "Escape From New York."
Synthwave, for those of you that don't know, is typically synthesizer-heavy rock'n'roll, usually instrumental only, that envelops you with its atmospheric sounds and a driving rhythmic beat. You've heard it, whether you think so or not, on tons of film soundtracks and a lot of sci-fi and Halloween tracks. There are a number of synthwave bands out there, including Gunship, Timecop1983, Scandroid and many others, and they all play varying styles of synthwave music (for example, romantic, cinematic, dark, etc.) but they all share that synthwave sound.
John Carpenter has written virtually all of the scores to his movies. The theme to "Halloween" is easily the best known of them all but "Escape to New York" is up there, too. What some may not know is that he has also released several solo albums, most of them in the "Lost Themes" collection. They're all great music and, if you're a fan of Carpenter's film work, you'll enjoy the "Lost Themes" series, too.
"Cathedral" is Carpenter's latest studio collection. He's been playing some of this music on hi live tour but it seems to have taken forever to finally get the album in our hands. Thankfully, it's exactly what we'd expect (both from Carpenter's history and from the album's simple title.) "Cathedral" is a collection of tunes that sound as though they were recorded in an abandoned cathedral, with their dark, synth-heavy melodies, driving beats and stabbing guitar that slashes just like Michael Myers. It's a collection of fourteen tracks that absorb you into the sinister world of John Carpenter, burying you in heavy, throbbing rhythms and atmospheric sounds that let your mind wander, cautiously, through Carpenter's universe.
John Carpenter has a little help here on "Cathedral." Performing with Carpenter are his son, Cody Carpenter and guitarist Dave Davies. According to the album cover, the trio contributed to songwriting as well as musical performance. And I will say that "Cathedral" features more guitar than previous Carpenter albums/scores.
If you're looking for cinematic, atmospheric, immersive music, then John Carpenter's "Cathedral" is probably what you're looking for.
By the way, I just discovered that Cathedral is the official score for John Carpenter's first graphic novel of the same name. Learn more about it and buy it here.
For more information, check out http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com.
"Ghosts
of Mars" (Varese Sarabande; 2001)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
It can be argued that the best part of any John Carpenter movie is its score, written and usually performed by the famed "Halloween" director himself. Carpenter's extraordinary use of synthesizers to create atmosphere, attitude and a sense of action has served him well through the years on such films as "Escape from New York," "Vampires," "Christine," "Assault on Precinct 13" and so on.
But Carpenter's brilliant score-writing and use of synthesizers aren't enough to get him featured on the hallowed pages of Rough Edge. What makes the soundtrack for "Ghosts of Mars" different from Carpenter's previous efforts is his guest musicians. Joining Carpenter on the soundtrack for "Ghosts of Mars" are Steve Vai, Buckethead, members of Anthrax and more.
Not surprisingly, given Carpenter's gift for movie music, the synthesizer sounds and the guitar sounds here blend very well. It works fantastically for the film, giving it the required elements of atmosphere and beefing up the action, but it plays well on CD as well. You're not going to bang your head to it, but it's a great listen when you're in the mood for something different. Keep in mind it's all instrumental (and not all guitars) and it's probably a little slower than you're used to hearing from the likes of Vai and Anthrax, but it still kicks ass - within the movie or without.
By the way, there's a great documentary on the DVD of the film about the making of the score. Check it out if you haven't seen it.
For more information, check out http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
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