Compliments of Apple, we all have the luxury of walking around with our own personal soundtracks bleeding into every step, every breath, and every daydream. Some of us err on the side of the Top 40 charts or whatever super cool, so-ultra-trendy-I-could-puke tracks are currently featured on Hipster Runoff and then there are those whose auditory preferences lead toward Star Wars or American Beauty, i.e. film scores.
For fans of the latter, enter Mark Petrie.
A decadent stratification of everything from a strings section to the mating call of the horn and brass sections to the warm buzz of synth pads and feedback, Petrie’s work is pregnant with colorful and sometimes dramatic emotion.
“Kotahitanga Haka,” bellows ominously in its first breaths with male chanting setting up what would unfold onscreen as a final battle between the hero and his antagonist. A more hopeful song, “The Legend Lives On,” soars in the ascending swell of strings and swirl of overlapping cymbals–this is the end of the race track pulling you, guiding you, encouraging you to press on to the finish line.
the vicarious auditory escape for those with headphones
Although classical music is not for everyone, film fanatics might not shy from living out the glory of Lester Burnham or Luke Skywalker or even Spider-Man while strutting along city sidewalks in the blue light of the morning or tearing along the slopes at Keystone with poles in hand while Craig Armstrong‘s piano work shines along the diamond-dotted snow over which they travel.
In the case of Mark Petrie, the vicarious auditory escape for those with headphones are the adventures of Green Lantern or The Hobbit or any superhero of their choice: more than 60 shows have featured Petrie’s work and yet, it stands alone in its quality and silver screen experience–without said screen.
Mark Petrie is found online at Soundcloud, Facebook and his official website.
“Kotahitanga Haka”
“Misty”
Sal Christ is a writer with headphones glued to her ears. Getting some hang time upside down daily is of the utmost importance, as is an obsession with the PCH. For more music action, follow her on Twitter or email her.