IR TV Review: DISNEY GALLERY - THE MANDALORIAN - EPISODE 7 ("Score") [Disney+]
The essence of music in any show is important but with "Star Wars", it is equally daunting. With Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, it was about thinking outside the box. Composer Ludwig Goransson is an interesting choice but not an all together unexpected one. His approach is very experimental and that sometimes can be tricky for people working on a big franchise or moving placement because of money and expectation. This is an issue that probably came with Vangelis after composing ground changing work on "Blade Runner". It is significantly hard to follow up something like that. What is interesting here is how recommendations of younger collaborators influenced Favreau in many ways. He had heard of Goransson in passing and heard of his work with Ryan Coogler, whom it is revealed was his roommate at USC and worked with him through his first film "Fruitvale Station" to "Creed" and onto "Black Panther". "Panther" of course was important because of the use of different sounds in order to find the correct approach and tone.
The same can be said of "The Mandalorian". While it is not spoken of, there is definitely in the intro of the theme a Middle Eastern influence. But as the episode goes on, just seeing the basis of certain sounds using old school analog aspects with computer elements is fascinating. Goransson doesn't want to write in front of a computer he says so as a result his sounds are new but he uses technoloy to capture it. It is a way to work that is both new and old. In the roundtable, Favreau and Filoni seem to take over the conversation but in the interior of the studio, Gorannson is a teacher and shows the process. Favreau also heard about him from Donald Glover since Gorannson had scored "Community" and that is how the collaboration for Childish Gambino seemed to happened. Gorannson won Grammys for Record & Song Of The Year for it.
It almost seems that they are underplaying his greatness and possibility of what he has accomplished. Beyond the hip hop and popular music stylings, he has done what "Rogue One" and "Solo" for the most part coudn't quite do and that is create a whole new sound while not losing what was before it. And yet also not reusing any themes and creating his own. It is a feat, even more so when one hears the story. Gorannson knows how to produce too. But the best piece of footage is on the set of Bryce Dallas Howard's episode when he brings the first recording of the theme with the flutes to set on his phone. Favreau freaks out and Howard is hit by it too. That is one of the moments when it might have finally become real what they were doing. Music has that power.A-
By Tim Wassberg