Bear Necessities

It's been a few years since the TV series Caprica went off the air, the short-lived prequel spin-off of Battlestar Galactica. The series showed occasional hints of greatness amid a sea of flaws, but one element that was always consistent was the musical score by composer Bear McCreary. Continuing his work on Battlestar Galactica, he evolved a new soundscape that clearly felt part of the same universe while still staking out new ground of its own.

A soundtrack album of the pilot episode was released during the series' original run. Now, La-La Land Records has released a 2-CD set of music taken from all throughout the show's 20-episodes. And I'm far too big a fan of Bear McCreary's work to pass it up.

The overall tone of Caprica's music is much less flashy than that of Battlestar Galactica. While the pulsing percussion that was the parent show's signature sound does show up on occasion, Caprica is dominated by mournful wind instruments, quiet strings, and minor melodies. Listening to the soundtrack in isolation (and reading the CD set's well-researched liner notes) also made me realize just how clever the work was.

The themes Bear McCreary established for the Greystone family and the Adama family are readily apparent in the compositions, but what was less apparent was how they transformed over the life of the show. As you make your way through both discs, the two melodies slowly change and intertwine. Ultimately, as each family influences the other (one growing more corrupt and the other digging in on principles), the two melodies swap instrumentation, each theme being presented on the instruments usually reserved for the other. It's surprisingly subtle in the context of the show, but screams loud when listening to the music in isolation. And it's damn smart writing, a true symphonic representation of the storyline that played out over a season.

Accenting the work are great crossover moments with Battlestar Galactica's music. The Cylons are depicted with the same loud eastern percussion of the parent show. The relationship between Joseph Adama and his son is often scored with phrases from the melody used to represent William Adama and his son Lee on Galactica. So not only does Caprica's music stand well on its own, it works within the greater fabric of the Galactica universe.

But this new soundtrack isn't one I expect I'll be listening to straight through again. That's because scattered throughout, and amounting to nearly a entire half disc's worth of material, are a number of "source music" cues. And very few of them are enjoyable. I have little interest in hearing a warbling tenor sing the planetary anthem "Caprica Abides." Even less do I want to hear the "V club" scream-o rap "Voices of the Dead." Back to back source cues from the episode "Gravedancing" leave me cold. It's a lot of music that really doesn't play well except in the context of the given episode, and I wish it wasn't crowding out other score from the discs.

So overall, the collection isn't perfect. Still, if you're a fan of Bear McCreary's work as I am, it's a must-have. I give it a B.