One of the changes I have been making over the years is that, in addition to writing a regular review about one particular soundtrack a week, I also want to highlight more scores that deserve your attention by writing smaller reviews in one article. You can find the next batch of these scores below.
Washington Black – Cameron Moody
What I love about being in contact with fellow film music critics is that they can inform me about gorgeous scores I might have missed otherwise. One of those scores is from Washington Black by Cameron Moody, which was an unknown composer to me before I listened to his music. I am happy with Jon Broxton’s recommendation, because the music for this TV Show on Hulu is beautiful. It is an orchestral score with a lot of wonderful melodies that evoke a lot of emotion. The music is subtle with just the strings and additional instruments at certain moments, while in others, the entire orchestra is used to give the music the power it needs. I am not going to recommend tracks for you to listen to, because all of them are worthy of your attention. I will keep an eye on Cameron Moody. If this is one of his first scores, I am excited about what he will bring next.
William Tell – Steven Price
Do you remember William Tell? It is a movie that came out at the start of 2025. If you do not, I don’t blame you, because the only thing I remembered about it was one movie poster that I saw at the movie theater back then. I forgot about that film as well until I came across the score Steven Price had written for it. When I listened to it, I immediately regretted not seeing the film, because Price wrote an impressive orchestral score. Its main theme is especially extraordinary, which is integrated wonderfully into the music for this film. Unfortunately, I have seen no one talk about this movie and its score, because this music deserves your attention, and it does not even need the film to be enjoyed.
Karma: The Dark World – Geng Li
When I finished listening for two and a half hours to the music for the game Karma: The Dark World, composed by Geng Li, I knew I had to write something about it. The reason for it is unique, because for like more than seventy percent of the score, I did not like it at all. The game is a psychological thriller, and this is evident in the majority of the score, with more sound design than music. The “Karma Suite” as the first track had me intrigued with some gorgeous play by the strings, and some weird time manipulations, but after the two menu tracks, my listening experience went downhill, with mostly no melody at all. I am glad I persisted, because in the latter half of the album, the gorgeous music returns in some tracks, such as “Winter Maze” with the beautiful violin solo or “Love Theme.” The outstanding music by the strings from the last-mentioned piece also returns in the final track “Karma.”
Luckily, with streaming platforms, you can make your own playlists, but I would have preferred that this was done beforehand. This album could at least have been cut in half music-wise, or at least have the gorgeous emotional tracks more at the beginning. This way more people would have enjoyed Geng Li’s music, who may have peaced out halfway through, like I also almost did.
