Marvel Music is releasing the soundtrack for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. physical CD in October (its initial date of October 9th has been extended due to production delays). The digital album is available now. EMMY Award® winner Bear McCreary (Outlander, The Walking Dead) composed the music for the series.
“I’ve always adored superheroes and their musical fanfares,” said McCreary. “Collaborating with Marvel, Joss Whedon and his creative team is truly a dream come true. Together, we craft a score each week that I hope measures up to the insanely high standards of Marvel fans around the world.”
“The first season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was the most ambitious season of television I have ever been involved in. The sheer scope of this project was daunting: to score 22 episodes in 22 unique orchestral sessions, with orchestras ranging from 55 to 95 players, at the best sound stages in Los Angeles, with each episode requiring minimally 30 minutes of score!”
Included on the soundtrack are some of Marvel and McCreary’s favorite cues, including the main title theme, “Aftermath of the Uprising” and “0-8-4,” and “Cello Concerto” from the episode “The Only Light in the Darkness,” an episode that centered around Coulson’s ex-girlfriend, a cellist.
“My musical fascination with Coulson’s ex began in Episode 11 [The Magical Place]. There was a scene where Raina mentions The Cellist to Coulson and strikes a deep, emotional nerve,” said McCreary. “I was thrilled as I read the script for ‘The Only Light in the Darkness,’ realizing that the episode would not only provide a chance for me to expand the Cellist Theme, but that the character herself would actually play it on screen.” McCreary worked closely with the actress who played The Cellist, Amy Acker, on set to make sure it appeared she was a cello virtuoso.
The episode ‘0-8-4’ blends grandiose orchestral writing with intense synths. McCreary is also noted for his use of ethnic instrumentation in his scores. He described, “this episode is almost entirely one giant action cue (or so it felt when I was writing it) so I relied on the heavy synths and pounding percussion to cut through the chaos during moments when the orchestra alone would be unable to compete with the sound design The South American setting of ‘0-8-4?’ gave me an excuse to bring an ethnic component to the score.”
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. track list follows:
- “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Overture”
- “Showdown at Union Station”
- “0-8-4”
- “Rocket Launch”
- “The Obelisk”
- “Aftermath of the Uprising”
- “Gravitonium”
- “Cal”
- “Cello Concerto”
- “Willing to Sacrifice”
- “Alien DNA”
- “FZZT”
- “Garrett”
