Project Excelsior | Adam Young Score Review

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."

This one's not my favorite, I'll be honest. It's comparable to The Ascent of Everest, which had great style and musical quality but didn't tell the story very well. 

While the music is beautiful, and it may very well grow on me the way Everest did, I still don't think it has those highs and lows and the emotion that all of the other scores have had (minus Everest). However, I've been reading online that fans like Project Excelsior and The Ascent of Everest more than Omaha Beach or Miracle In the Andes because it's "boring and repetitive". They say it's his best score yet. 

Which I think is a load of bullcrap. 

I do applaud it for it's splashes of the musical styles of previous Adam Young work, such as Ocean Eyes or Maybe I'm Dreaming. The guitar work on this is stellar - truly the hands of a master. 

Like The Ascent of Everest, I have mixed feelings, but maybe it's just my taste.  I'm sure it will grow on me. 

Here's how it ranks with the past scores. 

1. Omaha Beach, June
2. The RMS Titanic, March
3. Apollo 11, February
4. Miracle In the Andes, July
5. The Spirit of St. Louis, April
6. The Ascent of Everest, May
7. Project Excelsior, August

I also must commend James R. Eads, the artist. When I initially saw this piece, without even having heard the music, I was pulled in. Suddenly, I felt so small and the world felt so grand. Without anything else, I felt the grandeur, the wonder, of Joseph Kittinger as he was suspended, face to face with the earth. 


Listen to the score here. 

artwork by James R. Eads

1. The Pilot

Inciting with a plucking guitar, this song boasts with humble bravery of the man making this great jump.  

2. Preparations

Relaxing and dreamy, this track emulates the monotony of preparing with beautiful acoustic guitar. 

3. Helium Balloon 

Wide-eyed and glimmering with synths and bells, the listener is taken up in a helium balloon to float among the music. 
4. Ground Crew

Riddled with guitar riffs and ground-breaking synths, this song establishes the ground crew with a song that grows to the awe-inspiring liftoff. 

5. The Ascent

Inventive with it's use of melodies, this score sends us shooting into space with wonder.
6. The Highest Step In The World

A magically phenomenal track, and maybe the best on the album, this song is captivatingly beautiful with piano and synths to awe the listener with. 

7. The Jump

Dance-able and epic, this track races with guitar melodies that range in an exciting array. 

8. The Descent

Techno and influenced by science-fiction music, this song lets the listener soar down through the atmosphere with glorious electric guitar and incorporating previous melodies.   
9. On The Ground

Peaceful and like a breath of fresh air, this track closes the album with acoustics, piano, and synths that speak of sweet relief. 

~

I think the biggest problem with this and Everest was that I couldn't picture it in my head. 

And maybe that's just me. 

~The WordShaker