• Review by Leo Mayr - December 12, 2018

In recent years, Brian Tyler has been known mostly for his high energy action scores, ranging from explosions and car chases to superheroes and the occasional mummy. Recently, however, Tyler has taken on more and more projects that aren’t dominated by loud brass fanfares and action. Yellowstone is one such score.

Yellowstone is a TV show set in the modern day wild west, following a family that has to deal with quite a bit of conflict. Tyler delivers a fantastic score that, while exciting and intense at times, captures a calmer and more intimate atmosphere.

As is to be expected from a Tyler score, the album features a stunning, concert-worthy main theme that wonderfully introduces the show’s setting and atmosphere. While the theme doesn’t pop up nearly as much as it could have, the times when it does appear do stick out all the more.

What follows is some of Tyler’s most intimate and engaging music to date. For most of the show’s runtime, the score consists of calm moments, dominated by gorgeous melodies and instrumentation. The music is written mostly for strings, with a lot of the quieter moments focusing on stunning piano melodies. Through orchestration, Tyler always manages to keep a safe distance from clichéd western sounds, only occasionally using sounds and instruments you’d expect from the genre.

In a recent interview with Film.Music.Media, Brian Tyler mentioned that he actively pursued getting the job on Yellowstone, and it shows. The effort put into the music, the gorgeous orchestration and wonderfully constructed scenes really emphasize that this wasn’t “just another day at work” for Tyler. While the show isn’t exactly getting praised, Tyler’s score is definitely worth experiencing within and apart from the show.

  • 4/5