Milan Records release the 1883: Season 1, Vol. 1 original score, by Brian Tyler and Breton Vivian, for the new prequel to Paramount Network’s popular series Yellowstone. The album is the first of an eventual two volumes of music to be released from the first season of the Western drama...

For those that enjoyed the music composed for Yellowstone, the show's prequel 1883 proves to be a more lucrative vein of themes and set pieces. There's a strong Western theme running throughout, but more importantly there's pretty much every emotion captured here, musically. And that's what makes this an album that is well worth seeking out.

Talking about the soundtrack, composer Brian Tyler says: "Scoring 1883 was one of the greatest experiences of my career. Taylor Sheridan has directed an absolutely brilliant work of art and it is an honour to be a part of it. I wanted to compose music that could capture the emotionally powerful story and characters of 1883. The music needed to convey struggle, heartbreak, beauty, pain, love, stoicism, sorrow, and resilience. The journey of these characters is an echo of all of us and the music had to have a sense of timelessness. The score is symphonic with a layer of choir to give it an emotionally powerful feel alongside solo fiddles, hurdy gurdy, various stringed instruments from early America, and Native American percussion. The main themes feel ancient and mystical to convey the feeling of the characters continuously entering the unknown. Collaborating with Breton Vivian has been an amazing continuation from our work on Yellowstone. I am so grateful for this opportunity to work with Taylor on our third and most ambitious project yet."

The collection includes 27 tracks (1 hr, 19 min, 35 sec) and is one that doesn't demand your total attention. You can easily put this on in the background and soak up the soothing set pieces. Personally, I'm looking forward to hearing more from the forthcoming second volume.

8

Darren Rea