Doctor Who: Series 6 (Original Television Soundtrack)

Album Review

Featuring a staggering 66 pieces of music spread over two discs, BAFTA-nominated composer Murray Gold's official soundtrack to the sixth series of BBC's flagship sci-fi show, Doctor Who, is by far his most sprawling and ambitious to date. Once again featuring the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (conducted by Ben Foster), the instrumental score features music from all 13 episodes of the 2011 season, although some are under-represented (just three brief pieces appear from The Girl Who Waited), while others are paid much more attention (eight numbers are selected from finale The Wedding of River Song). Skillfully echoing the fantastical plot lines of the Saturday night prime-time show, the twanging guitars on "I See You Silence" and "I Am the Doctor in Utah" match the U.S. setting of opening episode The Impossible Astronaut; the swashbuckling sea shanty of "Deadly Siren" and the Hans Zimmer-esque symphonics of "All for One" evoke the pirate themes of The Curse of the Black Spot; while the self-explanatory Let's Kill Hitler is represented by the ominous "Terror of the Reich" and the triumphant "The British Are Coming." With everything from Psycho-esque screeching strings ("Night Terrors") to kitsch '60s Muzak ("The Hotel Prison") to industrial synths ("Rita Praises"), not to mention several more refined neo-classical pieces such as "Loving Isn't Knowing (The Almost People Suite)" and "The Majestic Tale (Of a Madman in a Box)," Series 6 is an always intriguing and unpredictable soundtrack encapsulating everything that has made the revitalized Doctor Who such a phenomenon. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi