Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Album Review

Composer Patrick Doyle (Sense and Sensibility, Carlito's Way, Gosford Park) brought a new sound — despite a couple of instances of previous composer John Williams' instantly recognizable "Hedwig's Theme" — to the Harry Potter franchise with his colorful score for the popular series' fourth installment, The Goblet of Fire. Darker, bolder, and a little less magical, Doyle doesn't reach the dizzying heights achieved by Williams on 2004's Prisoner of Azkaban, but he has managed to create some new and exciting themes that integrate themselves seamlessly into the Potter universe. Scheming reporter "Rita Skeeter" is given a playful pizzicato motif that manages to mirror her unpleasant personality without offending the ears, the "Quidditch World Cup" bursts from the skies with brass-heavy British pride, and the newly de-cloaked villain, "Voldemort," rises from the ashes in a wash of screaming strings that would make even the bravest wizard squirm in dreadful anticipation. Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, who along with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway appeared in the film as a popular "non-muggle" rock band, contribute three tracks as the Weird Sisters — Canadian folk group the Wyrd Sisters attempted to file an injunction against the film, but were denied by a Winnipeg judge. Sounding like a cross between Screaming Lord Sutch, the Damned, and Nick Cave, "Do the Hippogriff," "This Is the Night," and "Magic Works" aren't particularly memorable, but much like the Star Wars cantina band, they work their magic onscreen.