A few weeks back, we got to share an exclusive “first listen” of composer Jeff Russo‘s themes for Alien: Earth. It really set the stage for what Noah Hawley and the rest of the team would give us with this stunning addition to the Alien universe Ridley Scott built. Now that the show is out in the world, fans and those new to the franchise are loving every acidic drop of the expanded mythology.
You can credit a lot of the success to the auditory component. We’re not talking about the ooey-gooey sound engineering, but the deft and complex sound palette Russo assembled. Russo is used to scoring varied and compelling music for film, television and video games. Herein, he re-teams with prolific showrunner Noah Hawley as the two, AGAIN, show how they thrive in long-form narrative playgrounds.
The Emmy Award-winning and Grammy-nominated music man has a skill for the strange and unusual (when it calls for it) and this show lets him explore how the world of the Xenomorph might sound when brought into our atmosphere. Sure, there’s still strings and treble – as well as screams and terror – but because of the setting there’s an additional and notable human component. Russo really leans into that as well as tipping his hat to Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner. All in all, he gets to give us something with a heartbeat before his sounds raise pulses.
So, how did he do it? This project was five years in the making (though, mind you, not everyday) but the proof of the time invested crafting and honing the creative elements is evident in all aspects of Alien: Earth. Russo praises his internal team as well as the entire production crew for helping the series soar and roar. Now, suit up! Grab your headphones and pulse rifles as we hop aboard this episode of The GoSeeTalk Podcast Experience.
When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat. FX’s Alien: Earth is created for television and executive produced by Noah Hawley.
Alien: Earth premiered August 12th on FX. The season finale will air on September 23.
