Hehe, finally, I update with reviews! Just as The Dark Knight surpassed all expectations, so too has its music score—a remarkable creative achievement from the collaboration between two of Hollywood’s A-list composers, Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Da Vinci Code) and James Newton Howard (The Village, Blood Diamond, Signs). Where Batman Begins set the tone and atmosphere of Nolan’s universe, The Dark Knight is its moodier, madder and gutsy evolution. There are fourteen tracks on the official soundtrack, with a regular CD edition, a limited CD edition and an LP.

1. Why So Serious? (9:14)
   A comprehensive suite of the Joker’s themes and motifs. Clearly this is in Zimmer’s ballpark; he has gone batshit crazy with the Joker creating a terrifying, paranoia-laden composition—long, drawn-out synths, slashing, seething guitars and trembling strings, furious brass, sudden deathly silences, ominous out-of-tune piano notes lurking in the shadows. Doesn’t really beg for repeated listening given its aggressive and scintillating nature, but it’s absolutely perfect for the Joker.
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2. I’m Not A Hero (6:34)
   The two-note motif utilised in the Batman Begins score is further evolved and developed in The Dark Knight; now it is more than just a symbol, but an all-encompassing force. Heavy, undulating strings and brass highlight the complexity of the one man and his alter-ego hero and the burdens that cripple his desire to be free. It’s curious that there is no definable theme for the superhero as is so ubiquitous to films of the same genre, but this is no ordinary superhero inhabiting a dark, relentless, unforgiving world. Turn up your sub-woofers for the last minute—it’s exhilarating, heart-racing stuff. It may feel disjointed but it works very well in the context of the narrative (this is the key music used in the Hong Kong scenes).
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3. Harvey Two-Face (6:16)
   Where Zimmer simmers with adrenaline and fury, Howard brings in the Romantic elements of tragedy and humanity. Howard has created a gorgeous theme here for the white knight of Gotham, District Attorney Harvey Dent. Soulful, wistful and embodies the American Dream. Beautiful arrangement of brass and strings that encapsulate the hope and Utopian ideals of one great man, only to have him fall from grace so brutally.
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4. Aggressive Expansion (4:35)
   Much in the essence of the Joker’s themes—scintilating synths undulating in the dark shadows, pounding notes as though in a one-man chase, the eery tick-tocking—but all alluding to “time” and how little of it there is for Batman to save everyone.
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5. Always A Catch (1:39)
   Brace yourselves for yet another paraonoia-inducing episode. Simmering, quivering strings build up to a breathtaking crescendo. Things are not what they seem. Love the crackling at the end.
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6. Blood On My Hands (2:16)
   Sounds very much like a war hymn in honour of fallen soldiers—this is not far off from the character of Bruce Wayne, with a hint of Dent’s theme in the shadows before unravelling itself fully as Gotham’s new agent of hope—one without a mask.
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7. A Little Push (2:42)
   Here we are in Joker’s territory. Ominous, pulpitating electronics, strings and brass reign supreme, echoing in the shadows or pounding on a full-blown massive scale. It’s enough to drive you mad in fear.
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8. Like A Dog Chasing Cars (5:02)
   Much in the essence of  “Molossus” in Batman Begins, this is where the trademark Transport Chase Involving Lots of Amazing Stunts and Visual Effects occurs. And unlike its predecessor which teasingly meanders from highs to lows, this is an all-out aggressive front, invigorating and relentless from beginning to end. The arrangement of brass and strings is once again both beautiful and brutal, culminating in a merciless cut-in by the Joker.
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9. I Am The Batman (1:59)
   The uncertainty and angst of the Caped Crusader—gentle, but foreboding strings and synths build up to a trembling crescendo.
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10. And I Thought My Jokes Were Bad (2:28)
    Pump up the volume and sub-woofers for this aggressive baby. I love the pulsating synths used in the manner of the two-note motif.
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11. Agent Of Chaos (6:55)
    The stakes are even higher, and there will be devastating losses if we are to believe the Joker’s insane antics. There’s no beating about the bush; the opening cue pounds with rumbling brass and percussion, followed by tense piano notes and ominous strings, building up the suspense, teasing with repeated waves of brass, percussion and strings, and painfully paranoid guitar/synth flitters, finally breaking out into an exhilirating, battering race towards a conclusion—or so we think, as the pulverising synths rise again, followed by subtle strings and piano.
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12. Introduce A Little Anarchy (3:42)
    A sister song to “Like a Dog Chasing Cars” but cuts to the chase, so to speak. Gives the sub-woofer a better workout too. Every bit the aggressive and anarchic as its villain purports to be.
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13. Watch The World Burn (3:47)
    One of the highlights of the album—like its namesake, this is an elegy for the fallen heroes. Gorgeous arrangement of heavy strings, the chords moodily meandering through the dead like a phantom. Very much in the mournful essence of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings”.
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14. A Dark Knight (16:15)
    At sixteen minutes you’d think this was getting too self-indulgent, but it doesn’t bore; it gives Zimmer and Howard (wherever the latter is) a chance to provide an epic scope of the film’s namesake, the complex soul behind the man and the mythical hero. Beautiful.
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