Jaws, Madden Together at Last

Ain’t It Cool News posted today that the theme music for NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts has been written by none other than…John Williams. Yes, that one. Of Star Wars fame. You can hear the audio here.

Now, I’m not going to question Williams’ ability to connect with sports; after all, he wrote the Olympic theme, and who hasn’t carried a tiki torch humming that to themselves? No, just me? Fine, then. But I’m not sure this music is enough to get me ready for some football. It’s right in line with the NFL Films music that’s so popular with Harry Kalas’ velvety baritone pouring over it, but it’s not something that pumps me up, like any of the industrial FOX sports themes (NHL, NFL, or MLB), or the glorious NBA on NBC theme. I’m sure we’ll learn to love, or at least ignore, Williams’ NFL theme. At the very least, it will soothe our nerves as we go to commercial hearing John Madden stating the obvious…yet again. “Sometimes, when the quarterback throws directly at the other team, the ball is intercepted…”

Non-Williams themes courtesy I Love WAVs.

Little Victories

It’s almost hard to believe that the Gin Blossoms were a major force in music. Ten years removed from their last album, they are remembered as little more than the harmless 90s adult alternative rock that you hear in the background of a party. While their new release Major Lodge Victory might not enlarge the stamp on musical history, it fits well into the mold of nice, forgettable pop.

The album’s opener, “Learning the Hard Way,” takes you right back to the mid-90s – its sweet harmonies and janglepop rhythm make it as if the Blossoms never went away. Ditto with the follower, “Come Down Hard,” packed with their signature, radio-ready sound. “Long Time Gone” and “Fool for the Taking,” co-written with Rembrandts founder Danny Wilde, are fresh despite their familiar beats and lyrics that are just a bit too cute.

The majority of the rest of the album echoes the fun, breezy vibe, but with less substance. “Let’s Play Two” is a wasted effort to encapsulate the Blossoms’ summery sound in a baseball setting and “Heart Shaped Locket,” while commendable for its emotion, seems more suitable stuck in the 90s than bringing the pop sound up to date. Fans of the Gin Blossoms’ other albums will rejoice in hearing the sound structured in new songs; the rest of us will simply enjoy it as it plays in the background, then forget it as soon as it’s over.

Rating: * * * of 5