5 out of 5

Label: Ectopic Ents

Produced by: JG Thirlwell

Unbelievable. Having listened to a good amount of JG Thirlwell’s work under his various pseudonyms, and having watched the two animated shows he’s scored – Venture Bros., and later, Archer – I was pretty sure I understood the scope of the style JG applied on these soundtracks. The first volume of the score was already amazing, while the Archer music collection showed the necessity of good curation, but also how important it can be for a single composer to grow with material. And that’s what’s fully on display in this third collection: the spectrum of that growth.

In the liner notes, Thirlwell mentions how it took him a beat to find the show’s rhythm. However, given how much I enjoyed the music early on – such that it was totally notable without knowing JG’s involvement (but also entirely clear that it was him) – I think it’s credit to the show’s creators that the series has always had a very clear vision and style, not suffering from the tonal reboots Archer continually went through. Yes, Venture also certainly evolved, but it felt more in step with how the story did; and again, that’s echoed in the music, which was / is immediately playful and showy and kitschy, but proves to have so much depth and weight the more you listen to it, and as further themes were allowed in / added on along the way.

Thirlwell also purposefully chose shorter cues for this set, noting that that makes it very similar to watching an episode, and allowing for 34 songs on the CD / digital (and a packed vinyl, as well – but you should listen to the whole thing). But in a rarity, not only are the 34 songs very unique, but the entire runtime flies by, with themes appropriately separated so that we don’t feel like we’re stuck in one mood for too long, or hear something repeated beyond a point of having it be thematic. Maybe you can only get away with having a variation on the main tune as your last track when you’re three volumes in, with opener Copycat an amusingly slinky vibe that’s quiet different from most of the adventure hour trills, but I think this works just as well as a standalone album, or your first Venture soundtrack, as it does as a necessary addition to your JG library.

The quality of this one, front to back, is just unbelievable; and though I’m biased, this is also coming from someone who already had high expectations going in, and was truly expecting more of the same. Instead: mind blown, fandom reinvigorated.

And if you don’t lose your shit at the insane drumming on Jungle Chase, then you should be proud of your self control. I’m happy losing my shit over here.