Album Review: IF

IF
Score by Michael Giacchino
Additional music by Curtis Green
Orchestrations by Jeff Kryka
Conducted by Curtis Green
Score recorded at Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros.
Total album running time: 76 minutes
Available on Milan Records

After a turn with the "silent" thrills, of A Quiet Place films - director John Krasinski turned to composer Michael Giacchino for IF.  The score had to fit the space between comedy and drama, live action and animation and still be clear enough for children.  Much of that sounds like what Giacchino mastered for his numerous films for Pixar.  

The main theme for IF is everywhere in the score - it has a call and response type melody that repeats in several scenes.  Giacchino likes to keep the theme the same, but change instrumentation and volume to emphasize different parts of the film.  There is another theme for the human relationships in the film, a longing theme that appears in various placements.

The IF Suite starts off with the IF theme with piano and solo violin call and response.  We also get a whistling and brass variation of the theme.  The piano then introduces the [what I'll call] longing theme with a tender string ensemble behind it.  A larger statement of the IF theme doesn't last long, as the piano and cello take over the sentimental side.  It's a lovely suite to introduce the major themes and the quirky but emotional score

A Blaze of Stories contains the IF theme whistled, on violin and piano to a crescendo.  Afterwards the theme's tempo picks up with a plucked string section and chipper mood for the whistler.  Trepidation Down Memory Lane gives us the longing theme on solo piano with gentle strings.  The theme continues in One Man's Hospital is Another Girl's Pain, which is slowed down to its bare bones.  Stairing Down Your Fears is a lovely rising piece for strings and harp.  Don't Get Imaginaried Away starts with some comedic suspense with off-kilter writing.  Bide and Reminisce uses the chords of the longing theme.  

A Room with a Blue is relatively breezy, with plucked strings and hopping woodwinds and eventually a bunch of sliding strings.  An Imaginary Home Companion uses an accompaniment of the IF theme featuring harp and piano before letting the theme play out.  The Balance of Flower contains the same general accompaniment, with harp and piano leading to the longing theme.  One Blue Over the Cuckoo's Nest utilizes the IF theme with piano and whistling and some folksy instrumentation.  Advanced Placement Therapy builds with the tremolo strings of the IF theme before going into a more comedic pizzicato and brass variation.  

Magical M-IF-tery Tour starts with the IF accompaniment adding a charging rhythm.  The IF theme gets a circus style statement with twinkles, with some funkier side elements also used for various IF identities.  Flowers for Benjamin uses a faster variant of the longing theme.      

Brief Interviews with Fastidious Friends is a real highlight - featuring the IF theme at full force.  We mainly hear the whistle version, but switches to the pizzicato strings/harp/tuba, and comedy woodwinds variations.  A march variation sneaks in, as does a spy guitar sting but neither last for long.  Remembrance of Things Outcast uses the chord accompaniment with the IF theme slowly adding in.  Granny Get Your Fun is a gentle accompaniment of the longing theme, which is then brought in on solo clarinet.          

Blue-min' Human builds with the accompaniment, before bringing in energetic strings, brass and a brief whistle appearance.  He Totally Blue It has some tender version of the longing theme on piano and strings with a plucky alternate of the IF theme ending the cue.  Piano opens Croissants and Croissants-ability, then uses a lot of held string tremolos, gently gliding into some hopeful resolution.  The positivity continues as IF-Win Statement reprises the IF theme for full orchestra.    

The Lost City of Bea gives us some more tender reprises of the longing theme, sustained notes and repeated lone piano notes.  Everything is broken down to its smallest pieces - simple piano chords that Giacchino knows work effectively well for drama.  Strings enter and build up to a reprise of the longing theme.  Calvin and Jobs builds slowly but also features solo piano chords, solo cello features that all lead to a grand statement of the IF theme.  We get The ALTERNATIVE IF Suite in the end credits, introducing electric guitar and drum set to the upbeat versions of the theme.    

Giacchino decided to keep things simple on the surface.  Like many of his most touching scores, the act of writing and deconstructing a theme works the best for all sorts of scenarios.  Lighthearted comedy scenes can switch to teary drama with just a few changes.  He has done well in the past straddling that line of genres, and thankfully that works here too.  And good luck getting that whistling IF theme out of your head.