Though his filmmaking career slowed in the 2000s and 2010s,
John Carpenter
's influence as a composer only grew. Along with
Tangerine Dream
, his immediately recognizable sound -- full of pulsing synths and ever-ratcheting tension -- inspired a new generation of acts like
Zombi
,
Majeure
Umberto
Espectrostatic
, and
Geoff Barrow
's
Drokk
project, among many others, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect for
Carpenter
to release new music when
Lost Themes
arrived. Despite that title, these songs aren't attached to any films; instead, they offer a multiplex worth of possibilities for listeners to soundtrack their lives. As
gives fans exactly what they want -- those ominous synth arpeggios appear less than a minute into the opening track, "Vortex" -- he also engages them on a slightly different level, allowing them to put their imagery and stories to his music for the first time. Soundtrack geeks will also enjoy connecting
to his previous work: the power chords that slash through the album call to mind his later, guitar-oriented scores like
Vampires
, and the intricate keyboard counterpoint that begins "Mystery" shares more than a little of
Halloween
's sparkling menace. However, it's not necessary to be a
expert to enjoy "Domain"'s brassy duel between danger and victory. Throughout
-- aided by his son
Cody
and godson
Daniel Davies
-- uses a more-is-more approach that sets him apart from his followers, most of whom focus on tastefully taut atmospheres. The fun he has expanding his music is almost palpable, particularly on the eight-minute "Obsidian," which spans moments of action, horror, discovery, and victory in its suite-like sweep (it's also a synth lover's dream, with rippling arpeggios, crystalline pads, and a tone that sounds like flowing water). Similarly, the dogpile of synths that closes "Purgatory" is both a throwback and oddly timeless. A big part of
' brilliance lies in
's refusal to update his aesthetic -- the more '80s it is, the more vital it sounds. As he leaps from one thrill to the next, he evokes his past without rehashing it, delivering a complete and immensely satisfying portrait of his music along the way. ~ Heather Phares