While we’re gearing up for this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, here’s some listening to get you in the mood. The Snowmen is 32 tracks of Murray Gold deliciousness taken not only from the 2012 special but 2011’s “The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe” as well. In fact, calling the soundtrack “The Snowmen” is a bit misleading, since there are almost twice as many cuts from the earlier episode.
If you are already a fan of Gold’s New Who music, you will feel right at home with this album. In fact, there is not much that makes it stand out from his other DW soundtracks. I did particularly enjoy the first track, “Geronimo,” which is a really cool, rocking version of the Eleventh Doctor’s theme. The rest of the selections from “The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe” are whimsical and heroic by turns, depicting well both the Doctor’s playful interactions with the children and the side plot of their RAF father missing in action and trying to get home.
The thing that sets the music from “The Snowmen” apart is the mysterious nature of many tracks, both in the sense of being dark and foreboding and of sounding sneaky, with tracks associated with the Paternoster Gang frequently falling into the latter category. My favorite track from this section is “Sherlock Who?” in which Gold perfectly captures the essence of the theme tune from Steven Moffat’s other hit BBC show while still giving it that whimsical DW spin.
Overall, this is an enjoyable listen, and if I were new to Murray Gold’s soundtrack music this would be an excellent purchase. As one who has listened to and reviewed many of his other soundtracks, however, I am not finding enough stand-out material to justify a purchase of yet another Murray Gold Doctor Who album. More of the same is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is still more of the same.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
