Unearthed

Album Review

Said to consist of the brothers Franz and Helmut Vonlichten, although those may be pseudonyms, E.S. Posthumus (the "E.S." is said to stand for "Electronic Sound" or "Experimental Sounds," depending on which page of their press materials you read) presents an album of stirring, soundtrack-like music with Unearthed. The tracks are named after ancient cities around the globe, and the sound, reminiscent of such acts as Deep Forest and Enigma (when it isn't suggesting Enya or Yanni) is full of thundering drums, soaring strings, and the Seattle Choral Company singing in Latin. Franz and Helmut have day jobs in the entertainment industry (or so we are told), and it's no surprise that their music has attracted the attention of that industry. After being put up on the CDBaby website, the music from Unearthed has been licensed for use in movie trailers for such films as Spider-Man, Planet of the Apes, Matrix Reloaded, Minority Report, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. (Anyone who wonders why film companies don't just use films' actual scores for trailers should realize that trailers have to be put together long before films are ready for release, and scores generally are composed toward the end of post-production, when the films are almost finished.) Nor is it a surprise that "Nara" was chosen as the theme song for the TV series Cold Case. As with Moby's Play, Unearthed is full of striking themes that impress particularly in short segments, perfect for catching the ear in a commercial. Whether E.S. Posthumus will go on to a career in film-scoring, new age music, or just jingle work (or some combination) remains to be seen. But Unearthed makes for quite a calling card.