# Netflix's new Stranger Things - thoughts on the score?



## prodigalson (Jul 19, 2016)

Anyone else watching Stranger Things on Netflix? I've been binging it the last couple of days and have been loving it. It's a great throwback to 80s Spielberg and the classic scif-fi/horror genre. 

That being said, I recently got into a friendly debate with a friend over the score. He loves it, I'm not so sure. It's an oppressive, predominantly synth score clearly intended to be a retro John Carpenter sound...

Anyone have any particular thoughts on it? do you think it's appropriate and does it work better than an orchestral score would have?


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## Mornats (Jul 19, 2016)

Just a couple of things to say about Stranger Things. First up, I loved it as a show. I was off work ill yesterday and watched it all in one sitting. Secondly, whilst I wasn't consciously listening to the score I don't recall hearing any of the Damage/Evolve clichés that I hear all too often in TV shows these days and that was quite refreshing.


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## Simon Ravn (Jul 19, 2016)

Loving the show - generally liking the score too, except when it sometimes gets too "dancy". But I guess it tries to lighten (or at least not tighten) the tension a bit, not letting the score be a typical fright/scare one. While I do think it has a bit in common with Carpenter, I think it has more in common with stuff like Mogwai's score for the French series "Les Revenants" (The Returned) which is also rhythmic/underplayed compared to what is going on on the screen.


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## givemenoughrope (Jul 19, 2016)

Haven't seen the show yet but these 80s JC homage scores are just not going away. They are their own genre at this point. Most of them are kind of annoying though is how they just stick to the cliches. There are so many sounds you can achieve in 2016 compared to 1984. And I just saw JC live (and Goblin a couple years ago) and he is better at it than anyone.


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## MA-Simon (Jul 19, 2016)

Absolutely LOVED the show. Hoping there will be a season 2 (and more.)
The score was actually quite refreshing and different, which established the "strangeness" very well. 

It is also a first that I actually liked all the child actors! 
The only actor which I just could not get behind at all was the bad-professor-type-caricature. He seemed more like a storyboard creation rather then a real person, which was a bit distracting because the effects and the monster design were very real.


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## Simon Ravn (Jul 19, 2016)

All the actors are really good - especially the kids. Actually I think Winona Ryder is the worst of the show... But I guess she was typecast...


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## MA-Simon (Jul 19, 2016)

Simon Ravn said:


> Winona Ryder


Winona was fantastic!


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## Neifion (Jul 19, 2016)

Great show, great score. Very deliberate 80's electronic vibe, but mellow and thoughtful in execution. They should have done Tron: Legacy over Daft Punk.


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## ryanstrong (Jul 19, 2016)

Who is the composer?


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## prodigalson (Jul 19, 2016)

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, members of the Austin Band Survive.


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## jeffc (Jul 19, 2016)

The show is just great, it's like a mixtape of every great film from your childhood if you grew up in the 80's. And it isn't just an homage, the story stands on it's on. The child actors are so good and have great chemistry, the little girl 11 does more with about 4 words and facial expressions than most actors can do with a dictionary. At first I wasn't totally sold on the score, just because the show was so Spielbergian that I wanted a nice JW type score. But by EP2, I realized they made a great choice with the synth score and it really worked incredibly well, so much kudos for thinking out of the box and delivering something really unique. The score is an really good example of restraint and minimalism, and how to achieve tension and motion during action scenes without ethnic drums. Can't wait for season 2.....


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## prodigalson (Jul 19, 2016)

jeffc said:


> At first I wasn't totally sold on the score, just because the show was so Spielbergian that I wanted a nice JW type score.



This was my exact response. To me the show feels like a 80s sci-fi horror 'hack job' It's kind of trying to be both Spielbergian and Carpenter...ian and while I think the score is totally cool and evocative and definitely sets a really effective and ominous tone, the first episode just felt like SUCH an homage and a throwback to Spielberg that I was kinda confused about forgoing a typical spielberg score. But like you, after watching more of the show I got what they are going for more and I do think if they're trying to go for the Carpenter thing, they're totally nailing it....the only thing is that the TV show doesn't totally feel like a carpenter movie to me. It feels more character-driven with a more spielbergian sense of suspense and drama and even playfulness and so there are some times when I wonder if the story and emotional impact of certain scenes could have been better served by a less sterile and distant score. 

I read in an interview with the creators that they intentionally went with a synth score because it felt scarier (I guess they put carpenter music up against scenes from ET and they felt it was scarier. To which I was like...yeah...because ET isn't inherently a scary movie so the original score isn't inherently scary...but imagine what a Goldsmith-style score along the lines of Poltergeist would have done). Anyway, this all makes me sound like some kind of traditionalist, anti-synth, die-hard JW fan which I swear I'm not. I LOVED 'IT FOLLOWS' and I thought that score nailed the genre. This show just feels like it's trying to run the gamut of 80s sci-fi and I just keep going back and forth even within episodes on whether the score is as effective as it could be. There are moments when it really is effective but then...

But anway, thats just me I guess! lol


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## Mike Fox (Jul 21, 2016)

Just finished "Chapter 5" last night. I instantly fell in love with the show after about 30 minutes into the first episode, and I can't wait to finish the rest of the series. 

The music is perfectly fitting. The show's intro immediately sends you back in time, and slowly emerges you into 80's nostalgia. I can guarantee that If the title theme was orchestrated, It just wouldn't have the same effect. After-all, nothing says 80's more than synth music and neon lights.


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## tack (Jul 21, 2016)

I just started this TV series last night. I have to admit, I didn't actually _notice_ the soundtrack much, which could be a good thing because I wasn't specifically listening for it, and I felt the series as a whole did a fine job transporting me back to the 80s setting (and I was an 80s child).

I'm going to spin up episode 4 shortly. I'm so far quite impressed with the series. I just have to echo the other comments here about the child actors. They are all really excellent, but of course the standout is actress that plays Eleven, who is really quite fantastic in her ability to emote without saying much of anything.


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## chillbot (Jul 22, 2016)

mikefox789 said:


> The music is perfectly fitting. The show's intro immediately sends you back in time, and slowly emerges you into 80's nostalgia. I can guarantee that If the title theme was orchestrated, It just wouldn't have the same effect. After-all, nothing says 80's more than synth music and neon lights.


This is how I feel. Love the show love the music.

I get excited about soundtracks when they:
A) serve the film
B) are unique

I know it's subjective but in my mind the music nails both.


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## dcoscina (Jul 22, 2016)

Love the show and appreciate the approach but would have preferred someone more familiar with those seminal synth scores of the late 70s and early 80s from Tangerine Dream like Sorcerer, The Keep and Firestarter (and Wavelength to a lesser extent). I think the two composers use sounds that are evocative but don't have the thematic hook that TD imbued in their film scores. Also I wouldn't say the show really sounds like Carpenter because he had some more interesting modulations and employed more rhythmic ostinatos like TD did.

Also the music seems strangely removed- it's atmospheric but seldom really underscores the scene. I'm always wishing the music would have more continuity like motives or even select synth patches that represents say the government, the monster, the kids, 11, the flashbacks. Tangerine Dreams Firestarter had a great theme that they developed and recapped throughout the movie. John Carpenter also had a knack of distilling elements into his music- like that sparse low throbbing baseline from The Thing (Morricone technically scored that film but let's face it/ that was all Carpenter).


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## JohnG (Jul 22, 2016)

I hear you David but in a way I am glad they seem to be less steeped in the 70s and 80s -- I am not hearing imitation even when imitation would be kind of fun.

So I am liking it the way it is -- a little off kilter and a little unexpected. Maybe not as deft as the stuff you cited but I find it fresh, something I definitely would not have expected. Well done to them.


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## prodigalson (Jul 22, 2016)

dcoscina said:


> Also the music seems strangely removed- it's atmospheric but seldom really underscores the scene. I'm always wishing the music would have more continuity like motives or even select synth patches that represents say the government, the monster, the kids, 11, the flashbacks.



I think this is where I'm at too. While I LOVE the titles sequence, generally speaking the score feels somewhat antiseptic and disconnected.


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## Mike Fox (Jul 23, 2016)

JohnG said:


> I hear you David but in a way I am glad they seem to be less steeped in the 70s and 80s -- I am not hearing imitation even when imitation would be kind of fun.
> 
> So I am liking it the way it is -- a little off kilter and a little unexpected. Maybe not as deft as the stuff you cited but I find it fresh, something I definitely would not have expected. Well done to them.


This!


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## dcoscina (Jul 23, 2016)

JohnG said:


> I hear you David but in a way I am glad they seem to be less steeped in the 70s and 80s -- I am not hearing imitation even when imitation would be kind of fun.
> 
> So I am liking it the way it is -- a little off kilter and a little unexpected. Maybe not as deft as the stuff you cited but I find it fresh, something I definitely would not have expected. Well done to them.


I think the other issue is that the cues are all very short. I think this style of music demands longer evolution so an idea unfolds especially in this genre. I have found that the couple of really good music ideas had to be abruptly stopped when a scene changes. I wish the directors would let the music serve as a unifying idea that can bridge two scenes together rather than fade out when a scene changes. Maybe that's my main concern. The opening titles work because it allows the composers to follow through on an idea.


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## JohnG (Jul 23, 2016)

Great point, David. The best music in this style creates a kind of bed for the whole episode. Actually, in any style. Sometimes you have a newbie composer who thinks "see it, hear it," or he gets that kind of direction from a nervous / inexperienced producer or director.

I have no idea if anyone on this show is in fact inexperienced; I doubt it. But chopping the music to the editing too much seems like a rookie decision to me.


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## synthpunk (Jul 23, 2016)

We Just started watching. Thanks for the tip.

It's like the Goonies meets Super 8 , scored by John Carpenter.

I'm glad some people can just enjoy something and not pick it apart.


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## prodigalson (Jul 23, 2016)

dcoscina said:


> I think the other issue is that the cues are all very short. I think this style of music demands longer evolution so an idea unfolds especially in this genre. I have found that the couple of really good music ideas had to be abruptly stopped when a scene changes. I wish the directors would let the music serve as a unifying idea that can bridge two scenes together rather than fade out when a scene changes. Maybe that's my main concern. The opening titles work because it allows the composers to follow through on an idea.



Good point. I think I'd agree


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## givemenoughrope (Jul 23, 2016)

I watched through Chapter 5. It's easy to watch one after another (like almost anything on Netflix). The thing I'm always looking for are characters and moments; the nostalgia and references are fun but distracting in their one-upsmanship. It's like the first season of Mad Men for people who grew up in the 80s on movies and bmx. Like Goonies, ET, Explorers, Stand By Me, etc the perspective of the kids is the moral, responsible one while the adults are chasing their tails or plotting something evil (maybe no different) while the older kids are mostly seen as the fate of the main characters, cynical and conformist. For me, it's a little too by the book in a post-Twin Peaks/Breaking Bad tv universe even for something like this. Maybe the men in white will flip the script but if they are going by THX, V, Beyond the Black Rainbow playbook then I doubt that. 

I agree with everything said here good and not so good about the score. Maybe I'll have to watch again but I'm not really hearing and repeating motifs which is a shame. Each scene seems to be it's own thing which gets exhausting. Also, the more I watch the more I realize that this isn't so much a JC/TD homage so much as Moroder and 80s synth pop. Although some sections eschew both altogether and are really effective/exciting (the scene where the police chief cuts through the linked fence in ep 4?). Uber nerd comment: is there some kind of digital distortion towards the end of the opening theme? It's really present in my left speaker.

Retro synth scores can be cool but being flooded with them is getting a little tiring. These have been the only stand out/mainstream-talked about scores for the last couple years which makes me think that (much like pop music) we'll either run out of or have already run out of things to rehash. A weird thought.

I'm planning on watching the rest so that tells me that I actually do like it.


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## Sebastianmu (Jul 23, 2016)

After watching the whole series in two evenings I have to say, it definitely caters to some deep rooted 80ies nostalgia inside me, in a way that I was craving for years! I always had to go back to watching the original movies from back then, but they are really just a handful (that I like), and you can only watch them so-and-so often without getting bored! So, yes, I _loved_ this successful style-copy-endeavor. 
BUT! At the same time I _hated_ it for not breaking out of this total 80ies-emulation-mode at least at some points into something entirely fresh and new. I'm so fed up with the current recycle-/remake-/remix- culture, which keeps milking the inventiveness of times that have passed, while inventiveness in our own time seems to have been killed by the Second Reign of the Hollywood Studio System. And I think, especially in the score there would have been opportunity to do some really cool things, instead of just clinging to that idea of creating something that looks and feels entirely as if it was actually made in the 80ies. You know? It's not brave! I would have liked it to be more brave!


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## dcoscina (Jul 23, 2016)

aesthete said:


> We Just started watching. Thanks for the tip.
> 
> It's like the Goonies meets Super 8 , scored by John Carpenter.
> 
> I'm glad some people can just enjoy something and not pick it apart.


Analysis goes both ways. If I enjoy something I like to reflect on why, especially as a creative person. It's about learning and developing ones self. If you wish to be a casual spectator there's nothing wrong with passive entertainment but since most of us here are working in this industry in some way shape or form it's be be beneficial to look at what works and what doesn't.


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## synthpunk (Aug 1, 2016)

Soundtrack coming out Sept. 30th for those interested.
http://www.factmag.com/2016/07/27/stranger-things-soundtrack/


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## gsilbers (Aug 1, 2016)

I liked the score. mainly because it was not orchestral . if it would have been orchestral score it would of def sounded dated or cliché. giving it a retro synth score helped placed the movie in time and give it a different feel. the way the synths are being played and how they are being used for the score is different from the old days.


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## vicontrolu (Aug 1, 2016)

Score worked. Cant remember anything about it though, even the main titles.


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## givemenoughrope (Aug 1, 2016)

I'm more into the Mr. Robot and The Knick scores...and some of Preacher...


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## ryanstrong (Aug 1, 2016)

givemenoughrope said:


> I'm more into the Mr. Robot and The Knick scores...and some of Preacher...


Where can you listen to the score to Robot? Is that available?


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## synthpunk (Aug 1, 2016)

Ryan,

It's out now in two volumes on Lakeshore Records and is available on Amazon and itunes.


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## ryanstrong (Aug 1, 2016)

synthpunk said:


> Ryan,
> 
> It's out now in two parts on Lakeshore Records and is available on Amazon and itunes.



Nice!


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## Replicant (Aug 2, 2016)

Score was good. A little too heavy on the 80s cheese at times, but good.

"The Upside Down" is also very real - that's where my guitar picks go whenever I drop them.


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## mc_deli (Aug 5, 2016)

Thanks for switching me on to this.
Took me straight back to my late 80s and listening to lots of Tangerine Dream. Jacob's Ladder was the movie that it took me back to. I binged 4 last night and will doubtless swallow the rest hole.

I loved the score. I agree though that a few cues seemed to cut off and more could have opened up. My guess is that TV production deadlines might have been an influence.

Overall marvellous.


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## synthpunk (Aug 16, 2016)

Inside The Sound Of Stranger Things

http://www.imposemagazine.com/photos/at-home-with-s-u-r-v-i-v-e#1


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## Trombking (Aug 16, 2016)

Cool music to listen to but not very supportive for the action on the screen. Sounds more like they composed music with a certain mood in mind but not directly to the scene. No thematic continuity which is important especially for this kind of movie/ tv stuff. Acts more like sonic wallpaper and apart from setting the mood for a eighties feeling the music has no dramatic function.


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## NoamL (Sep 1, 2016)

Just finished binge watching it last weekend. I could gush for days about how incredible this series is. Can't wait for S2.

It's not just ripping off *E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial *btw, there are so many other influences on this series including *Poltergeist, The Goonies, Nightmare On Elm Street, The Shining, Firestarter, Predator, Aliens, Stand By Me *and* Sixteen Candles*. There's even a bit of _*Akira*_ in there. It's like they put everything great about the 80s in a blender.

This is the movie _Super 8_ wanted to be.

There have been so many recent movies and TV shows that tried to recapture what made 80s films special - including a bunch of remakes (_The Thing_, _Predators_, _Poltergeist_) and new movies like _The Guest,_ _Drive,_ _John Wick _and _Chronicle_. Some of these films have been good. But a lot of them turned out like _Super 8_ - a forgettable modern shaky-cam jump-scare action movie.._. 

Stranger Things_ is more than a homage, it's showing why those old horror/scifi movies were so great. You make a better movie when you create a *thematic resonance *between the characters and the horror. This ain't brain surgery, any college freshman could write a paper on why Ripley, MacReady, Nancy Thompson, Jack Torrance, and Elliot are key to their films and why each film wouldn't really work as well without THAT character. Yet for horror/scifi movies today I struggle to recall the name & character traits of even a single protagonist other than Cooper from Interstellar and the Goonie-ripoff-kids from Super 8.

And all those old movies were about the mix between *awe* and *horror*. You can't have a Spielbergian moment with only one ingredient.

It's why we remember the elevator scene from _The Shining_ or the famous kid-in-the-doorway shot from _Close Encounters _and why no one will remember anything from _Insidious_ or _Paranormal Activity_.

It's why _True Detective _gave everybody genuine Lovecraftian chills that we almost forgot how to feel after all the bullshit gore movies like _Saw_ and _Human Centipede. _

It's why the water planet scene from _Interstellar_ is probably the most interesting and compelling sequence in the movie, with the combination of an awe-inspiring threat of the planet-sized wave and the terrifying-the-more-you-think-about-it "years slipping away every second" thing.
_
Stranger Things _has awe and horror in equal measure. That wallpaper scene gave me the shivers. The whole concept of the Upside-Down is both interesting and terrifying - that's what makes it unsettling. Today horror movies are just about jump-scares and gore/grossouts. There's nothing compelling about _Ouija_ or _Lights Out _or any of the parade of boring-ass exorcism movies.

I hope a lot of directors and screenwriters are watching this series.


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## NoamL (Sep 1, 2016)

BTW to anyone who liked this movie, the next movies you should watch are _The Babadook_ and _Coherence - _the latter's an amazing scifi-horror done on a tiny budget. It's one of those "not that scary while you watch it... but good luck falling asleep" films.


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## prodigalson (Sep 18, 2016)

Scorecastonline.com have a good podcast this month where Deane and Brian talk about the score to Stranger Things and about the process behind it, what it means for the industry and echo some of the other thoughts mentioned in this thread.


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## givemenoughrope (Sep 18, 2016)

Ha


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## storyteller (Oct 2, 2016)

A little late to the party here, but I just found time for a quick binge session. Incredible score! There is such a great use of space and breath in all that is composed. Also, the one classical passage (episode 6 or 7 perhaps) that would have been missed in most movies or shows stands out in an exceptional way since it is so distinctly different than the score. I loved it. Bring on S2.


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## jononotbono (Oct 2, 2016)

I loved Stranger Things and can't wait till I have the time to rewatch all of it. I loved the music and couldn't care less that Survive's music got cut up to the picture afterwards. Whatever works, works!


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## passsacaglia (Oct 2, 2016)

Haven't seen it due to my account is off, switched to HBO for Vinyl and some other stuff but when everyone I met were talking about it I felt that damn, and 80's vibe which I love, I need to watch it!
Been listening to the soundtrack on Spotify at work for the last 3 weeks, marvelous. Just need the series


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## kavinsky (Oct 2, 2016)

these guys just released their 2nd album which is a must listen for eny synth lovers out there.


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## synthpunk (Oct 6, 2016)

You know you have made it when they do a 8 bit cinema tribute:




Here is the new Survive album Kavinsky mentioned


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## synthpunk (Oct 17, 2016)

A Neat little parody from Mr. Robot composer Mac Quayle.





synthpunk said:


> Ryan,
> 
> It's out now in two volumes on Lakeshore Records and is available on Amazon and itunes.


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## synthpunk (Oct 15, 2017)

Stranger Things Season 2 October 27th Netflix


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## synthpunk (Oct 30, 2017)

We binged S02 this weekend. They did a really great job!
The soundtrack is great, a bit more cinematic in a few places than S01.

Justice for Barb.


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## passsacaglia (Oct 30, 2017)

"I'm going in" 

Loved S02! Great soundtrack and great episodes!


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## dcoscina (Oct 30, 2017)

Just started watching Season 2 but I think the music works better dramatically than S01. It seems to be conscious of what's happening narratively.


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## Joe Maron (Oct 30, 2017)

passsacaglia said:


> "I'm going in"



That was priceless! And I had never really stopped to think about “that 80’s hit” at the end... it really *is *creepy!


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## synthpunk (Nov 2, 2017)

Mouth breather 



Joe Maron said:


> That was priceless! And I had never really stopped to think about “that 80’s hit” at the end... it really *is *creepy!


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