When J.J. Abrams helped develop Fringe he undoubtedly brought with him the best music team he could. Michael Giacchino who was responsible for LOST helped the show start off and then Chris Tilton and Chad Seiter took over (both Giacchino collaborators). They ended up composing a really terrific season's worth of music to this supernatural detective show. The soundscape was terrific and it boasted some fantastic thematic material. Chris Tilton took over scoring duties for Season 2 and has delivered more fantastic music, which is what we've come to expect. Tilton is definitely one of the best talents working out there and he will be a household name in no time.

The music for Season 2 echoes a lot of Season 1 and in ways branches into new territory. Like all great TV shows you want some sort of progression but you never want to forget what universe you've stepped into for 1 hour each week. The music continues to flourish and the journey is a fun one. Tilton's melodies suck you in and you become totally enveloped by the world he's creating. Certain cues deliver an emotional hit with delicate execution while others have a pulsating intensity to them. The instrumentation is fantastic and while there is nothing too fancy the music definitely has a unique sound. The percussion adds a dimension I really love and the end of the album really shines. There are some fantastic cues that scream Chris Tilton and I love it. The 9-minute "Brown Betty Suite" is definitely an awesome way to close the album. It has a great noire quality to it.

This score is all around awesome. Whatever your opinion on the show is you can't deny that this season the musical soundscape has become more refined and focused. It might be due to the fact that Chris had complete control of where he wanted to go with it this time around, but who knows. All I know is I loved the experience and can't wait for the next chapter.

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Long awaited soundtrack worth the wait

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2011

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Many changes took place between the first and second seasons of televisions best crime drama/science fiction thriller. Some revelations revealed themselves, new questions were posed and the universe we knew doubled in size. The stage was set with new rules for our ever-ready-for-anything team of investigators. Like the dual universes, the score to the sophmore season of Fringe grew from its predecessor and expanded the scope of the strange mysteries that fueled the our charaters. Contained within is a generous mix of adventurous, solomn, contemplative, dark and tracks I would only classify as intense.

Some particular treats are "The Building Theft" a tense backdrop with a rushing violin piece playing something akin to a heroic theme in the midst of growing danger. "Reiden Out To Madness" is a variety pack of all sounds Fringe, scarry and ominous little noises aplenty. My personal favorate is "Fringe 85" a 25 second alternate theme modified to sound like it came from a certain Back to the Future year. Finally "Brown Betty Suite" encompasses all the different themes and variations on themes from the episode "Brown Betty". This was an unusual, partually musical/drug assisted adventure that plays on many Noir sounds, all you would expect to hear in a black and white movie about a lonely detective are present and accounted for.

This collection of the best of year two is highly satisfying and makes you want to stop after each track and find were in the show each piece is coming from. The only problem with that is you'd have to press the pause button, and I think you'll agree with the "Fringe: Season 2" soundtrack that is easier said than done.

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JB

The best of the Fringe Soundtracks

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2013

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Fringe's music is emotional and plays well on the show; the soundtracks don't quite recreate the experience for me. There's no real shape or progression to the album; it's just a set of sometimes repetitive, moody tracks bac to back. That said, I think season 2 is the best of them (at least from seasons 1-3). Most of the recognizable themes are well represented and there are some really enjoyable tracks. The Brown Betty suite at the end is a lark.

If you haven't watched the show, this will likely sound like a meaningless mashup of celli and synthesizers; this is one of those soundtracks that is probably for fans only

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Kodi314

observer

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2011

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Just a short review here: There's a lot more emotion rather than suspense than on the first season's soundtrack. What's good here is a revamped version of the theme heard during the first season finale... the one that over arcs many episodes. The much anticipated 'observer' theme is present in two tracks here.
And we have the start of the Olivia/Peter love theme. My absolute favorite are the two tracks that cover the 1985 episode... the music is has a cool electronic 80's synth sound... and then there are the 80's Fringe theme. cool. a must have if you love the show.

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Nico Vela

A nice alternate theme was done for the 1980's episode

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2016

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An interesting Soundtrack, with moving numbers such as "What a Gas", "Good ol' Charlie".

A nice alternate theme was done for the 1980's episode.

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Jackjeanh

Fringe: Season 2 Score Worth the Buy!

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2012

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For those of you that are fans of Fringe will definitely enjoy this Score for Season two of Fringe. Chris Tilton is very talented and can transport you back to moments in the show with just a few tones! My favorite songs are the moments he was able to catch between Olivia and Peter! Worth the buy, check it out.

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2016

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Intriguing! Brings back memories of the episodes and characters we all love.

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014

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Outstanding! I really loved watching Fringe and the music is really outstanding and beautiful. You should get this too :)

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L. Hubbard

A must have for Fringe fans

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2011

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The soundtrack to the second season of Fringe is fantastic, and a worthy successor to season 1. The music itself is a mixture of a smallish selection of the Hollywood Orchestra and a myriad of electronic effects to add to the mix. I particularly like the use of soloists in some of the tracks containing violin/cello solos.

The opening track "A New Day in Town" really sets the tone for the whole album - there is a fair amount of soft electronic percussion, with a solo violin joining the mix and there is a wonderful section of one of the main themes that was brought over from season 1. There are also several reprises of the theme introduced in the track "All Along The Bell Towers" from Season 1 which I particularly liked. This album also contains a couple of tracks featuring the haunting theme used for The Observers in tracks 5 and 6. Mysterious, cold and slightly intriguing, I think this is a great little theme for the shows most perplexing characters. The music does have a consistent feel to it and doesn't deviate massively from it, however there are some nice piano/guitar sections in some portions of the album that stop it from sounding overly repetitive.

In terms of the release itself, it runs at approximately 78 minutes, which for a soundtrack album is very long and good value for money in my opinion. A word of caution, whilst the album length is very generous for a soundtrack release, given the sheer quantity of music written for the show there is a chance that if you had a specific stand out cue that you wanted to hear, it might not be present on the album (if in doubt check the samples). That said, I felt the track selection for the album was generally excellent. One other slight negative point is the over reliance on the electronics to form a constant soft beat in the background. For some tracks this is fine, however I felt like it was used a little to much - however this is only a minor gripe.

Overall, if you are a fan of the music from the show, this release features all the best tracks you could ever want. Sure, the style of the music may not vary greatly, but it certainly has its own unique identity and I think a show like Fringe needs musical consistency. I thought the album sounded great, and as a Fringe fan it kept me entertained for the duration (and the quirky 1985 fringe title music raised a smile). I can't wait for a soundtrack album for Season 3!

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Mrs. Chadwick

Another Fantastic Soundtrack :-)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2015

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I loved the second series of "Fringe", and I thought the soundtrack was brilliant, so I bought the CD of the soundtrack to add to my collection. :-)

This soundtrack helped with the suspense of the show and has some fabulous melodies. :-)