While I agree that it’s a shame we didn’t get more new motivic material in TLJ, if you really do listen to the score (and I mean all of it, not just what’s on the soundtrack), I think there’s a strong argument to be made that in pretty much every other way it is better than TFA.
Yeah. I actually forgot to mention tracks like “The Spark” which is just fantastic. And the music that plays when Luke closes his saber and surrenders to Kylo is great too.
I must say though that one area that is lacking is the music during the throne room fight. It is so forgettable. Which is why I will replace it with Duel of the Fates.
I think the throne room battle is an absolutely fantastic action cue. In my mind, you don’t want something epic on the scale of “Duel of the Fates” for that because A) it’s not the climax of the film, and B) it’s not an epic duel, it’s just Rey and Ben teaming up to defend themselves. The most epic part of that scene is when Snoke dies and we see them decide to team up (not when they actually fight), and I think the music fits that well enough.