I too was like “I don’t know that Williams really brought it with this release” upon the first month or so with the soundtrack. And then it was like something unlocked one day. I couldn’t even tell you what it was, but I very much remember one day not just realizing how packed full of goodness that score was, but how well it fit in with his original trilogy work. It really did feel of a piece with the original score in the way it sounds, the way it moves through various emotions, the way all the motifs are knitted together in ways you seriously have to listen for to discover.

It’s a soundtrack that is KNITTED together, really. And if you don’t know what the design is, you might just confuse it for a lot of basic (or even bland) underscore. But once you realize just how many motifs and themes are being moved around and interpreted/re-interpreted, that Force Awakens score just opens up.

I’d love to be able to see one of those live-to-picture concerts for Force Awakens some day.