In Appreciation of Evan H. Chen


First off, let me say I adore Christopher Franke. He's provided Babylon 5 with the consistently best dramatic theme music any show has had, and wrote the ending theme to "Sleeping In Light", which is one of the prettiest instrumentals I have ever and probably will ever hear. Plus, he was in a psych band!

But all things come in cycles, and right now it's time for Evan Chen.

When "A Call To Arms" first appeared on television screens, the first complaint was the music. Actually, the only complaint was the music. Most people wouldn't even call it music. But dammit, except for one or two bits (like when they find the dead Drazi and it suddenly sounds like the punchline in a cartoon), I liked it. And I supported Mr. Chen. So did jms. Amidst bucketloads of complaints, he kept him onboard as the composer for Crusade. And I couldn't be happier with the results.

Some people have called the music "techno", but it's really the opposite of what "techno" is (and what it is is horrible and gutwrenching, but you probably didn't want to hear that from me). I think the only terms you could place on the music are much more esoteric. Maybe contemporary minimalism, or even the dreaded "post-rock".

If you want to get specific, it breaks down like this: the percussion is dead-on to whomever is the percussionist in The For Carnation. You could go as far as saying it resembles Tortoise (shudder) at their bare best (and Tortoise's best is very very very far and few between). The strings are DEFINITELY Asian in orgin in nature. And the use of strings in very discordant and on-edge in nature, judging from the two example I have of his work. Scraping and scratching and clawing.

His music during the battle sequences is as dream-like as you will find in his repetoire thus far, which gives it a decidely different feel from Chris Franke's "battle hymn"-type work. Once you get used to it, it works very well with the on-screen visuals.

When asked about Evan Chen's credentials, JMS said that he was born in and studied music in China and around Europe, eventually settling in Chicago and working as a cook to support his music. He said that the show was lucky enough to snatch Evan up before anyone was able to get ahold of him. I would be EXTREMELY interested in finding out if Mr Chen ever released any records or tapes I could get ahold.

In closing, I would like to congratulate Mr Chen on his outstanding work and offer him encouragement to follow his muse. And I would also like to thank Mr Stracynski for providing "Crusade" with the most out-there music on television.

And the road goes ever on...

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Michael Keegan
6.17.1999