Zanobard Reviews

Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson’s phenomenally-styled soundtrack for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is an absolute superheroic spectacular, with an epic powerhouse of a theme for Spidey himself coupled with excellent supporting motifs – both old and new – and an impeccable electric guitar-led rock vibe that sounds frankly sensational throughout.

It was the main theme that first drew me to Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson’s vibrant superhero score here – and it simply came up on my YouTube recommended. I’d not even given the show a second glance before that, but it all changed once I heard the composers’ two minute end credits score treatment. Showcased on album in Standout Cue “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”, a thunderous electric guitar and bombastic percussive beats build a rapid start before the main theme for this animated iteration of Spider-Man then leaps heroically into centre stage on brass, and what a theme it is. Instantly catchy and memorable – and incorporating just a dash of Henry Jackman’s motif for Spidey from Captain America: Civil War, if I’m hearing right – it caught my ear right off the bat, and the way the orchestral elements in the aforementioned brass and strings too combine with an epic rock-esque style through electric guitar and explosive beats all across this frankly fantastic two minute stylistic and thematic showoff is genuinely spellbinding. Like I said – I was immediately sold on this score because of it. I even watched the show too, so hats off to Birenberg and Robinson there. With the excellent credits cue fading out, the subsequent “With Great Power” then gives the main theme a proper fully orchestral treatment with poundingly heroic brass leading the charge, cementing the motif both in terms of memorability and sheer style throughout. This track is much more anthem-esque compared to the prior cue’s perhaps more ’90s videogame-y aesthetic, but both have their merits – and both are absolutely spectacular.

The lightly upbeat “Lonnie Lincoln” utilises hip-hop beats and hopeful strings throughout its minute-long runtime, with the similarly short “Good Deed” then continuing in a similar stylistic and tonal vein. Orchestra however then leaps into action for two minute setpiece “Swing Into Action” with frantic brass and strings crashing along until several heroic bursts of the Spider-Man theme swing through, with the track then fading to a gently triumphant close on a brassy final playthrough for Spidey. Tensions start to dial up however in “Up In Flames” with eerie electronics and heavy beats increasing the atmosphere alongside the increasingly chaotic twangs of an electric guitar. A much gentler and more relaxed rendition of Spidey’s theme then plays through “Another Chance” before Lonnie’s hip-hop-esque motif returns in similarly upbeat fashion through “Lunch On Me”. A heroic orchestral burst from Spidey then opens “Armed And Dangerous” before becoming more determined and serious on foreboding synth, with loudly imposing percussion-heavy action dramatically overtaking for the remainder of the cue. Much more ominous and moody beats then occupy “The 110th” to represent the titular gang alongside sinister electronics, with a much more wary rendition of Lonnie’s theme closing out the track. A surprising – and intriguingly, not the last – piece of connecting thematic tissue to the Marvel Cinematic Universe then occurs in “We Need More Heroes” as Alan Silvestri’s Avengers theme quietly but stirringly reprises on noble brass alongside Spidey’s now much more pensive motif.

Some rather creepy-sounding strings open “Doctor’s Orders”, representing the malevolent mind of none other than Doctor Otto Octavius in their scheming, slithering stylistic nature alongside the occasional burst of villainous brass. The more upbeat side of Lonnie’s motif then returns in “Lonnie And Pearl” alongside his familiar percussive beats before the tone turns much darker and sinister in “The Scorpions”; eerie rising and falling brass joins forces with rapidly frenetic and jarring percussion and electronics here, making for quite an unnerving villain piece altogether. Hopeful thematic familiarity however then descends once again for “The Devils Web” as John Paesano’s theme for Daredevil makes a surprise appearance – and I expect it’s not the last we’ll hear from this motif either this year, given the Newton Brothers’ upcoming Daredevil: Born Again score – playing gently at first before then leaping into dramatic electronic/orchestral action opposite Spidey’s now rather tense motif. Tremendously paced ’80s-esque synth and percussion then leap into centre stage alongside an impeccably enthusiastic electric guitar through “Street Race”, evoking Hans Zimmer’s Days Of Thunder or a classic Harold Faltermeyer score in their sheer upbeatness and indeed enjoyability throughout. This epic enthusiasm doesn’t last for long though as the moody “Sting Operation” then overtakes with tense electronics and pounding drums in centre stage for the first ninety seconds until Spidey’s theme leaps heroically in on electric guitar to musically mop up the bad guys.

Tensions continue into the four minute “Hanging By A Thread”, with dramatically in-your-face electronics thumping alongside worrying high-pitched strings, brass and frantic percussion which all then builds to a decidedly villainous crescendo at the three minute mark. A rather determined rendition of Spidey’s theme however then makes sure all hope isn’t lost just before the track closes out. A couple of hip-hop-esque atmospheric cues follow before “I Have To See This Through” brings pensive strings and brass into the fray with a reprisal of Lonnie’s now rather sombre motif. A crash of deafening electronics then shatters the quiet in “Spidey Sense” with ominous strings and bursting brass continuing tension across several minutes of subsequent action before surprisingly Spidey and Lonnie together then start to regain the upper thematic hand. Thunderous brass carries on where the prior cue leaves off in “Araña” with Spidey and Lonnie’s respective themes facing off against crashing bursts of malevolent electronics, until “Silk And Stone” gives the two motifs the edge once again on a powerful surge of swellingly triumphant percussion and orchestra. With the album now approaching its end, “People Look Up To You” and “Déjà Vu” close out the explosive action with several further tense reprisals of Spidey’s theme against tense brassy bursts, before “I Became Me” settles the mood somewhat with much more peaceul strings. To close the album, “Your Friendly Neighborhood Montage” brings the album full circle with a full stylistic and thematic round-up, including hip-hop beats and loud orchestra galore with Spidey, Lonnie, Doc Ock and even Paesano’s Daredevil all reprising for a truly epic finishing sendoff.

Overall, a strong main theme for Spidey and an impeccable orchestral/electronic compositional style make Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson’s epic hip-hop and rock-styled score for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man well worth checking out. The theme is a bright, triumphant and memorable piece appearing at its best on electric guitar, showcased through the explosively heroic and impeccably styled end credits piece & Standout Cue “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” and then of course all across the rest of the album, with triumphant action highlights being “Swing Into Action”, “The Devils Web” (where Spidey goes up against none other than John Paesano’s brilliant Daredevil theme!) and “Silk And Stone”. Together with Spidey’s theme too is an abundance of both new and familiar motifs, with the aforementioned Daredevil and Avengers themes reprising from the MCU and playing alongside the composers’ own unique pieces for Lonnie Lincoln and Doc Ock. And then the style – the sheer style of this score is truly something to behold. From heroically thunderous orchestra to dashingly upbeat electronics all the way through to gently hopeful hip-hop beats, this album is practically oozing with style (and that’s not even talking about the impeccably Faltermeyer-esque “Street Race”). All-in, it’s such an impressive thematic and stylistic display of a soundtrack, and it even got me to check out the show itself as a result.

There’s a lot to love here, but the absolute standout is the epic theme for Spidey. Check it out below.

Score: 8/10

Standout Cues: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man/The Devil’s Web/Street Race

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