As young Los Angeleans, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman grew up in musical families. In the 1980s they worked together for several years as part of Prince’s band The Revolution, before the band was dissolved in 1986. The next year the duo put out their first album and have continued to work together ever since, composing for film and television as well as releasing their own albums. After working with Executive Producer Allan Arkush on the television series “Chasing Jordan” the duo was called in again in 2006 for a new sci-fi show that became something of a phenomenon (”Heroes”). Three years later, La-La Land Records is releasing an album of score music from the series - though it could be classified more as an album of theme tracks, as each track (aside from the familiar “Heroes” title theme and two tracks from memorable scenes in the show) represent a character. And these aren’t quick, surface representations - most of the tracks are around six and a half minutes long, covering a range of emotions and personality traits for the various characters. From the chanting and rhythm drums on the “Mohinder” track to the emotional piano and intake of breath on “Claire” to the calculating, jumpy intro on “Sylar” filled with ticking clocks, this is an album of definitive character music. Each track is a fully fleshed out piece of music, expressing more than a simple scene or moment of action. Most score albums are filled with shorter pieces taken directly from memorable scenes - Wendy & Lisa have opted for longer, in-depth tracks that take the listener on a journey. It’s a journey worth taking.

Wendy & Lisa’s accomplishments are even more impressive, considering that each episode of “Heroes” has “at least 35 minutes of music that has to be composed in less than a week,” as executive producer and director Allan Arkush says in the liner notes. “Most TV shows have less than 15 minutes of score per episode.”

Zach’s Rating: 10 (out of 10)

To purchase the score for “Heroes”, visit Amazon