Toronto’s Sean James Boyer has built his musical reputation as an in-demand television scorer. His musical imagination is wide enough to encompass a variety of programming such as Discovery’s Last Stop Garage, the T&E Network’s Haunted Case Files, and Alone on the History Channel, among many others. It’s a natural outgrowth of a passion for music first flaring to life as a child when he would dress himself up as Indiana Jones or Superman and zoom around his parents’ home singing melodies from those renowned scores. His brother shared his passion for music and aided the young Boyer to take his first fledgling steps as a guitarist. Boyer later studied jazz guitar and music theory during his college years.
His time interning for an ad agency is where his own musical ambitions first took flight. He put his love for music to good use crafting jingles and learning the ins and outs of producing television and radio commercials. He soon founded his own music production company and began scoring his first TV shows, films, and documentaries. His years of apprenticeship immediately paid off. His penchant for musical storytelling serves him well scoring the recent Netflix 3D animated series My Little Pony: Make Your Mark, the theme song for the TV sitcom Amelia Parker, and a standalone hybrid cinematic action piece entitled Dark Horse Dominion.
“Sunny Saves the Day” from My Little Pony: Make Your Mark packs a wallop despite being a little less than two minutes long. Boyer’s score makes excellent use of a full orchestra, sweeping synthesizer lines, and woodwinds. The synthesis of these different components into an unified whole suggests grand adventure while still maintaining a light touch at key points. Dynamics are key. There’s a rising and falling dimension to the score’s grandeur engrossing listeners from the first and holding their attention throughout.
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Amelia Parker’s theme song opens each episode with a strong vocal and the arrangement’s near gospel feel. It gains an added dimension, however, from the obvious pop strands coloring the song. Boyer’s writing tailors it for its introductory slot opening the show, thus its short duration, but it is nonetheless thoroughly satisfying. Adding finger snaps as the sole source of percussion is a creative move that helps separate the piece from more run of the mill fare and the smattering of backing vocals diversifies the arrangement as well.
“Dark Horse Dominion” has appeared in TV spots and show placements. Boyer includes the song, as well, on a production music album Codename Assassin recorded for such a purpose. The piece allows Boyer an opportunity to indulge his love for guitar and he seamlessly integrates the instrument into an orchestral and synth dominated arrangement. The track’s orchestration is crucial. He develops the piece from a comparatively muted opening into dramatic and towering musical architecture.
Sean James Boyer is still ambitious despite his small screen success. His avowed yearning to begin scoring major motion pictures is the next logical step after hearing these aforementioned scores; his imaginative approach to arranging would bolster any movie. Let’s hope he gets that opportunity soon.
Garth Thomas