It's been a while since the previous penguin music album, so it's time for another – and this time it's the best of them all; Émilie Simon's original score to La Marche de l'Empereur (aka "March of the Penguins"), the Oscar-winning smash-hit penguin documentary.

Before I get started, take note that the U.S. version had, for some odd reason, it's audio 100% redone. Penguin monologue voice over was replaced with Morgan Freeman's more typical narration and Émilie Simon's masterpiece score was swapped to Alex Wurman's more traditional scoring. Don't get me wrong, Alex Wurman's score is also a masterpiece, but Émilie Simon's score is even better. Heck, it's perhaps my favorite contemporary score to date – and since I'm a soundtrack collector that's saying a lot.

Émilie Simon is an electric musician with background in everything from classical to jazz and rock – and this thorough knowledge is well present in La Marche de l'Empereur. Since most of you readers are gaming crowd, you'll understand when I say that the score is exactly if Akira Yamaoka composed Final Fantasy. It's breath-taking in it's beauty, composition and narrative, telling the story with preeminent sense for wonders of Antarctica. At the same time it's semi-experimental, weaving together it's unique soundscape from unusual sampling (featuring, but not limited to, ice blocks and footsteps in snow). Émilie Simon's songs and several bonus tracks are icing on the cake.

In other words it's one of those scores everyone should experience. Those living outside France can either order the album via Amazon.fr or look for it in local stores under Émilie Simon and title The March of the Empress (which is the direct translation of the original title).