1 |
Burt
And Tom - 2:06 |
2 |
Bike
Shop - 1:09 |
3 |
Departure
- 4:09 |
4 |
Beach
Race - 1:43 |
5 |
Disappointment
- 2:08 |
6 |
Eggs
For Fran - 0:32 |
| 7 |
Memories
- 3:16 |
8 |
Road
Encounters - 3:07 |
9 |
Jake
- 2:41 |
10 |
Burma
Shave - 1:28 |
11 |
Bonneville
Salt Flats - 3:24 |
12 |
Trial
Run - 3:02 |
13 |
Refusal/Heart
Attack - 2:35 |
14 |
Rusty
- 1:01 |
15 |
Sportsman
of the Year - 1:50 |
16 |
The
World's Fastest Indian - 5:46 |
17 |
Burt's
Triumph - 0:55 |
18 |
"Back
To My Shed" - 3:38 |
REVIEW
Sometimes,
all you need are some simple guitar notes, tinkling piano
melodies and lush strings to make a touching film score. Like
the film, this soundtrack album for the New Zealand production
is a gem. It goes to show that bombastic themes and heavy
orchestrations are not always needed to produce a good soundtrack
album. The
45-minute score provides a very relaxed listening experience,
and is one of the most accessible music score we have heard
so far. It is easy on the ears and pleasant nonetheless.
J. Peter
Robinson, whose most prominent work is television series Charmed,
is not exactly a big name in the composer scene. However,
he does a decent job in scoring this movie starring Sir Anthony
Hopkins. It captures the lighthearted and stirring spirit
of the film with some really effortless arrangements.
There
is no memorable theme here, but the orchestrations feature
engaging acoustics, strings and percussions which are enjoyable
to listen to. For those who like some ups and downs in their
soundtrack, fear not, because there are tracks like “Trial
Run” and “The World’s Fastest Indian”
which can be exciting and fun to listen to.
To frequent
soundtrack score listeners, Robinson’s work does echo
Rachel Portman (The Lake House, Mona Lisa Smile) and Thomas
Newman’s (Cinderella Man, Road to Perdition) compositions,
especially his heavy usage of exotic percussion instruments
and melancholic piano melodies. But his compositions have
a more personal touch to them, and feel more intimate compared
to the more polished composers.
Tracks
like “Disappointment”, “Memories”
and “Road Encounters” will enchant your lazy humid
weekend afternoon with some heartfelt moments. This is exactly
the kind of music you want to fill your whole house with,
because of its calm and tranquil mood.
Make
no mistake; this soundtrack is definitely a gem amidst all
the blockbuster scores out there. Sure, there are no intense
and pompous themes featured in this album. But it is so simple
and elegant, it may just inspire you to realize – it
may be more fulfilling if we could lead our lives like this.
SOUNDTRACK
RATING:
Review
by John Li
|
