Known best for his highly emotional (and largely orchestral) themes of sweeping grandeur, best heard in his magnificent scores for Little Women, The Shawshank Redemption, and Angels in America, Thomas Newman has been associated with some of cinema's most touching dramas. For Brothers, Newman has delivered a surpisingly contemporary score, based upon soothing electric guitar chords and glowing synths, punctuated by propulsive and edgy rhythmic cues.
Thomas Newman is well accustomed to scoring films with quirky, rhythm-based creativity - anyone who has heard his famous scores for American Beauty, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Wall-E will agree. But as bizarre as his exotic musical explorations can be, he never fails to expertly capture the tender, intimate side of the story; and the tender strains of his long-lined themes are consistently impressive.
Contemporary Tones in Brothers Soundtrack
In Brothers, however, his tones are interestingly restrained, with a slightly abrasive edge. The main theme is conveyed immediately in "Homecoming," a cue consisting of soft electronic washes and pulses, overlayed with beautiful but simplistic electric guitar meanderings, which may possibly remind some of Danny Elfman's softer cues from The Kingdom.
The more extroverted portions of the score are defined by eerie whines and harsh, thrashing rhythms, as in "Afghanistan" and "Sold," although some surprisingly upbeat and entertaining grooves pop up in "Uncle Tommy" and the brief but delightful "Snowman." Still another side of the score is heard in the cues "The Pipe," "Not Another Word," and "No Value," which are all defined by their bleak monotone textures and static atonality.
Brief Electronic Score by Thomas Newman
The construction of Brothers is predominantly electronic, with almost nothing resembling orchestral or acoustic influence to be heard (outside of some occasional synthesized woodwind warblings and keyboarded string washes). Everything sounds as though it has either originated in a computer or been altered by one. Not that this is a bad thing: the score is entirely appropriate for its film, and remains a touching and relfective listen despite its curiously short 25-minute running time.
Summary
As a whole, the score will be something to embrace or dismiss based mostly on its somber and occasionally violent electronic construction – the score's one recurring theme gets next to no variation, though it only pops up three or four times and thus its repetitive, simplistic nature never outstays its welcome. The score's best moments are quite attractive in their rough but paradoxically relaxing way.
The score is readily available from AmazonMP3 and the iTunes Store as an inexpensive digital download.
See Also: WALL-E Soundtrack Review
David Abraham Dueck - I live in MN and do not surf or collect Hello Kitty paraphernalia. I instead play ice hockey, write articles for my blog, read tons of ...
