The soundtrack to Scott Hicks’ new film, features a delicate and ethereal guitar score by Hal Lindes paired with meticulously chosen songs by Sigur Rós, Carla Bruni, Mayfield, Elbow and Carney. Lindes brings emotional restraint to the fragile and multi-faceted guitar score Best described as understated and restrained, the score perfectly fits Clive Owen’s heartfelt performance as a father who must cope with profound loss and put his family back together...

The soundtrack to The Boys are Back may well work well as an accompaniment to the film, but to this reviewer about 50 percent of it was pretty hard on the eardrums.

While I personally enjoyed Hal Lindes's (Dire Straits) classical themes, the other tracks ranged from average to downright awful.

'Fljotavik' sung by Sigur Rós's lead singer Jónsi Birgisson's is particularly grating. When the song gets going he sings and whines way too high to the point where it just sounds silly. Ray LaMontagne's 'All the Wild Horses' isn't a bad track, nor is the mild rock track 'This Wasted Life' performed by Mayfield. 'Ara Batur' however, sounds like someone strangling a cat - yes. it's another Sigur Rós track. The rest of the vocal tracks are not even worth mentioning - bland and instantly forgettable.

While all of Lindes's tracks having something interesting to offer, the opening bars of 'Water Fight' reminded me of The Calling's 'Wherever You Will Go'.

If the vocal tracks had been scrubbed, and more of Lindes's music had been incorporated, then this would have been a much more enjoyable album.

6

Darren Rea