Shame is the award-winning psychological drama from acclaimed writer and director Steve McQueen. The plot revolves around Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a handsome and successful New Yorker who spends his days and nights navigating the reckless terrain of sexual obsession, on an inevitable path towards self destruction. Surrounded by a constant assault of beauty, glamour, and desire, he finds himself at a crossroads when his wayward sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) - comes to crash at his sleek Manhattan apartment. As Brandon struggles to deal with his life of excess, his constant quest for numbness is an escape from both his present and his past...

This is a rather strange soundtrack in that it grabs music from so many genres that what we end up with is an eclectic collection that tries to please everyone. So we have '80s pop, jazz, '70s disco, classical, '50s rock 'n' roll...

I have to admit that I did enjoy Harry Escott's original score. However, there are only three tracks (representing just shy of 20 mins of music) and they repeat a lot of the same cues and themes.

Piano virtuoso Glenn Gould gives us four tracks. He plays two extracts from Johann Sebastian Bach’s 'Goldberg Variations', a work with which he is especially associated, in addition to Bach’s 'Prelude No. 10 in E Minor' and part of the 'Prelude & Fugue No. 16 in G Minor'. However, 'Aria' would have benefited greatly by not having the background humming of a mysterious voice.

Personally this wasn't an album I particularly enjoyed. By trying to please everyone it will end up disappointing more than it excites.

Track listing:

01 - Harry Escott - 'Brandon'
02 - Glenn Gould - 'Aria'
03 - Tom Tom Club - 'Genius Of Love'
04 - Blondie - 'Rapture'
05 - Chic - 'I Want Your Love'
06 - John Coltrane - 'My Favourite Things'
07 - Carey Mulligan - 'New York New York “Theme”'
08 - Chet Baker - 'Let’s Get Lost'
09 - Glenn Gould - 'Prelude' No. 10 in E Minor, BWV 855
10 - Glenn Gould - 'Variation 15 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Quinta. Andante'
11 - Harry Escott - 'Unravelling'
12 - Howlin’ Wolf - 'You Can’t Be Beat'
13 - Mark Louque - 'The Problem'
14 - Glenn Gould - 'Praeludium'
15 - Harry Escott - 'End Credits'

5

Darren Rea