Antony Partos and Sam Petty provide the lion's share of the score The Rover. Ten years after a collapse of the western economic system, Australia’s mineral resources have drawn the desperate and dangerous to its shores. With society in decline, the rule of law has disintegrated and life is cheap. Eric is a cold and angry drifter who has left everything and everyone behind. When his car – his last possession – is stolen by a gang of desperate desert hustlers, Eric embarks on a ruthless mission to track them down. Along the way, he is forced into an unlikely relationship with Rey, the naïve and injured younger brother of gang member Henry who has left Rey behind in the bloody aftermath of the gang’s most recent robbery...

The score for The Rover probably works incredibly well in the movie, but as a standalone score (as it's presented here) I think I'd prefer to hear recordings of washing machines, tumble driers and dishwashers. Atmospheric it is, but entertaining it isn't.

In fact, I listened to this during quite a windy evening with the roof tiles lifting and a gate squeaking in the wind somewhere in the distance... and these external noises, far from being distracting, actually added a certain something to the listening experience.

Of this score's 14 tracks (55 min, 36 sec) I couldn't find anything positive to recommend it, other than the creepy closing track 'Variation V' by William Basinki.

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Darren Rea