Milan Records release Cliff Martinez's original electronic score for The Neon Demon. The film follows aspiring model, Jesse, who moved to Los Angeles to chase her dreams. Her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she does...

I have to admit that my first impressions of this score weren't positive. I'm not a huge fan of electronic scores. It's rare that one comes along and changes my opinion. Normally, to my ear, they're lazy and formulaic, not to mention the fact that their sound tends to age very quickly. However, as this score rolled on, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was a hell of a lot of heart and soul poured into it.

Cliff Martinez takes sounds you'll have heard countless times before, but delivers something very different - even managing to deliver some beautiful themes.

Of this album's 23 tracks (1 hr, 09 min, 42 sec) personal highlights include 'Messenger Walks Among Us' (which is haunting and has so much going on); 'Runway'; 'I Would Never Say You're Fat'; and 'Kinky' (which has a Vangelis feel to it).

It's an interesting score, which should find a welcome home in electronic music lover's collections.

7

Darren Rea