The Vietnam War was a 10-part series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick which aired on the BBC in 2017. Two soundtrack releases have emerged out of the project, the original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and a various artists album of iconic songs representing the era...

The original score for The Vietnam War series is a two disc collection spread over 17 tracks (1 hr, 35 min, 19 sec). Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have constructed a tangled web of intrigue here and on first play through it sounds busy and multi-layered.

However, I didn't find it an album that faired quite so well on repeat listens. While it's still an enjoyable score, small cracks start to appear. There's a little too much padding and drawing out of themes to stretch them as much as possible. And while this isn't noticeable when watching the series, it's hard to ignore when listening to the album on its own merits.

There are a number of highlights that you'll be drawn back to. 'Remnants' is a haunting track; 'Torn Polaroid' has a hypnotic beauty; and 'Haunted' has an interesting theme.

Overall, it's an interesting modern sounding score which is just varied enough to make it interesting.

7

Darren Rea