MovieScore Media release Darius Holbert's score for The Crest. Written by Mick Carney and directed by Mark Christopher Covin, the film tells the story of two descendants of an Irish king, who journey to an island where he once presided - not to reclaim the land, but to surf the waves. The soundtrack mixes celtic and pop influences...

While Darius Holbert's score for The Crest is, on balance, an enjoyable collection of tracks, I couldn't help feel that the main themes were repeated a little too often. The traditional celtic base works well but, to be honest, has a slight tendency to sound a little cliched (it could be that James Horner's work on Titanic overused this style to the point that it's no longer seen as something that's fresh and interesting). However, to be fair, Holbert does jazz up the music with pop backing as well as a few traditional celtic sounding themes.

Talking about the project, Holbert revealed: "The Crest is one of my all-time favourite films with which I’ve been involved. Because the main theme of the film is the past meeting the present, we wanted a score that reflected both the traditional and the modern. I used Irish instrumentation like uilleann pipes, bodhrán and other percussion, and - since it’s a central figure in the narrative - the Irish fiddle (played beautifully by Paul Jacob Cartwright at my studio in Los Angeles). I then layered contemporary synth sounds, guitar stutters, and a slew of various modern effects. I’m incredibly proud of the score that we put together; I think it’s one of my best to date, and functions really well with this story about how our today is inextricably linked to our past."

On balance, it's a sweet, and enjoyable score.

7

Darren Rea