Silva Screen Records digitally release the ITV mini-series soundtrack for The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe. The series is based on the extraordinary and compelling true story of how John Darwin faked his own death. Together with his wife Anne Darwin, John perpetrated one of the most elaborate, devastating and surreal frauds of all time. Faking his death in a canoe accident off the coast of Seaton Carew, North East England, he lived for five years undetected in a bedsit connecting to his wife's bedroom. The couple reaped the rewards of John’s life insurance and plotted a new life together in Panama, whilst their two adult sons believed John to be dead...

Composers Harry Escott and Ben Pearson deliver 13 tracks (28 min, 29 sec) of music that treads the line between score and classical music. It's a beautiful little album that is subtle and, at times, eerie.

Whilst there are plenty of themes to sink your teeth into, there's an ever present soundscape that is woven throughout the tracks. At times it borders on creepy psychological horror territory, but with a lot of heart and soul poured into the compositions.

'Out of This World' has a foreign climes vibe, which feels quirky and upbeat. The album concludes with 'Coming Home', which I'd argue houses the album's most touching, melancholic theme.

It's not your standard soundtrack fare, and for that reason alone I really warmed to it. It's refreshing to hear something a little different. Escott and Pearson have really dug down and gotten to the human element of this story and the results are wonderful.

8

Darren Rea