American Beauty - Thomas Newman

Thomas Newman's OST for the desert island American Beauty every bit matches the films dark yet beautiful concept, and the albums manipulation of emotion is second to none. Musically it's reminiscent of Robyn Miller and Brian Eno in places with drifting sounds, rippling strings and plenty of mellow piano and xylophone passages which help to create an uplifting and challenging album of music, which added great atmosphere, sorrow and joy to what was a bitter and twisted web of love and hatred. To listen to the music with no knowledge of the film would be an equally pleasurable but very different experience and I think it's what makes the album that extra bit ...  Read the complete review

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a bit of a soundtrack addict. If I like a film or a TV series I very often try to get the soundtrack on CD. This has led to some embarrassingly dreadful purchases (Home and Away “Living Without Your Love”..Anyone? No, thought not) and some incredible musical finds. I frequently come across music that I would NEVER dream of looking at otherwise. Collecting soundtracks has seriously enriched my listening experiences. Anyway, this one has been lurking in my CD changer for a couple of years now and I thought it was about time I shared my love for the collection. The film was a HUGE hit in 1999; Kevin Spacey’s mid-life ...  Read the complete review

"American Beauty" filled cinemas and walked away with a whole pile of awards last year, but what of the music? Whilst watching the film at the cinema and later on video I was struck by how great the music was. I subsequently went out and bought the soundtrack to the film, "American Beauty: Music from the original motion picture soundtrack". I find myself buying a lot of soundtracks you get such a good variety of music and often some real hidden gems.So, here is what you can expect on one of the finest soundtracks in years. Which I can only describe as...well....very American! 1.THOMAS NEWMAN - DEAD ALREADY (1999) This is the ...  Read the complete review