About the Soundtrack: Following up his minimalist effort for "No Country For Old Men," Carter Burwell remains locked in to the world of the underscore with "In Bruges." Released by Lakeshore Records, the music is performed by a smaller sized ensemble with an emphasis placed on solo performances throughout. The score seems to have been written for small numbers in mind so this is definitely not a larger, orchestral endeavor. Also on this release, there are a small number on non-score music tracks that are sprinkled throughout the play list.
What You Need to Know: Burwell is best known for his collaboration with the quirky Coen brothers, authoring memorable scores for films like "Miller's Crossing" and "Fargo," to name a couple. He has a knack for grounding the zany happenings in Coen features with warm music that plays off the material, creating an effective synergy. Indeed, I consider most of his work to have an 'earthy' type feel to it and this helps make him a unique talent in the world of film music, even beyond the slate of Coen brother pictures (eg - Rob Roy). Lately, though, his efforts have been a little quieter (even though he did compose a bit of music for the 2008 Oscar winning, "No Country For Old Men") so I was hoping "In Bruges" would bring me more of his vintage style. Once I read that this project was to offer more of a low key brand of music, though, my hopes were dashed and I readied myself for more of an underscored style of music than that of larger prominence. Good thing I did...
While certainly respectable, "In Bruges," is also unremarkable. The palette of music within the scope of the score stays confined to the minimalist approach with nary a moment of fullness to be heard. Though I don't have a problem with modest, contemporary styles or with music performed on a smaller scale in general, it just seemed like "In Bruges" lacked the type of personality and scope that would make the material memorable. With the number of players he had to work with, this could hardly be a surprising outcome.
In some cases, composers are equipped with modest sized outfits that are capable of generating a fullness that masks their numbers. In this case, it's easy to tell that the musicians are sparse due to the lightweight output of the score. Whether it was due to the actual studio in which it was recorded or some other factor, Burwell was stripped down to the bare essentials in pulling this one off. It's a testament to his writing that the score came across in a respectable manner...that and the strategy of using the piano as a key instrument.
The subtle, main theme of "In Bruges" is driven by the piano playing and it is this little motif that opens up the score. The theme itself has a nice european signature to it and is used frequently as the key component of the score. The problem arises is that the melody stays confined to the underwhelming reaches of the tidy ensemble, thus it's mostly played by piano or solo strings. The score, like the theme, is dramatic in nature and does come across classical without being stuffy. There is a bit of looseness to it that helps the music breathe a bit. Again, the work is just not given an opportunity to expand. That's my main critique.
As far as execution. Burwell inspires good performances from his players. I suppose the bright side of having a smaller group of musicians is that you can hear the specific performances a bit more clearly. So in that capacity, and if you fancy such a thing, "In Bruges" offers a bit of interest in that vein that you may want to peruse. But aside from performance study, I couldn't latch on to anything that could make this a memorable effort.
Final Grade: I wouldn't go out of your way to get this soundtrack. While it does provide a consistently subtle presentation of music, there isn't anything about it that will beckon for a repeat engagement nor are there any compilation-worthy highlights to capture. Ultimately, it is what it is -- an effectively paced underscore for a movie seeking such a style. That's good news for the movie, bad news for soundtrack fans. I'll catch you on your next one, Carter.
