Changing Lanes - Music from the Movies

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Changing Lanes

Composer : David Arnold

Conductor : Nicolas Dodd and Sonny Kompanek

Orchestration / Arrangement : Nicholas Dodd

Producer : David Arnold

Label / No. : Varèse Sarabande VSD-6353

Year of release : 2002

Total duration : 39:50

Reviewed by: Andrew Keech

Inspired by the growing number of road rage incidents, Changing Lanes explores an escalating action and reaction drama between Ben Affleck and Samuel L Jackson triggered by a simple motoring incident. The films' score, by David Arnold, is a running commentary on the action, an electronic background to the plotting and violence that unfolds on the screen.

While the album is split into 26 tracks the sleeve notes bill the score as one cue wonder and indeed the score is virtually continuous, slipping seamlessly from one synthesised cue to another. Much of the score is made up of unnatural, eerie electronic sounds interspersed with heavy electronic percussion. Some of the cues are dark and broody filled with deep menace, others are upbeat and catchy, but most are lacking in a melodic thread or musical purpose resulting in a sort of electronic wallpaper.

David Arnold seems to compose on two plains, Independence Day and Stargate scores are on grand orchestral level, while Changing Lanes, Young Americans and much of his pop work is a very different type of electronic music, which appeals to a very different audience. Changing Lanes is a score that work well in the film, but is hard going away from the celluloid.

Other reviews by Andrew Keech:


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