Search - Jake Parker :: The Life of David Gale (Score)

While Hollywood's penchant for unbridled nepotism has produced its share of questionable career results, we're happy to report that this soundtrack collaboration by Alex and Jake Parker for their director father Alan Parker's morally charged courtroom thriller is a notable exception. The two young composers combine their disparate backgrounds--Alex is an engineer versed in electronic studio compositions; Jake a classically trained orchestral composer--to create a diverse score that's a compelling argument for the stylistic freedoms imparted by postmodernism. Alex's work veers from the alterna-electronica of the opening "Another Bleeding Heart" (reminiscent of Alabama 3's Sopranos title song, "Woke Up This Morning") and the even darker "Waterside" to dense electronic soundscapes propelled by tribal drums and punctuated with jarring, abrasive samples. By contrast, Jake evokes Samuel Barber in his melancholy, string-driven cues, occasionally combining his traditionalism with his brother's contemporary electronic bent to evoke music that's as forceful as it is mysterious. Their savvy musical instincts also include source music that ranges from Puccini's Turandot to the contemporary country of Toni Price's "Just to Hear Your Voice" and the plaintive Latino folk flourishes of Correo Aereo's "La Pena Huasteca." This enhanced CD also contains the film's international trailer as well as Web links. --Jerry McCulley