When I first played this album, it was apparent that the movie, itself, is not the only thing Hitchcockian here. The Newton Brothers have put together a score that could have been in just about any Alfred Hitchcock movie. These guys really pulled off something great.
From the beginning of the first track, "Prelude for Proxy", I was transported to a time when the screen was black, white and shades of grey. Back to a time when you actually had to think when watching a horror/thriller movie. As do most of the songs in this score, this one feels very much like it could be a lost track from Psycho.
I'd go so far as to say that you could throw any of the first nine songs in with a remastered Psycho score and ninety-five percent of the people who heard it wouldn't even notice. That is how remarkably similar this is to the Hitchcock scores. I, also, can't stress enough that it's not just similar, but very well done.
The tenth track, "Group Counciling" is a bit more sorrowful. It feels different than the rest. There isn't much of a Hitchcock vibe to it but the strings bring it home as one that sticks out from the soundtrack but still stands out as a great one.
Towards the end of the score, there's a little more of The Newton Brothers, themselves (I'm guessing), mixed in with the songs. It still sounds like it could be from a Hitchcock movie, but there's something a little different and updated going on.
"End Titles" is another great piece. It starts with the strings swelling in a "newer horror" sort of way with the crescendo dropping out to a very "Hitchcockian" solo, low note. After this, it takes a trip into a Danny Elfman-ish world with a slightly deeper tone than what they had done before this for the score. The tensions builds again to a Hitchcock-like finish to end the score brilliantly.
The Newton Brothers didn't reinvent the wheel here. They didn't even make a score that was completely different than anything that has been done before. However, they put something together that, because it's different than anything in any current movie, is a standout score overall. It's not a new sound, but it's a refreshing sound and it was done so well. I'm definitely thinking it's time to seek out more of their work.
8 out of 10 skulls
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Reviewed by Chris Cavoretto