Essentially a musical study of inner claustrophobia, newcomer Andrew Hewitt's "black and white" string score for the acclaimed UK thriller Cuckoo builds most of its mesmerizing underscoring on the simple two-note motif - which is ingeniously based on the bird's call - and it is an impressive lesson in how to construct a truly effective film score. The album presentation of the Cuckoo score takes the listener on a ride between ominous suspense writing and more tense, ostinato-driven action sequences...

Very little makes me sit up and take notice with soundtrack scores these days. Yes there are impressive classically composed scores of late that I've really enjoyed, but I rarely hear anything that breaks new ground or is so well thought out. The soundtrack to Cuckoo is a welcome breath of fresh air.

A lot of the themes are build around the familiar call of the cuckoo, but it's not so obvious that you sit there having this clever idea shoved down your throat. In fact, I'm betting that most listeners won't even pick up on this fact until it's pointed out to them.

Perhaps not surprisingly for a suspense movie, there are Hitchockian themes woven into this score. While these are not an overly obvious homage to Bernard Herrmann's work, it would be near impossible to create a dark, suspenseful score without at least treading on the master's work.

Tracks like 'Scarlet Letter' reminded me of Howard Shore's music for The Silence of the Lambs. There also seems to be a sprinkling of an influence of Michael Nyman tucked away in here (a composer whose work I've never liked or understood) but Andrew Hewitt takes Nyman-esque themes and turns in a more polished and professional feel to his music.

This is a superb score that increases in depth the more times you experience it. Hewitt has a very promising and bright future ahead of him if Cuckoo is anything to go by.

10

Darren Rea