David Byrne
Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Music from the film YoungAdam
Thrill Jockey
By Dan Eldridge
Film soundtracks are now big business, and it's interesting to see that many characters from the underground -- such as ex-Shudder To Think's Craig Wedren -- are now scoring films full-time. Keep in mind, though, that David Byrne's soundtrack for Young Adam is really nothing more than atmospheric background music. It's evocative of sadness, loss and coming of age, and without even reviewing a synopsis, I would bet money that those are also the central themes of the film.
However, there are no radio-ready pop hits here, or for that matter any pop at all. The album seems to have been released almost as an afterthought, and although musicians from Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian play backup, Byrne's voice is heard on only two tracks. For Byrne completists, this soundtrack will certainly be a nice novelty. For the rest of us, well, let's just say the historical footnote ends there.
