CD REVIEW - Jarhead

Music by Thomas Newman
DECCA 988 8461 (EU)
25 Tracks 61:33 mins

A kind of Full Metal Jacket for the modern age, I guess, from what I've heard, this new film apparently concentrates on a young grunt's experiences undergoing training and assignment during the Gulf War and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, who seems to be rather high profile at the moment.
Thomas Newman's score will I imagine be much to the liking of his fans. As often the case it is somewhat unconventional - a series of propulsive tracks, pseudo-ethnic in style, with a variety of percussion driving them, with more Western elements, particularly electric guitars, combining, reminding me a little of Hans Zimmer & Co.'s work on Blackhawk Down; mixed with largely atonal, atomspheric interludes. A number of the tracks are typically quite brief, which is merciful with regard to the latter, but there are longer, more developed cues to latch onto. Not much for this writer to get excited about, although I did quite warm to the catchy, somewhat comical Dickskinner.
Mixed in amongst the score cues are the familiar Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin, as well as tracks by T Rex, Naughty By Nature, Public Enemy and Tom Waits.