This week's soundtrack CDs reviewed

JON BRION

Synecdoche, New York Lakeshore ****

Jon Brion has become the composer of choice for quirky writer-directors, first with Hard Eight, Magnoliaand Punch Drunk Lovefor Paul Thomas Anderson, and then with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindfor director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. For the latter's directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York, Brion infuses his signature style of bittersweet romanticism with a dynamic mix of knowing wit and idiosyncratic lyricism. Combining languid melodies and warm colours (piano, horns) with spare orchestration and deft blues/jazz stylings, his beautiful score achieves an exquisite and melancholic tenderness that both moves and enchants – perfectly captured in Little Person, the ironic ballad with a big heart performed by Deanna Storey. www.lakeshore-records.com

Download Tracks: Ok, Piano