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THE INFORMERS
Pleasant, relaxing background music from Young
 A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Music composed by
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Rating
* * *



Performed by
UNNAMED ENSEMBLE

Orchestration
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG
SEAN MCMAHON
BRANDON VERRETT
MARK BUYS

Engineered by
ANDREW SPENCE
JONATHAN TIMPE
Music Editor
KEVIN CREHAN
Produced by
CHRISTOPHER YOUNG
ANDREW SPENCE

Album running time
48:08

Released by
LAKESHORE RECORDS
Catalog number
LKS340822

Album cover copyright (c) 2009 Senator Distribution, Inc; review copyright (c) 2009 James Southall.

I bought this album based solely on the name of the composer - Christopher Young, one of my favourites.  When I ordered it and saw the album cover, I assumed it was a horror score - not entirely unreasonable, given the composer.  I started playing the album - sure doesn't sound like a horror score!  In fact, The Informers is based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel about a group of people in Los Angeles in the early 1980s who love drugs, sex and power - and various seemingly-disparate plot strands about the different characters inevitably all draw together.  It was the last film to feature actor Brad Renfro, who died of a heroin overdoes in early 2008.

Young's music is very laid-back, very chilled-out.  It's performed by a small ensemble - guitars, bass, drums, vibes, keyboards - and falls into that category of film scores which act more as a kind of musical accompaniment to proceedings rather than genuine dramatic underscore.  Think also of Young's music for Wonder Boys and The Big Kahuna - both good albums - and this one's very enjoyable too.  It's pleasantly melodic throughout: you shouldn't be expecting memorable tunes, just nicely-written and nicely-performed low-key instrumental pop.

Young excels in many genres - and this kind of subtle approach is one he has pulled off well on several occasions.  Of course it's not a particularly substantial work compared with many of his others, but albums like this certainly have a place - surely no listener can sit through big orchestral film scores time after time, and albums like this can provide great relaxation, or background accompaniment to other things (well, like a film, I suppose).  

Tracks

  1. The Informers (2:45)
  2. Nothing but a Broken Heart (1:58)
  3. What was, it is.  What is, it's not (4:17)
  4. Please Me, Please, Please (2:44)
  5. No Wicked Way (2:56)
  6. Malibu Dope (3:52)
  7. To Ryder, With Love (3:55)
  8. Wrecked By Money (2:50)
  9. Is She Really? (3:10)
  10. Sex Whenever (2:40)
  11. A Rose in All Things Beautiful (1:37)
  12. Dysfunctional Everything (3:09)
  13. Toupee Tango (2:19)
  14. Hawaiian Dissonance (3:13)
  15. Love is Love is Love (6:43)
    16.