American Beauty – Thomas Newman (1999) [FLAC]

Composer Thomas Newman provided a score for American Beauty that would become an icon in the music industry, despite failing to win the Golden Globe or Academy Award for which it was nominated. Much fun has been poked at Newman, in fact, for his outward disgust and associated facial contortions at the moment of this Oscar loss (as seen on the split-screen format of the televised event), one of no less than eight times he has lost without winning a statue (as of 2008). Still, the funky rhythms and instrumentation of his music for American Beauty have inspired an entire generation of television commercials with a similar sound, many of which related to the automotive industry, oddly enough. There are, from time to time, film scores that are an absolutely perfect match for the content of their overarching production, but which, for whatever reason, largely fail when heard on album. American Beauty is perhaps one of the most vivid examples of such a score. Its unconventional style, often summarized by the words "eclectic" and "eccentric," is extremely well suited for the disposition of each character in the film. It would seem, on the surface, that a movie about the everyday characters of American suburbia would merit a score closer to Elmer Bernstein’s The Deep End of the Ocean, a heartfelt expression of disillusion and loss. But the tone of American Beauty demanded something different, something as distinctively defiant as its main character. Newman’s score embodies that sound so well that the music is an absolutely necessary souvenir for fans of the film. – Filmtracks (http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/american_beauty.html)

1. Dead Already (3:17)
2. Arose (1:05)
3. Power of Denial (1:43)
4. Lunch with the King (2:26)
5. Mental Boy (1:43)
6. Mr. Smarty Man (1:10)
7. Root Beer (1:07)
8. American Beauty (3:06)
9. Bloodless Freak (1:38)
10. Choking the Bishop (1:53)
11. Weirdest Home Videos (2:03)
12. Structure and Discipline (3:06)
13. Spartanette (0:59)
14. Angela Undress (1:43)
15. Marine (1:34)
16. Walk Home (1:19)
17. Blood Red (0:37)
18. Any Other Name (4:09)
19. Still Dead (2:46)

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