No Strings Attached Composed by John Debney
Lakeshore Records (2011)
Rating:
6/10
Soundclips below from AmazonMP3
“For all it’s optimism and grace, the music heard in NO STRINGS ATTACHED
does little other than serve as a reminder that the majority of modern
romantic comedies are rarely more than what has preceded them. DEBNEY’S
score does the job, but it is not one that most will wish to revisit on
multiple occasions.
”
No Attachment
Review by Richard Buxton
JOHN DEBNEY is certainly no stranger to the romantic comedy, having
previously scored numerous examples of the genre with relative success.
Such experience comes at a cost however as DEBNEY’S score for NO STRINGS
ATTACHED is a pleasant but altogether predictable and formulaic offering
from the composer. This, perhaps, is not the fault of DEBNEY, but is due
to the romantic comedy genre itself, which rarely proves to be a musically
demanding one, and subsequently rarely lets the composer explore their
musical talents to the full.
The story of NO STRINGS ATTACHED is little more than what can be expected
of a typical Hollywood romance, and this shows clearly through the music.
The themes heard on various instruments veer through all of the expected
emotions of love, sorrow, and all the others in between, with ease, but
never captivate the audience in a way that might perhaps keep them
entranced after they leave the theatre.
The soundtrack begins with “Golf Date”, which sounds more like a
commercial for the latest “nutritional” food to hit the market as it
meanders through it’s minute-and-a-half duration.
What is perhaps most striking about the score is the apparent lack of a
distinct romantic theme for the opening tracks. Instead, DEBNEY has
initially opted for reoccurring styles rather than themes. These styles
range from the optimistic driving of the guitar heard in “Making Love”,
“Toast to Hospital” and “You Wanna Do This?”, to the delicate strings and
piano complexion of “Emma Walks Adam to Car” and “Getting Married”. These
stylistic choices are nothing less than sufficient and are the staples of
the romantic comedy genre, but still come as a slight disappointment when
they are the produce of a composer with the such skills.
The first substantial glimpse of the main theme of NO STRINGS ATTACHED
appears just after the halfway mark of the soundtrack in “I’d Choose
Adam/First Date”. The syrupy romance gushes out in the plucks of the
guitar before it is echoed through strings, guitar and piano moments
later. The theme emerges once more in the very next track, “Three Months
Later”, in a similarly soft and admittedly heart-warming nature. What
follows the strongest tracks in the score is a curious synth-led rock
track that wouldn’t be out of place in a SCOTT PILGRIM movie. Normal
service is quickly resumed however, as “Hailing a Cab” sees the return of
the now established theme, its frequency apparently making up for its near
non-appearance in the first half of the score. The main theme can be heard
one last time in the final track “Emma Surprises Adam/I Love You”.
NO STRINGS ATTACHED’s opening tone returns in “Emma to Wedding” as the
choppy guitar plays wingman to the strings in an upbeat piece that
precedes the somber “Heartbroken”.
For all it’s optimism and grace, the music heard in NO STRINGS ATTACHED
does little other than serve as a reminder that the majority of modern
romantic comedies are rarely more than what has preceded them. DEBNEY’S
score does the job, but it is not one that most will wish to revisit on
multiple occasions.
