Laws of Attraction

Laws of Attraction is one of those albums that's been floating around my desk for a not inconsiderable time. On the plus side, it is composed by Edward Shearmur whose work I always look forward to, but every time I pick it up, it's 'hmmmm, another romantic comedy score, can I really be bothered? Well, it is Ed Shearmur... Sky Captain it is...' Laws of Attraction stars Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore in another of Brosnan's between Bond duds - one review describes it as 'like watching a couple of chimps square off for a game of chess' although, if I'm honest, I'd pay real money to watch chimps play chess. If Shearmur doesn't do much to buck the genre conventions here, he does - as usual - produce music that is plentifully tuneful and constantly engaging.

The album rather neatly divides into two halves. The first is dominated by the main theme introduced, unsurprisingly, in the Main Title. It puts to mind a jazzy version of his trancey theme to K-Pax - kind of Rachel Portman vs. Ed Shearmur (as the pop chart writers would have it). However, the melody is put through its paces and, impressively, Shearmur makes each style and tone seem just right, although the upbeat style of the opening is the most toe tapping. At around the halfway point, the variations are perhaps wearing a little thin (although, let's face it, romantic comedy scores hardly give wide opportunities for composers to dive off in radical new directions) and a timely change of mode occurs with A Trip to Ireland; out come the fiddles, Uillean Pipes and Whistles for a bit of Celtic fiddling. These passages are perhaps a little more cliché than the earlier material, but remain appealing and the main theme works surprisingly well as a rollocking fiddle tune.

Laws of Attraction was never likely to go down as one of Shearmur's greatest musical achievements, there simply isn't the scope. That the film is rather screwball comedy and the drama fairly insubstantial, it's a miracle that the score is as engaging as it is. Having such a fine main theme which is then put through so many witty and inventive variations is a bonus and even in the mildly romantic moments, Shearmur never lays it on too thickly and maintains the light feel, resolutely refusing to allow things to become mawkish. At a touch over half an hour of score (the album is topped with a decent jazz ballad performed by Dana Glover and a little authentic blarny from Temple House), Laws of Attraction is just the perfect length for the material. Fans of the composer and of light, frothy scoring will find much to enjoy here. Fine fluff.