One of the advantages of a digital album is a score’s brevity isn’t a hindrance; buyers are more likely to quibble when it’s an under-20 minute score, provided the price is right, and the quality is right there.

Andrew Hewitt’s already proved his film scoring skills in the thriller Cuckoo (2009), and Submarine (2010) presents his writing in a much light style for this coming-of-age comedy drama. The opening cut begins with his main theme set in a delicate funeral lament, but from the steeped Delerue strings and slowly flowing harmonics Hewitt shifts to a cheekier version in “Investigations,”, moving from a grave orchestral intro towards a quirky theme statement. Much like the circuitous figures in Cuckoo, Hewitt repeats his thematic figure on organ but plays with the supporting instrumentation for dramatic variation among the album’s 15 cues.

Circular figures are also central to “The Pamphlet,” with a lovely balance of woodwinds and layered strings, and some fine little nuances, including slight accompaniment from harp in jazzy and more classic modes. “Lloyd Tate’s Mysteries of the Deep” is a glossy variation with easy listening instrumentations, whereas “Fish Out of the Water” is all solo classical piano.

Most of the album consists of theme variations designed to make precise impressions, and the mood shifts are sometimes startling (particularly when Hewitt returns to the melancholy Delerue instrumentation), but it’s a decent presentation of a score that probably had to share space with source songs. As is typical with MovieScore Media’s albums, the music is crisply engineered, and features up-close miking for an intimate performance style.

© 2011 Mark R. Hasan