The Ides of March (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Alexandre Desplat is one of Hollywood's busiest film composers. In 2011 he scored several movies, including The Tree of Life, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II, and The Ides of March, which stars Ryan Gosling and George Clooney, who also directed. (Desplat scored 2005’s Syriana, which Clooney coproduced.) Desplat’s take on The Ides of March, which details the intrigues of a political campaign, is clear: politics is war by other means. Thus, the composer makes martial drumming a prominent element in his fine score. Marimba, harp, strings, and piano create a melancholy mood on “Molly,” while “Zara vs. Duffy” has glassy-toned fiddle sound over tense tom-toms. The piano trio of “Paranoia” brings an elegant jazz feel to the mix, and “The Candidate” features slowly riffing strings and somber brass before morphing into a bluesy orchestral chugger that spotlights some fine trap-kit work. The album wraps with “The Campaign,” a perky number that evokes a Revolutionary War fife-and-drums band tackling the catchy theme also heard on “The Candidate.”