The latest releases reviewed.

NATHAN BARR Hostel Varese Sarabande **

After his apprenticeship as a multi-instrumental performer with Hans Zimmer, Nathan Barr scored a streak of low-budget horror films (The Hangman's Daughter, Red Dirt, Cabin Fever I & II). Whereas other composers infuse their genre scores with a sophisticated mix of brooding Romanticism and avant-garde experimentalism, Barr's score for the torture-and-snuff shocker Hostel goes straight for classical kitsch. It combines shrieking violins and groaning basses with driving percussion - occasionally counterpointing with ethereal vocals and delicate harp arpeggios on Brothel or Spa - to create a score full of dramatic contrast but little complexity or depth. www.varesesarabande.com

Jocelyn Clarke