THIS is the soundtrack for Young Adam, David McKenzie's film starring Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton, which is based on the gritty novel by Scottish beat writer Alexander Trocchi.

David Byrne, who returned to the country of his birth to compose the score, used musicians from such Scottish bands as Mogwai, The Delgados, and Belle and Sebastian. Occasionally it veers on the new age-ish and the more abstract offerings sound like accompaniments to a Tate Modern art installation.

At its best, however, the blend of styles, from jazz and ambient to the Philip Glass-influenced and fugue-like Canal Life, confirms David Byrne's reputation for producing genre-breaking music. As a bonus for Talking Heads fans, Byrne's lugubrious vocals can be heard on the final two tracks.

Updated: 09:31 Thursday, April 15, 2004