Buy it... only if you are an enthusiast of the film, for this is a score that is inextricably tied to the unconventionality of its overarching production.

Avoid it... if you're weary of Jon Brion's often quirky compositional styles or expect his music here to exhibit more than a drab, wayward personality on album.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: (Jon Brion) Highly respected for its unconventional twist on a typical, dramatic romance story, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind proposes that the commercial technology will exist in the future to allow for one individual to be erased from memory. When the on-screen pair of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet experience a difficult split in their relationship, they both end up paying to have their memories of the other person eliminated. But Carrey's procedure proves problematic, as his subconscious refuses to let go of a few hidden memories. The film's flashback format allows for the relationship to be explored in a frightfully disjointed way, though anyone familiar with the stories of Charlie Kaufman and films of Michel Gondry know that conventions and expectations often go out the window in their projects. The same usually applies to the music for their productions, and a good match for the irregular sounds of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was Jon Brion, a producer and performer for an array of pop artists as well as the composer for cult favorites Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love. To say that Brion's music doesn't consistently exist in any one genre is perhaps too simplistic of a definition, though he has proven to be a composer whose works often attract the same loyal group of listeners who blindly appreciate his techniques. For Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he offers very little that speaks toward the genre's most general norms, outside, perhaps, of an occasional element of jazz here and there. The ensemble is very simplistic, restricted in every cue to either Brion's own solo performances or a small ensemble that features a prominent soloist. The style of a jazz that exudes from piano solos in conjunction with a bass offer the most recognizable semblance of romance in the work. As expected, however, Brion takes the opportunity to use unique mixing techniques to alter his music into the realm of the quirky. And quirky is absolutely the best word with which to describe this entire work.

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Brion establishes a couple of thematic ideas in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but outside of "Theme," "Main Title," and the piano solos of "Row" and "Peer Pressure," these are lightweights that never develop or expand outside of their initial performances. The score is distinctly a "stream of consciousness" work that attempts, with some success, to emulate the tone of the film rather than add anything to it. There can be little surprise that the most ardent supporters of this score are also enthusiasts of the film; in its context, the music is well suited for the somewhat dapper and disjointed moodiness of the film. On album, however, the score's many weaknesses are exposed. A lack of identity is the most problematic aspect of the recording. While fans of the score will cite its unconventional tone as its overarching identity, that alone cannot sustain a listening experience. A series of extremely short cues betrays this lack of continuity. Brion uses a reverse mix to abruptly end a cue, while in another, he inserts the scratchy sound effects of an old vinyl record over the music. A cue like "A Dream Upon Walking" is the kind of small ensemble piece that reminds of early Danny Elfman creativity. But while it may accompany the fragmentation of a person's mind well enough, it's intolerable on album, especially in its extreme dry mix. That sound is best presented in "Main Title," and if Brion had been able to continue this generally smaller orchestral ambience of quirky rhythms, then perhaps a subdued version of a score like Elfman's Beetlejuice could have very well established itself. Alternately, the score's brighter moments, like "Drive In," present individual rhythmic ideas that don't connect with the remainder of the score. By "Spotless Mind," the score plays as though it's been beaten over the head successively; its lack of vibrance causes an almost depressing atmosphere. The short cue lengths and insertion of songs (including "Mr. Blue Sky," popularly used in the film's trailers) produce an extremely disjointed album as well. Overall, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a score that will please fans of the film, but score collectors should be weary of its drab, wayward personality on album. **   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download