No attempt is really made to give Isham's music for The Crazies an artificially organic texture; instead, it meanders through its synthetic tones, with or without a basic, slow, rhythmic pace-setter, as though the film dealt with the dangerous exploration of a foreign world. Appropriate jabs and thuds mark synchronization points in the film in unpredictable places, and for lengthier sequences of fright, Isham responds with grating dissonance at high pitches. The outright action and chase material, as in "Getaway," is generic in its slightly rock-influenced percussion of a slapping tone and vague guitar contributions. Most of the score dwells in the lower regions of the sonic spectrum, however, benefiting from a very wet mix to enhance a dreamy (or nightmarish) atmosphere similar to The Mist. A few times, Isham uses a technique of lowering the pitch on a sound as though to suggest a passing train whistle or a rushing siren. Interestingly, the moments of underscore meant to purely sink into the background of the film, like "Mad House," are surprisingly harmonic in their overarching tone, meaning that while they may lack much excitement, they at least pass without challenging your tolerance on album. Above and beyond the collection of ambient thrashing, banging, and droning portions of the score are a few highlights that attempt to infuse a badly-needed sense of character. Portions of "Something in the Water Supply," "Let It Mean Something," and "Cedar Rapids" explore thematic lines that never really come together to form a cohesive identity but still function as a relief when compared to the majority of the score. The most appealing of these is "Let It Mean Something," which solemnly declares a harmonic line with the score's only significant counterpoint, producing an alluring effect at the end of that cue. The redemptive feeling in the light rock conclusion to "Cedar Rapids" is appropriately deceptive and comes to a creepy halt as a new danger is introduced at the end of the film. These highlights really only amount to five minutes or so on an hour-long album presentation from the Varèse Sarabande label, which is the primary difficulty with the product as a whole. While the score was obviously inexpensive to purchase for that album pressing, the music really can't sustain an hour-long listening experience, so unless you've clearly established yourself as an enthusiast of Isham's understated works, be aware that the highlights in The Crazies are shorter and less attractive than the composer's norm.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download