A Simple Plan (Original Score)

by William Ruhlmann The score to A Simple Plan is an unusually spare one for Danny Elfman, who normally goes in for larger instrumentation and bigger effects. This time, he uses a variety of flutes and banjos as his most prominent instruments for music that is often as contemplative as it is ominous, and sometimes surprisingly delicate. There are occasional moments that suggest the composer's more characteristic approach, but his writing is in the service of a smaller, if still intense cinematic subject, and it is appropriately restrained. There are also three guitar-driven rock songs, by Imperial Crowns , Jolene , and Tina & the B-Sides .