Skyfall composer Thomas Newman returns to score duty for 2015's
Spectre
, the 24th installment of the James Bond spy movie franchise and sixth collaboration between the musician and film director Sam Mendes (
American Beauty
,
Road to Perdition
). Tracks such as "Los Muertos Vivos Estan" and "Westminster Bridge" incorporate the classic Monte Norman theme; however, following in the footsteps of
Skyfall
's theme song, "The Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith, does not appear on the soundtrack. It was instead issued as a stand-alone single (an instrumental version of the song does appear here). Dynamic, suspenseful, elegant, and cool, the score delivers on just about every other expectation, from the jittery strings, ominous brass, and howling choir of "Backfire" to the eerie electronics accompanying restrained orchestra on the creeping "A Reunion." ~ Marcy Donelson