David Arnold

From the big and blustery to the seductive and slinky, David Arnold has proven himself to be a crack composer for Hollywood films -- particularly those laden with action, suspense and special effects. It's no wonder that he received plenty of kudos for the edge-of-your-seat score he penned for Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), one in the endless series of James Bond films. Unfortunately, Arnold's music sometimes tends towards the overly bombastic, providing little subtlety or emotional range for the listener/viewer. In these moments, he doesn't distinguish himself from the myriad of post-Romantic-loving John Williams clones who drop musical bombs whenever a battle takes place, a hero returns to his lover or a villain laughs with maniacal glee. But Arnold can take successful detours into the realms of pop and dance: a song he composed with Bjork for the film The Young Americans (1993) became a U.K. hit, and he masterminded the James Bond music tribute Shaken and Stirred (1997) by utilizing the talents of Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Artcore wiz LTJ Bukem.