Michael Andrews - Donnie Darko (Music From The Original Motion Picture Score) mp3 album

All things considered, this record could sound far worse. The main issue seems to be a lack of high frequencies, sounds as if it had been low-passed around 4k, which makes the mids seem a bit over-accentuated in comparison. As this soundtrack is mainly comprised of discreet, mellow piano and distant ominous synth drones, it's not terrifically "bright" sounding anyway, but still this pressing lacks a bit of "air", to my ears anyway. If you have an EQ in your system you could probably compensate for this quite a bit, though this will bring out more of the background hiss present in the recording.Whether this would be down to substandard pressing quality, or just a less-than-perfect mastering job, I couldn't say. Likewise whether or not the Deathwaltz version would have any improvement in sound.Aside from this, it's not distorted or un-dynamic, not overly noisy, and the disc feels well made and of moderate weight. It does come in a crappy paper inner sleeve however.My only other criticism of this record is the addition of an "alternate version" of Mad World (featuring drums and denser orchestration), immediately following the well-known soundtrack version. It is unnecessary to hear the song twice in a row, and I prefer the more stripped-back version anyway.Final word is this: If you want the full, deep listening experience, get it on CD/Digital (or watch the film! and yes it does make sense, actually!). This record is certainly a nice artifact to have in your collection and more than tolerable to listen to as well, but definitely do not pay above board for this or any other vinyl version, I would say £20 absolute tops.

Barely listenable with the surface noise. This will sit on the shelf and never get played.

Not a bad pressing at all. Zero surface noise, no hum, no buzz, no pops (all of which seem to be on the color variants). It sounds a bit flat at times, but for the price, it's pretty damn good.