Daft Punk's 'Tron: Legacy' Album Preview

Few things lead to disappointment quicker than an overly tuned sense of anticipation. So it was back in 1982 when many a teenager trundled off to their local Roxy during the Christmas holidays to catch the much-hyped 'Tron,' a film that took special effects to whole new level whilst forgetting about basic ideas like a script that could be easily comprehended.

Fast-forward to 2011 and the teasers of 'Tron: Legacy' that have blipped on the radars of sci-fi fans have left them salivating. Equally, music fans have been itching to have their ears bent since the announcement that Gallic disco overlords Daft Punk were to provide the soundtrack.

So while fans of the film will have to wait that little bit longer to see the finished results, Daft Punk are to release the fruits of their labour on Dec. 6. Sadly, it looks as if history is about to repeat itself. In Wendy Carlos -- composer of the original movie score and the pioneer behind 'A Clockwork Orange''s groundbreaking soundtrack -- Daft Punk have a high water mark to reach and while their previous output has set almost impossibly Olympian standards, 'Tron: Legacy' is left wanting.

Granted, this is soundtrack album but nonetheless, Daft Punk have opted for an unadventurous score that plays into the usual orchestral clichés of grand sweep and swelling strings yet given the pedigree of the composers, the ears remain unsatisfied. Compare and contrast the opening string laden 'Overture' and the penultimate 303-squelch of 'End Titles:' essentially the same piece of music separated by execution as elsewhere 'Derezzed' offers another rare moment of creative excitement.

As testified by Vangelis' forward-thinking score for 'Blade Runner' or 'Doctor Who''s peerless theme, sci-fi has always been a genre that's offered musicians a wide palette to apply broad brush strokes to. Sadly, Daft Punk seem to have painted themselves into a corner.