Movie soundtracks inevitably suffer from the limitations of the genre. One option is to pack your album full of tried and true, catchy tunes that have little to do with the film in question. On the other extreme, a filmmaker could commission a more tailored fit, usually VIA original instrumental compositions. The results in either case can vary from the extraordinary (the apropos songs of Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction, or the haunting instrumentals of Twin Peaks) to the banal (most others).

Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny's soundtrack to A Map of the World, the upcoming film based on Jane Hamilton's book, falls somewhere in between. Certainly no innovation, but surely no tragedy, Metheny's compositions are no doubt appropriate. The main framework of the album is a variation on a theme, punctuated by less topical instrumentations, which include very literal motifs. An apt analogy would be to say that the artist has ceded to the architect. That is to say, Metheny has selflessly concealed his artistic biases to create a non-intrusive score for a film and not a masterpiece in and of itself. Still, it's quite possible to say that Metheny's work would not hinder the film nor offer it a crutch in times of despair. If A Map of the World succeeds, it will be more on its merits as a film. B