In Drive, Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for criminal operations by night. A loner by nature, Driver can’t help falling in love with his beautiful but vulnerable neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mother dragged into a dangerous criminal underworld by the return of ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). After a heist operation, intended to help Standard pay off protection money, spins out of control, Driver finds himself driving defence for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals (Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman). When the gangsters reveal that they’re after more than the bag of money in his trunk - that they’re coming straight for Irene and her son - Driver is forced to shift gears and go on the offense...

Cliff Martinez's score for Drive treads that thin line between contemporary soundtrack and chilled out trance music. It's an interesting album but won't be to everyone's taste, mainly because it can feel a little too atmospheric.

There are a handful of independent tracks included on this album too. Of these the 1971 track 'Oh My Love' (performed by Riziero Ortolani and Rina Ranieri) was the most impressive. I mistakenly thought that I recognised 'Night Call' from the '80s, but while it has a very definite '80s vibe I was surprised to learn it was recorded in 2010. In fact three of the tracks feel very much like '80s songs, but the earliest of these was recorded in 2009. 'Tick of the Clock' neatly ties in with the style of Martinez's score.

The independent tracks include:

'Night Call' - Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx
'Under Your Spell' - Desire
'A Real Hero' - College feat. Electric Youth
'Oh My Love' - Riziero Ortolani & Rina Ranieri
'Tick of the Clock' - Chromatics

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Darren Rea