The Social Network (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross punctuated The Social Network with an equally dark score. Ross’ prior collaborations with Reznor include a third album for his band 12 Rounds as well as work for With Teeth, Reznor’s 2005 LP with Nine Inch Nails. But unlike those projects, these are instrumental compositions that mostly build on tones. “Hand Covers Bruise” dots Brian Eno-inspired ambient keyboard touches over a sinisterly buzzing drone that morphs into an incessant whir of ghostly howls. “In Motion” incorporates pulsing beats and subtly distorted bass that will sound familiar to fans of Reznor’s NIN recordings — though it’s the following track that’s titled “A Familiar Taste.” Here stuttered beats stagger and ripple over a mantra of repeated guitar lines that disintegrate into lilting piano notes. The haunting sounds that comprise “3:14 Every Night” play together like factory noise combined with a close-microphoned insect hive as heady tones increase to approximate the building of an anxiety attack.