Weird Al Yancovic and the Dude From Mars are not for all tastes, and maybe Eureka isn't, either, but you can't dismiss anything from McCreary after the stellar work he put in on Battlestar Galactica. McCreary was brought in for Eureka's second season, and if there was ever a match made in heaven, this is it. And hey, he plays the accordion here—so the comparison with Weird Al is apt!

(Full disclosure: My first instrument was the accordion, although I only played it for about four years before moving on. I retain a sneaking admiration for anyone who is good at it, and McCreary is good at it.)

(And don't call me Weird Al.)

Lots to enjoy here, beginning with "Sheriff Carter's Theme." This has slap-happy drums and an overall "Arkansas Traveler" vibe that informs the signature melodies for the program. There's also a nice growly scat vocal, seemingly by didgeridoo player Doug Lacy. "Prehistoric Love Spores," Cue 2, works through a zydeco sensibility but goes into a minor key toward the middle, which is a nice surprise.

Quirky—but not dorky

Other standout cues are 7, "The Mask of Fargo," which highlights some outstanding flamenco guitar by Carlos De La Paz and a wild trumpet by Peter De Siena, not to mention castanets, and "Little Big Bang," Cue 11, a wild ride through several musical genres.

More indicative of the score's general vibe is Cue 13, "Taggart's Theme," in which slide guitar and accordion get on very well in a countryish setting. McCreary can bring sensitivity and darkness, though, when he needs to. Cue 4, "Allison's Theme," is sweet and lovely without being cloying, and "A Night at Global Dynamics," Cue 25, from the eponymous episode, is as ominous and dramatic as anything the composer has done for Battlestar Galactica, as is "Through the Vortex," Cue 5, from "The Games People Play" episode.

There are a few non-McCreary tunes here: the main title and end credits, neither one longer than a minute, "Let's Get Hitched," written and performed by Brendan McCreary for the episode "Sight Unseen," and "EurekAerobics," a whacked-out '80s mashup written and performed by Jonathan Snipes of Captain Ahab, from the episode "Duck, Duck, Goose." All in all, a nice mixed bag of stuff that is sure to add to McCreay's growing reputation.