Great Film Soundtracks of 2011

8 Comments

vonDreadon Dec. 25, 2011 at 2:37 a.m.

I definitely second Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Contagion. Also add The Ides of March and Hanna.

ashogoon Dec. 28, 2011 at 4:45 a.m.

@vonDread: I don't really even remember any of the music in Ides of March, was it really good? Unfortunately haven't seen Hanna, but maybe I'll check out the soundtrack. Any particular standouts?

FinalDasa moderator is online on Dec. 28, 2011 at 9:14 p.m.

Both Drive and Girl With a Dragon Tattoo were soundtracks I grabbed. Drive has some great singles but just alright ambient tracks whereas Dragon Tattoo does good ambient. Dragon Tattoo, which I got thanks to your review :P, led me to Social Network which I think is better but both are certainly worth the listen.

ashogoon Dec. 28, 2011 at 9:36 p.m.

@FinalDasa: You definitely have to be in the right mood to enjoy the ambience of the Drive soundtrack, on my first listen it just struck me as kind of boring, but grew on me with subsequent listens. And I'm glad you enjoyed the GWDT score, even if not as much as I did. I just love the twisted moodiness that soundtrack emanates.

FinalDasa moderator is online on Dec. 28, 2011 at 9:40 p.m.

@ashogo: Have you given the Social Network soundtrack a listen? Each song has a bit more structure and can be listened to on its own, also a Trent Reznor joint.

ashogoon Dec. 28, 2011 at 9:48 p.m.

@FinalDasa: Yup, I have that one too. It's a great score, even though it and Dragon Tat come from the same composers they feel like totally different beasts.

vonDreadon Dec. 29, 2011 at 2:19 p.m.

@ashogo: Here's a bit from The Ides of March:

As for Hanna, I'd say the standouts are Escape 700 and Container Park. The whole thing is pretty awesome, probably my favorite of the year, and I'm not even really a fan of electronica.

ashogoon Dec. 29, 2011 at 2:41 p.m.

@vonDread: Oh man, that chemical bros soundtrack is really fuckin good. Thanks for mentioning it--I think I'm going to go buy it now. I'll have to see the movie as well.

	1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Reznor and Ross's three-hour epic: dripping with moody atmosphere, plumbing the depths of darkness, burning red-hot like a sizzling poker.
	2. Hugo A great score, filled with just the right amount of mystery and whimsy.
	3. Contagion Who is this Cliff Martinez guy? He's pretty good. The murky electronic sounds are the backdrop to a base-level fight for human survival against a parasite which only wants to survive itself.
	4. Super 8 Giacchino's main theme to Super 8 is just a joyous, classically orchestrated piece of music that brings forth some powerful emotions.
	5. Take Shelter That xylophone-like sound that is the main backbone of this score has a eerie, glassy-eyed dream-like quality to it.
	6. Drive Great singles on here, including Nightcall, Tick of the Clock, and Real Hero. The rest of the score by Martinez is very meandering and ambient, and takes a certain mood to appreciate. But if you're in that right introspective state of mind, it's pretty fantastic.
	7. The Descendants Lots of traditional Hawaiian music, falsetto cries and breezy acoustic guitars all lend this film a real homey quality. It's just very different from a lot of the highly-polished, heavily produced music we're used to hearing in films; an exceedingly pleasant and soothing soundtrack.
	8. Hanna Thanks to vonDread for bringing this one up. I have not seen Hanna, but this wild electronic score from The Chemical Brothers makes me very much want to.
	9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows As far as I'm concerned, the best thing that has come out of the Guy Ritchie Holmes films is by far the brilliant, zany scores composed by Hans Zimmer. The Soundtrack to the first Sherlock Holmes was by turns, exciting, quirky, pulse-pounding; with an infectious new theme for our world's greatest consulting detective to top it off. Game of Shadow's score is just as fun, incorporating some gypsy tinges to compliment our new female sidekick. The track "I Never Woke Up in Handcuffs Before" was one of the more crazy tracks from the first film, but in GoS Zimmer ups the ante with some truly insane off-kilter brass and mandolin-laced confections to reflect Downey's more whimsical take on the classic sleuth. I liked the film just fine, but listening to the score makes me want to rush back to see it again, just to hear the bombastic score blasting from the theater speakers. ...Dammit. Now I have to go see it again.
	10. Pina I haven't seen this tribute to German modern dance choreographer Pina Bausch yet, but the brief snatches of the soundtrack I've heard are wonderful, surreal, writhing, alive.

ashogo (Level 21)

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