Long before movies existed, music functioned as an art form to evoke emotion and captivate an audience. In modern times, movies and TV shows come with a soundtrack to augment the experience of what you see on the screen. Whether it’s the brilliant composition of John Williams or Hans Zimmer, a pop song to match the mood or a musical number from a Disney movie, music plays a vital role in the cinema and television.
While there are countless movie scores and soundtracks to delight, here are three albums from writers Zackery Bauder and Quinn Teubert and editor Lillian Piel.
“Tron Legacy” by Daft Punk
Submitted by Zackery Bauder
“Tron: Legacy” is Daft Punk’s foray into film music. Daft Punk was directly involved in the production of the film’s soundtrack from pre-production of the film through to the editing room.
“[The movie] was cut on the music. Usually composers come to the end when it’s all done,” Guy Homem-Christo, the gold helmet wearing half of Daft Punk, told Dazed and Confused magazine in 2010.
With around 51.3 million streams on Spotify, “Derezzed” is by far the most popular track, but lacks the 85-piece orchestra found in tracks like “Recognizer.” The marriage of Daft Punk’s unique pumping electronics and Joseph Trapanese’s orchestral arrangement is a match made on “The Grid”.
“Entergalatic” by Kid Cudi
Submitted by Quinn Teubert
All in all, it’s an amazing album. Very quiet and relaxing, but not as lyrically depressing as previous Cudi albums. This album is great for easy listening in the car or sitting down and rocking.
I think the album is unique in production, especially compared to previous Cudi albums. Lyrically, the emphasis is also shifted – love, not sadness. The visual pairing of the anime series gives viewers a better insight into Cudi’s feelings and mind. The series is captivating with beautiful and bright colors. Similar to how he describes love.
Favorite song: “Willing to Trust” (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)
“La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” by Justin Hurwitz, Justin Paul and Benj Pasek
Submitted by Lillian Piel
Watching “La La Land” for the first time was truly a magical experience, largely due to the soundtrack somehow managing to capture the feelings of wishing for a dream to come true and falling in love. Every time I listen to a song from the soundtrack, I feel like I’m transported into a theatrical dream sequence, and it always helps me feel inspired.
The “La La Land” soundtrack also gets bonus points for versatility, with instrumentals that are great to listen to while you write (“Planetarium” is my favorite for that), plus songs that will make your theater pop. inner child and make you sing loudly (see “Another Day of Sun” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream))”.
