Ten Flawless Soundtracks
By Thoughtis
6. Go
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnW-Ms-Girg&w=575&h=390]
When I was in middle school, I went through this weird phase of watching the movie Go every single night and wishing I was a raver. The culture, the music, the Ecstasy—it all seemed like so much fun when Katie Holmes was doing it! The soundtrack to the film was also totally killer. I would actually play the songs by BT and dance alone in my room with glow sticks. Now that I’m 24, I’ve still never been to a rave. I think I would just laugh the entire time/feel giant waves of anxiety when strangers would try to touch me and tell me that they like my aura. But I still like listen to the Go soundtrack and pretend that I’m somewhere cooler than my bedroom.
7. Marie Antoinette
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfMLPTXc3Vo&w=575&h=390]
Whenever I see a Sofia Coppola movie, I think to myself, “That was the best soundtrack I’ve ever seen! Oops, I think I meant movie.” It’s a common mistake to make seeing as how the filmmaker has become just as famous for her lovely taste in music as she has for everything else. Marie Antoinette in particular may not have been her best film but it’s her pièce de résistance in terms of soundtracks. It’s a double disc—the first one representing a party and the second being the harsh comedown that follows in the early morning— and the album covers a lot of musical ground with its 80s nostalgia (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bow Wow Wow), modern rock (the superb Radio Dept. The Strokes) and even classical (Dustin O’Halloran). It’s a surprising collection of songs that will hopefully begin with you dancing and end with you passed out on a lawn chair with the harsh sunlight hitting your eyes.
8. My Summer of Love
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UlEJXkxnSc&w=575&h=390]
I knew I would enjoy My Summer Of Love when I discovered that it was about two teenage girls who go gay for each other one summer in Europe and subsequently lose their dam minds in the process. I didn’t, however, expect to be so taken with the soundtrack, which happened to be none other than the goddess of electro pop, Goldfrapp. Having her moody and ambient tracks as the foundation, the movie also features a variety of artists from Edith Piaf to The Pretenders. The soundtrack perfectly captures the vibe of the film, which is spooky, European chic, and lesbian. Sold!
9. Garden State
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_97UoGngJBQ&w=575&h=390]
I’m only putting this on the list because I know you want me to. Consider it to be the commenter’s choice award. Granted, I was once obsessed with the soundtrack myself. I really believed that The Shins would change my life and that Frou Frou really understood that there was beauty in my breakdowns {“MY BREAKDOWNS ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!”) Listening to it now, however, sends chills down my adult spine. This soundtrack does not age well, my friends. It’s so ridiculously 2004. I get acne and a broken heart just by acknowledging it. Moving on…
10. American Beauty by Thomas Newman
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDOXxa1U7Oc&w=575&h=390]
Do you ever listen to original scores? Like no vocals or lyrics, just the instrumentals you heard in the movie? I like to do that with Thomas Newman, the composer of films like American Beauty and Revolutionary Road. His creations are beautiful and epic. Walk down the street listening to the score from American Beauty and your life will actually feel like it’s some dramatic movie. Walk into 7-11 for a slurpee while the song plays from the above video and feel like you’re having some vague important feelings.