June 13th, 2009

I Heart… Soundtracks

Maybe I’m crazy (though I sincerely hope not!), but I love soundtracks. My mom and friends, who are entirely baffled by my affections for soundtracks, claim they’re no more than “background music”. For my fellow soundtrack obsessees, we, of course, know they are so much more than just that. There are, granted, a lot of really terribly compiled soundtracks (such is always the case with everything though), but once you weed through the duds, there are some real gems to be found.

Possibly my love of soundtracks is what stemmed my interest (bordering on addiction, I’ll admit) to fanmixes.i I think it’s really interesting to dissect the soundtrack to a movie and try to see just how the music chosen fits in to particular scenes or the overall film. And I think that’s what I like about fanmixes, too – taking a character, relationship, series, etc., and putting it to music that is meaningful.

And so, a tribute to my top 10 favourite television and movie soundtracks!

Soundtracks

1. Amélie
Amelie Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “La Valse d’Amélie (Orchestral)”
Think: Accordion, Folk Music, Whimsical, French
Includes Music By: Soundtrack by Yann Tiersen

2. Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “The Way You Are” by 46bliss
 Think: Indie, Mixtape, Upbeat
Includes Music By: The Dandy Warhols, Ivy, The Perishers, Spoon, Stereophonics, Tegan and Sara, etc.

3. Garden State
Garden State Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “In the Waiting Line” by Zero 7
 Think: Indie & Oldies, Eclectic, Moody, Mellow
Includes Music By: Coldplay, Frou Frou, Iron & Wine, Nick Drake, The Shins, Thievery Corporation, etc.

4. The Virgin Suicides
The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “Playground Love”
 Think: Ambient, Downtempo, Light, Synthesizer, Marimba
Includes Music By: Soundtrack by Air

5. Mona Lisa Smile
Mona Lisa Smile Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “Shh Boom (Life Could Be A Dream)” by Trevor Orchestra Horn
Think: Big Band, Jazz, Swing, Oldies, Nostalgia
Includes Music By: Alison Krauss, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Mandy Moore, Seal, Tori Amos, etc.

6. The Pianist
The Pianist Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “Ballade No. 1 in G Minor”
 Think: Piano, Chopin, Romantic Era, Emotive
Includes Music By: Pieces composed by Frederic Chopin and performed by Janusz Olejniczak

7. The Mists of Avalon
The Mists of Avalon Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “The Mystic’s Dream” by Loreena McKennitt
 Think: Celtic, Ethereal, Strings, Medieval
Includes Music By: Aeone and Loreena McKennitt, soundtrack by Lee Holdridge

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Two Towers Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “Gollum’s Song” by Emiliana Torrini
Think: Fantasy, Ominous, Instrumental, Haunting
Includes Music By: Ben Del Maestro, Elizabeth Fraser, Emiliana Torrini, Sheila Chandra, soundtrack by Howard Shore

9. Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “Your Hand in Mine”
 Think: Post-Rock, Atmospheric, Percussion
Includes Music By: Soundtrack by Explosions in the Sky

10. Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation Soundtrack

Favourite Track: “Girls” by Death in Vegas
 Think: Downtempo, Dreamy, Melancholy, Simplicity
Includes Music By: Air, Kevin Sheilds, My Bloody Valentine, Phoenix, Squarepusher, etc.

Honourable mentions: Good Bye! Lenin, The O.C. Mix 5, Pushing Daisies, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

What are some of your favourite soundtracks?

  1. A fanmix is a playlist of songs that are compiled to fit a particular theme, often a character or relationship from a book, movie or television show. Essentially, they’re a mixtape. (»)

Krissy

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12 comments · jump to comment form »

Manda » 13 June 2009

Okay, it’s confession time.

I don’t understand soundtracks. AT ALL. :( I can’t even think of one that I remotely like/made an impression on me, let alone really loved. I’m way more interested in the script of a movie than the music! But I’m a words girl and not a music girl :)

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 13 June 2009...

I suppose this is where we’re ginormous opposites then. I’m most definitely a music girl, and not a words girl. (In case anyone has failed to notice, writing isn’t my forte at all. XD)

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Ally » 13 June 2009

I love soundtracks! When trying to think of favorite musicians, I always come back to the fact that I adore soundtracks, and therefore don’t have very specific favorites. I love the music on Grey’s Anatomy; Garden State’s is awesome :]; I love the soundtrack for the movie Dedication… oh my, its difficult to pick and choose but those are the one’s that come immediately to mind.

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 13 June 2009...

Actually, now that you’ve mentioned it, some of my favourite musicians I found through soundtracks! I probably never would have found Frou Frou, Air, Zero 7, Explosions in the Sky, etc., if it weren’t for them! *huggles soundtracks*

I don’t watch Grey’s Anatomy, but I’ve heard that they play great music on the show. I’ll have to look into it. :D

(reply to this comment)

Angie » 13 June 2009

I love soundtracks, too! Well, sometimes – whenever I wonder “what is this song?!” and look up the soundtrack afterwards. XD Veronica Mars always played such good music – Tegan and Sara and Spoon! And “Momentary Thing”.. come on. ;) And guess what! I finally saw Amelie! It was so beautiful! I want to learn French! (Wow, excessive use of exclamation marks.. heh.)

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 13 June 2009...

That was one of the things I loved most about Veronica Mars – they always had the greatest music! Good job Rob Thomas! :D

And yay for you seeing Amelie! :D *high five* I’m really glad you liked it!

(reply to this comment)

Alice » 14 June 2009

I am a semi soundtrack fan, I have my fair few, Rent, Wicked, Vigin Suicides, Freaks and Geeks, Ashes To Ashes, Juno, but I tend to prefer them when they are songs by bands/artists/choirs and not classical if that makes scene. I’m not that into the instrumental pieces. Although I could make an exception for Kill Bill and Amelie on that front. The Kill Bill sound track is especially awesome!

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 14 June 2009...

I know what you mean. :) I love classical/instrumental music, but I’m definitely very picky about it. I usually either love it, or hate it on soundtracks.

I have to look into Kill Bill. I’ve heard other people say it’s great, too!

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Manda » 14 June 2009

Wait, hang on, I do know a soundtrack. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE! That soundtrack is amazing, I actually own it :P

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 14 June 2009...

*high five* Yay Manda!

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Alice » 14 June 2009

Oh Krissy, this has totally made me look into soundtracks (Sister Act and Kill Bill) haha your blogs are inspirational!

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Amanda » 14 June 2009

(Hope you don’t mind my comment! I’m here via Angie :D)

My favorite soundtrack of all time is Stand By Me. I love that era (1950′s) and I love the music from that era. Every song is just…perfect. I also love the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone OST (I miss you John Williams!) and the soundtrack to Marie Antoinette! :D

p.s. Your layout is gorgeous <3 I absolutely adore Emma ♥

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 14 June 2009...

A girl after my own heart! I love music from that era as well; it’s so beautiful. I will definitely have to check out the Stand By Me soundtrack now!

And thank you! <3

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Melody » 15 June 2009

I don’t make the effort to look into soundtracks but when I watch a film I get the general sense whether or not it has a good list of songs lined up. I don’t like Juno too much but its soundtrack was amazing. The ones of Little Miss Sunshine (Sufjan!) and The Royal Tenenbaums were also very good.

And Garden State! I like that soundtrack more than the film itself. :D

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Krissy replied on 15 June 2009...

Oi, I forgot about Little Miss Sunshine! I must add that into my honourable mentions!
Garden State has the most amazing soundtrack on the planet. I think I probably like it better than the film, too. Haha.

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Caroline » 24 June 2009

Hey! I love soundtracks too ! I really do, so thank you to make me discover your favourite ones =)
Mines are :
- Le roi et l’oiseau – Le portrait du roi
- Memoirs of a geisha – Sayuri’s theme
- Schindler’s list – Main theme
- In the mood for love – Yumeji’s theme
- Old boy – The last Waltz
- Les chansons d’amour – all of them !
etc..
Thanks for this post and oh, I love your blog !!

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 27 June 2009...

Ooh, thank you for sharing your favourites as well! I will definitely check them out! :D

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Crissy » 30 June 2009

How did I miss this post?! This one in particular! I absolutely love soundtracks! There are movies that lose part of their charm without their music. I think I’m gonna do a sort of reply post of this at my blog, but I have to go through my favorite soundtracks first. With a quick view, I see 3 or 4 of yours that are possibly gonna be on my list too :)

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Krissy replied on 1 July 2009...

Yes, how did you miss this post? :P And you definitely need to post your own favourite soundtracks list!

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Jenaveve » 5 July 2009

I love a good soundtrack!

Some movies don’t necessarily bring together a good combination of tunes, but the ones that do become an extension of the movie, and let you experience the atmosphere and emotion that first attracted you to the movie or characters. Also, a great way to discover new talent.

Let’s see what’s in my collection: The Crow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Empire Records, Strange Days, Love & Other Catastrophes, Twilight, Singles, Romeo & Juliet, Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting, The Secret Life of Us (Australian TV Series)… to name a few.

Thanks for your list, I’d love to check out Amelie and the Pianist soundtracks seeing as I love both of these movies.

(reply to this comment)

Krissy replied on 5 July 2009...

“Some movies don’t necessarily bring together a good combination of tunes, but the ones that do become an extension of the movie, and let you experience the atmosphere and emotion that first attracted you to the movie or characters. Also, a great way to discover new talent.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself! :D

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Clottey Pacquiao » 12 March 2010

This is my first time to visit your blog and I would say you share nice information. You definitely do research and write very well. Keep it up!

(reply to this comment)

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