It’s safe to say that if you’re on this site or you listen to the podcasts, you love movies. The sad thing about movies is you can’t always watch or hear them. With the advancement of technology, we can stream them online via our computers and tvs, we can watch them from our phones, and best of all, we can watch them on the silver screen and enjoy their cinematic splendor. But let’s be honest; it’s summertime. Most people are going out to the beach, enjoying a night on the town, taking road trips, and a vast majority will take a family vacation somewhere. All of these things are missing one thing: movies! So I’m here to help you seek out movie soundtracks that truly make your summer a cinematic one.
This week: Summer Cruisin’
Drive // Soundtrack by Cliff Martinez and Assorted Artists
This is the obvious choice for a summer soundtrack. It’s a fantastic Euro-Pop album that collides with ethereal eighties synthesized overtones, which makes it perfect for those late night drives with friends or even your daily commutes through traffic. The beginning of the album has great tracks by Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx, The Chromatics, and College, that get you grooving and moving as you tighten your grip on the steering wheel feeling for a moment like the Driver as he stalks the cool LA night. Even when the album shifts into the score by Cliff Martinez, you still feel the emotion coming from your speakers as you drive through your day or night, thinking about a summer love or maybe your next summer destination. One of the better soundtracks that came out of the theaters last year, don’t hesitate to pick it up. Highlights: Nightcall, Tick of the Clock, Hammer
The Social Network // Soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Finch
This is a perfect album for driving. When I lived in New Orleans and found myself leaving for work later in the night, I’d pull this album up on my iPod and take the long way home. The score moves from reflective pieces to driving forces to slices of exciting hypnotic cool. I can still remember driving the brick roads of New Orleans tuning out the world as ‘In Motion’ played while the summer sun set. The score is as flexible as the Drive soundtrack, making it a gem for daily or nightly commutes. (I recommend nightly). Even when you have friends in the car, the soundtrack will act almost like a metronome as you jolt around from opinion to opinion Aaron Sorkin style as you decide what’s on the menu for tonight. Or maybe you’re the type of guy, or gal, who doesn’t like going out much and stays wired in for the night. That’s fine. This soundtrack is pulsing enough to keep your fingers moving and, when it needs to be, groovy enough for you to step outside and go for an evening swim. Just don’t hook-up a zip line to the chimney.
Highlights: In Motion, Intriguing Possibilities, In The Hall of the Mountain King.
Tron Legacy // Soundtrack by Daft Punk
This is probably the most obvious choice for a soundtrack. From ‘Overture’ to ‘Finale’ the soundtrack is gorgeously epic. Even when watching the film, you couldn’t help but wait for it to be over so you could buy the soundtrack. This soundtrack takes the best of our previous soundtracks mentioned, shoves it into a blender, adds the Daft Punk mystique, and lets it invade our speakers. The soundtrack has a healthy blend and balance of darker songs that mixes flawlessly with the lighter ones, making it easy to decipher which are more suited for your evening excursions or daytime adventures. It’s even flexible enough to be used outside your commutes. Take it to the beach and let the driving song ‘Arena’ pump you up for the volleyball game or if you’re a motorcyclist, just put ‘Derezzed’ on repeat as you fly down the night’s highway (just remember to wear your helmet). Somebody forget to bring music to the party? Throw on ‘End of Line’ and ‘Derezzed’ to get it started. For the homebodies, this soundtrack makes any game (Monopoly, Twister, and Minecraft) a thousand times more epic.
Highlights: The Song of Flynn, End of Line, Derezzed,
NO MATTER WHAT YOUR SOUNDTRACK IS THIS SUMMER, MAKE SURE IT’S A SAFE SUMMER.
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK FOR A SUMMER OF SING-A -LONGS!