Some of My Favorite Scores

So I was going through the backlog of my Youtube favorites the other day, when I landed on "Moving On," the bonus track from the LOST: The Final Season, and to put it very eloquently (as we are nothing if not eloquent on this blog): SO MANY FEELINGSSSSS.

 The perfect score be enjoyed regardless of whether one's actually seen the movie/television program. The music alone should be able to return you to that place you were mentally when you first experienced the movie. Oh, there's just nothing like it...

With that in mind, I figured I'd share some of my favorite movie/television scores as of late.

1. "Main Titles" Never Let Me Go, by Rachel Portman

This movie, oh, I can't even describe it. When I saw it for the first time, I couldn't get it out of my head. It's a story that doesn't quite ever leave you. And nothing evokes that sense better than Rachel Portman's soundtrack.

2. "Main Titles" Cider House Rules, by Rachel Portman

I promise my whole list won't be her, but seriously she just has this way about her scores. It wasn't as if this was my favorite movie of all time, or anything like that. But the score is just so gorgeous in it's own right, and lends this sense of expanse to the story itself. I don't know, for a movie about a young man whose great adventure is but a drive away from the place he grew up, something about it felt so much larger than that. If you ask me, it's the soundtrack.

3. "Exploration" Coraline, by Bruno Coulais

Here's one of a decidedly different flavor. As a general rule of thumb, when in doubt, children's choirs are perfect for making things SO MUCH MORE SINISTER. Bruno Coulais's soundtracks are just so delightfully different, and the Coraline soundtrack manages walking this fine line between the playful and creepy. I love it.

4. "Clara?" Doctor Who: Series 7, Murray Gold

Bless you, Murray Gold. This is such a lovely character theme. I'm so glad the series seven soundtrack was released proper, because I so loved when this came up through series 7, and wanted a chance to listen to it proper. It's so sweet and dreamy. If I could live in a song, it'd be this one.

5. "Main Title" Game of Thrones, by Ramin Djawadi

How could I not, honestly? My heart starts racing at the opening notes. I can't listen to it and not expect a solid hour of soul-crushing television (not to mention, it has easily the best opening credits of all time...but that's for another post). It gets me all fan-girly just thinking about it.

6. "Opening Theme" Newsroom by Thomas Newman

I'll confess to having not watched the second season yet, though I'm not quite sure why. Ah! This theme actually manages to get me inexplicably weepy. As does much of the show, for that matter. It's just delightfully timeless and hopeful, and has that perfect balance of epic and intimate (if you haven't been able to figure out yet, I can get absurdly emotionally invested in good television).

7. "Let Me Tell You About My Boat" The Life Aquatic by Mark Mothersbaugh

So I've never watched The Life Aquatic, but this song, and the rest of the soundtrack, are just so sweet and happy. I'm also quite the fan of the theme Mothersbaugh wrote for Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, or just his soundtrack music in general. It's quite a different sound, really electronic without being cheesy or contrived.

8. "Neverland--Piano Variation in Blue" Finding Neverland by Jan A. P Kaczmarek
Oh, it's just lovely. That's all there's to say about it really. There's a certain magic to it. I can't think of another way to describe it, but there it is.

9. "Dragon Flight" Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, by Alexander Desplat

Okay, so yes, Hedwig's Theme is iconic (as is everything John Williams touches). But I've got quite a soft spot for Alexander Desplat, and I remember being so moved the first time I heard this in the theater. There's so much to love about this piece. It just invokes the moment so perfectly, that sensation of triumph and flight, and the little bit of the Hedwig melody just gets to me every single time. Whenever I hear it, I'm transported back to that midnight viewing.

10. "Cloud Atlas Sextet (Orchestra Version" Cloud Atlas, by Tom Tykwer

After reading Cloud Atlas last year, I honestly couldn't figure out how they were going to go about writing the "Cloud Atlas Sextet." In the novel, it becomes so larger than life, almost a piece of music that I foolishly figured couldn't actually ever be written. Boy was I wrong.

This of course only scratches the surface of my obsession with soundtrack scores. Feel free to post recommendations (if you happen to come across this in your browsing...I congratulate you for finding this rather obscure corner of the Internet blogosphere).