Welcome back, and to a slightly more turquoise blog! As I’m about to embark on learning some film scoring myself, I thought I’d share five great film scores (that I haven’t already shared) this month.

Tron Suite - Wendy Carlos

Carlos’ score for Tron showed a really creative and slightly ahead-of-its time approach (at least I think so). Although some of the electronic sounds seem a little bit outdated now, there’s a huge breadth to the different sounds combined in this score that give it some great scale and depth.

On Reflection - Max Richter

This is more of a score to a TV episode, but the difference between the two is becoming less and less pronounced. The episode of Black Mirror, ‘Nosedive’, is about a world where people use social media to try and secure high social ratings, which determine a person’s success in life. It’s shown in a sickly but bleak pastel landscape and Richter’s music really highlights the loneliness created by such a high level of dependence on social media through music which is both calm and beautiful yet also deeply emotional.

Hand Covers Bruise - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

The soundtrack to ‘The Social Network’ was pretty groundbreaking in a few ways (although now the style has become more and more popular) - the use of such simple melodic themes and very atmospheric drones and soundscapes so effectively creates a really compelling film. The music is incredibly good at adding to and supporting the unfolding drama.

The Soundtrack to ‘The Great Gatsby’

‘The Great Gatsby’ is one of my favourite film adaptations of a book, and while the orchestral music is great, I want to draw attention to Jay-Z’s curated collection of songs that fit as a soundtrack to the film most of the way through. In a purposefully anachronistic way, they magically add so much to the party atmosphere of the 1920s setting, and I think they work really well. I’ve linked just one example above but feel free to look for more.

Heptapod B - Jóhann Jóhannsson

Jóhannsson’s score to ‘Arrival’ represents another complete innovation in film scoring. His music in general blends contemporary thinking with film music to an extraordinary effect. Unfortunately he rather recently tragically died young, but a soundtrack as ground-breaking and effective as this is sure to inspire film scores for many many years to come.