Thursday Threesome- Top Three Soundtracks of 2013 (so far)

Okay, so it's not even October yet, but considering what few soundtracks we have left to look forward to this year, I feel pretty confident in my choices. I am obsessed with music, particularly film scores, but this list is not limited to the music of films, I have also listened to the soundtracks from television shows and video games.

Follow me below the cut to find out what made my list...

1.The Great Gatsby- Various Artists
Baz Luhrman's films are all known for their distinct soundtracks and the Great Gatsby is no exception. I greatly anticipated it as I have listened to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack more times than I can count. I was curious to hear what direction they went with, would it be authentic jazz? A fusion retro style like electro-swing? What we got was something which took me entirely by surprise to the point that it was admittedly a little jarring at first. But on repeat viewing and listening to the soundtrack on its own, it's brilliant.

The Great Gatsby soundtrack is like a time capsule for future generations to hear some of the top artists of our time in one place, Jay-Z. Kanye West, Lana Del Ray, Beyonce, Jack White, Will.I.Am, Fergie, Sia among many more.

This soundtrack is a journey through genres and if you're like me with broad tastes it's a lot of fun hearing all these anachronistic elements blended together. There's sweeping orchestrals and haunting vocals to the swingingest electro-swing to modern hip hop and electronic, all of which together seem to tell a tale even without visual accompaniment.

The sign of a good album to me is if I can happily let it run from beginning to end without feeling the need to skip tracks and this one comes pretty close, the only thing letting it down is that I cannot stand Florence and the Machine and the album features two of their songs. I find all of their music sound exactly the same and they never warrant repeat listening, I also feel it detracts from the otherwise energetic or intense vibe the rest of the soundtrack has.

2. Star Trek Into Darkness- Michael Giacchino
I enjoyed the first Star Trek reboot soundtrack, there are some great themes, the re-imagined titular theme for one, Kirk's theme and especially the haunting Vulcan themes played on the beautiful Chinese instrument called an erhu. But it left a bit to be desired, especially when it came to the villain themes. Villain songs tend to go one way or the other, some of the most iconic musical pieces in cinematic history belong to villains, Jaws, the Imperial March and the Terminator themes just to name a few. On the other end of the spectrum you get bland, one-dimensional, unpleasant songs that abuse the hell out of the brass and percussion sections of the orchestra, which is what we got with Neero.

Thankfully that's not the case here, when Star Trek Into Darkness brought out the big guns with Khan, I really wanted to know where they would go with his songs. I was not disappointed, if anything I've listened to "London Calling" and "Ode to John Harrison" far more than the rest of the soundtrack. The key to good villain music is the same thing that makes a good villain, there has to have depth and complexity, even sympathy.

"London Calling" is a haunting piano piece while "Ode to John Harrison" is an uneasy, creeping tune that slowly escalates into an emotional chorus of strings.
The rest of the album is an exciting and fun adventure just like the film itself and easily surpasses the score of the first film.

3. Bioshock: Infinite- Garry Schyman
"Is a better home awaiting, in the sky, oh in the sky?"

I'll admit, I'm not much of a gamer, but some of my favourite soundtracks of all time are from the Uncharted series. So when I like a game, I really like it. The Bioshock series is certainly a unique premise and its amazing visuals pleases my inner-steampunk, that said, it also has great music to match. Bioshock Infinite still feels like a Bioshock score, but brings something new.

 My favourite theme being the beautiful and foreshadowy choral cover of the hymn "Will the Circle be Unbroken?" I would say it's a string dominant soundtrack and it conveys a lot of variety through those select few instruments, Elizabeth's theme is a powerful and heartbreaking track with an almost Celtic sound, performed entirely by cellos and violins. There's also creepy tunes, campy vintage tunes, and intense songs for the action sequences, overall it feels like like an exploration into a strange world that's both very old and  futuristic. My one complaint is that the officially released soundtrack does not contain any of the old timey cover songs including Tears for Fears "Everybody Want to Rule the World".