While there are many films out there that we likely love, how often does one go and revisit their soundtracks? This column is dedicated to the vast variety of music that composed for films and have since become their own iconic work. In some cases, it is a soundtrack that repurposes songs into something beautiful and wholly unique. Others are the more traditional soundtracks that feature sweeping music orchestrated to make us feel happy, sad and on the edge of our seats. The following is a look at the 15 scores and soundtracks that stood out to me in 2014 and have become permanent fixtures on my playlist.
1. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)
The film is a phenomenally assured piece of quirky work. There's so much going on that it is easily the most Wes Anderson film in his career. Likewise, the soundtrack has almost too much of the whimsy buried into the chords that combines harpsichords with drum brushes and an upright bass. It is the most unique and enjoyable soundtrack of the year full of kinetic kitsch that has a lot of pomp and purpose. In an already great year for Desplat, this stands out above the rest for being such an authentic and enjoyable experience that plays like a novelty caper.
2. The Double (Andrew Hewitt)
Director Richard Ayoade made a very schizophrenic film that has so much genre tropes and subversion in it that it seems impossible to properly gauge the soundtrack. Thankfully, Andrew Hewitt knows how to make it work. From the classical strings of the film's theme to the incorporation of surrounding instruments like typewriters and fax machines, this is a unique experience that is operatic, adventurous and full of personality that doesn't just compensate for the weak spots of the film (which there's little to none) but enhances the best moments. It is also one of two soundtracks on this list to feature Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki": a song that, even without understanding the words, is beautiful and whimsical in all of the right ways.
3. Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)
There's so much reason to have been disappointed by Hans Zimmer's work following the success of Inception. He has relied too much on bombast and very aggressive thuds. He has become too cliche. However, over the course of the epic score for Interstellar, he returns with a creative peak in which he combines his ethereal energy with ominous strings, beautiful piano and an atmosphere so strong that is encapsulates you. The music is beautiful and can be consumed as one 90 minute journey into something strange and wonderful. It may be loud, but it is so with purpose. Hopefully this is the start of more great Zimmer work, though it is not likely.
4. The Imitation Game (Alexandre Desplat)
At this point, you should be listening to Alexandre Desplat. You should be giving him multiple Oscar nominations, too. His work differs from project to project while boiling with personality and enough hooks to make him at times more interesting than John Williams at the moment. In the case of this score, he takes a concept to new heights. By recording various loops on computers, he manages to layer the soundtrack and build something impressive and consuming in ways that are more beautiful than the concept should be. This is a soundtrack of wonder that requires attentive listening and a lot of appreciation, as there's few composers who are even remotely as interesting as Desplat was this year.
5. Inherent Vice (Jonny Greenwood)
This nostalgic throwback to 60's drug culture may be the least distinguishable Jonny Greenwood/Paul Thomas Anderson collaboration out there. This is a good thing. Along with featuring "Sukiyaki," it is a nice mixture of hidden gems from the decade and a score that is pulsing with life and espionage without drawing attention to itself. Some of it plays like a hazy experience while others are brilliant homages to Robert Altman's MASH soundtrack with voice-over being done over Greenwood's infectious score. It may not be immediately jarring, but it does become hypnotic after a point in the best ways possible.
6. Unbroken (Alexandre Desplat)
Okay, okay. This is hard to ignore. Alexandre Desplat is a composing maestro in ways that have to be heard to be believed. What's more impressive is that of the four scores on this list, they are all different tonally. In the case of Unbroken, it is more of a traditional war film score with sweeping strings and a beautiful, triumphant sound that adds to the film's desire to overcome something. The orchestrations are beautiful and nostalgic in ways that rank up there with the best of John Williams. It may be the most familiar, but that doesn't mean it lacks any distinctive enthusiasm that makes it one of the best of the year.
7. The Knick (Cliff Martinez)
It may technically be a TV score, but is one of a rather high note. Featuring a very cinematic visual accompaniment, Cliff Martinez's score added a kinetic edge to everything. It may be a very familiar to those who have listened to Martinez's work, but he manages to add the pulse and make the medical drama feel oddly dated and postmodern at the same time. It plays like the medical instruments running with electricity and bumping along at uncomfortable rates. It is a great sore that manages to transcend the usual boring TV scores and makes something grander and more interesting.
8. Gone Girl (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
One of the great hat tricks of 2014 is the magic of Gone Girl. For starters, the film is immediately dull and lacks any personality. However, the more that it continues, the more that the haunting undertones become clear. There's a danger and hazy fear in every chord. It may not be on par with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or The Social Network, but it definitely has an authentic charm that works conceptually with the film. It is atmospheric and cloudy in the best ways possible. Thankfully, it manages to overcome its bland charm by having something deeper and more interesting going on despite its lack of personality.
9. Under the Skin (Mica Levi)
This is such a wonderful film and the music works more effectively than almost every score on this list. So why is it so low? To be honest, I have trouble listening to it out of context. It could be that it is atmospheric, but I also find the screeching strings to be a little too much to be part of my regular listening. There's plenty of ethereal beauty here that plays like some of the creative brilliance that runs through the film. It manages to feel clouded yet insane in the best ways possible. Still, it is an acquired taste that I have yet to fully embrace as something other than occasionally fun to listen to.
10. A Field in England (Jim Williams)
It is one of the most confusing, artistic films of 2014 that went under almost everyone's radar. For all of the bizarre imagery, the score is a nice mix of various classical styles. There's beating drums, old chants and woodwind instruments playing at a crazy and insane matter that is infectious. It may not work as a collective, but the music on its own produces some of the most assured and enjoyable instrumentation of the year that is just as experimental as the film that it accompanies.
11. Godzilla (Alexandre Desplat)
Closing out the Alexandre Desplat lovefest in this Listmania entry is one of the most unassuming achievements in his career. He manages to turn bombast into something of an art as he mixes monster screeches with Hans Zimmer-esque drums and loud strings that capture something beautiful and encompassing. It may not be as successful as his other work, but in terms of overall energy, it is more impressively assured than almost every other blockbuster score that was released in 2014. Booming with personality, it is hard to fault this score's achievements in creating something enjoyable and enthralling.
12. The Boxtrolls (Dario Marianelli)
While it may not be the most successful Laika Studios film, it does manage to boom with personality. Doing what he does best, Dario Marianelli adds a classical touch to this tale with a lot of Parisian instrumentation and some jaunts into upbeat adventurous beats. Along with great original songs co-written by Mark Orton and Eric Idle, this is one of the most enjoyable score for a kids' film this year. It may not be among Marianelli's best work, but it definitely has a classical sense of accomplishment to the sound.
13. Palo Alto (Devonte Hynes)
Gia Coppola's debut was a meditative piece of accomplishment that captured a new and introspective side to teenage angst. Among the ethereal elements is the score by Devonte Hynes, who also provides the theme song for the film, which is a beautifully hazy and spacey song about finding love. Mixing from poppy strings to more haunting chords, it may be at times a little too understated, but it fits perfectly with the film's tonal center. It may always work on its own from the film, but Hynes' music is itself earnest and enjoyable to a point that it doesn't matter.
14. Noah (Clint Mansell)
While the film is not quite as great or memorable as his work on Stoker last year, he does turn in a quality score for this biblical epic. With loud, booming violin chords playing, there's a morose, grand scale vibe throughout the entire album. At times, it even ties into the best of his work, with the sweeping sound creating the right sound for an epic that challenges the normative of a journey as big as this. It is meditative, invasive and big in ways that few scores (save for Godzilla) achieved in 2014.
15. Enemy (Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans)
It is quite a head trip of a film and one of the best thrillers in years. This story may seem very simple and economical in plot, but it manages to feel aloof thanks to the score. Each note crawls through the score with personality and an invasive sense of personality. It is also more unorthodox than the average music, not relying too heavily on the familiar rhythms and instrumentation. It is just as unassuming and unpredictable as the film itself in the best ways possible.
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