Soundtrack!
On an impulse last night, I purchased the TRON soundtrack. Really weird timing, actually. I haven't been marking off the calendar or anything for it, I just happened to randomly wonder if it was out yet and today was the release date (I think iTunes must have put it up a few hours early).
Anyway, I've listened to it twice this morning and it's a neat score. What you hear in the previews is definitely part of the 'real' score (not snitched from some other movie). Most of it is low, pulsy, and ominous, but the kind of 'dark' scoring that takes a long time to get redundant. I have to say, I'm impressed. It's the perfect blend of the modern epic orchestral sound and the 'worship at the altar of the synthesizer' that marked the heyday of nerdy 80's films (I'm looking at you "Legend" and "Ladyhawk"). TRON, of course, was one such film, and even though I've only seen it once, I feel like I recognize at least the fabric of the original score. Undoubtedly there are some overt references as well. I'll take note whenever I happen to see the original again.
Anyway, the more practical reason that I'm kind of excited by this soundtrack is that most of its tracks work really well for "tension" scenes if you're the kind that likes mood music when writing. They're intense, but subtle. They won't demand that you pay attention to every note, but they really dig into your brain, making them very ideal tracks for writing.
Below is the stand-alone "pretty" track of the score, but also a good example of the blend of orchestral and synthetic sounds. I most especially enjoy the way they used the organ, and I love the frequent, waltz-like shifts between major and minor tones.
Anyway, I've listened to it twice this morning and it's a neat score. What you hear in the previews is definitely part of the 'real' score (not snitched from some other movie). Most of it is low, pulsy, and ominous, but the kind of 'dark' scoring that takes a long time to get redundant. I have to say, I'm impressed. It's the perfect blend of the modern epic orchestral sound and the 'worship at the altar of the synthesizer' that marked the heyday of nerdy 80's films (I'm looking at you "Legend" and "Ladyhawk"). TRON, of course, was one such film, and even though I've only seen it once, I feel like I recognize at least the fabric of the original score. Undoubtedly there are some overt references as well. I'll take note whenever I happen to see the original again.
Anyway, the more practical reason that I'm kind of excited by this soundtrack is that most of its tracks work really well for "tension" scenes if you're the kind that likes mood music when writing. They're intense, but subtle. They won't demand that you pay attention to every note, but they really dig into your brain, making them very ideal tracks for writing.
Below is the stand-alone "pretty" track of the score, but also a good example of the blend of orchestral and synthetic sounds. I most especially enjoy the way they used the organ, and I love the frequent, waltz-like shifts between major and minor tones.
Click to view