The 5 Best Soundtracks Made By Famous Musicians

Whether you’re a fan of action movies, dramas, comedies, or even niche genres like Christmas-themed horror films, there’s no denying the fact that the film score can make or break a movie. Good soundtracks are essentially unseen extra characters. Great soundtracks can advance the film’s plot and make it a truly memorable and impactful experience.

There have been tons of great film soundtracks over the years, and many of them were crafted by some of the most famous and influential musicians of our time.

Her (2013) – Arcade Fire

The song Sleepwalker is perhaps the most poignant example of Canadian indie art rock band Arcade Fire’s lonely, slowed-down, shoegaze-inspired brand of rock music. Meanwhile, Milk & Honey is another extremely sad track, but expressed in Arcade Fire’s well-known virtuosity with guitar effects pedals and synthesizer work. No other indie, baroque pop-rock band could’ve provided a more perfect set of songs to score Her, director Spike Jonze’s melancholy screenwriting debut.

Blade Runner (1982) – Vangelis

In one of the most perfect collaborations in the history of film, director Ridley Scott commissioned legendary Greek electronic music composer Vangelis to score the original Blade Runner film. The entire soundtrack is essentially a masterful display on how the old Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer and keyboard can open portals into new worlds. Since 1982, the Blade Runner soundtrack – from start to finish – has been widely recognized as arguably the greatest film score of all time. And while this analog synth masterclass is not the only film scoring work by Vangelis, Blade Runner remains one of his greatest contributions to both contemporary cinema and music.

Ravenous (1999) – Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman

Michael Nyman is an English composer of minimalist music while Damon Albarn is famous from being the heart and soul of bands like Blur and Gorillaz. Albarn composed 60% of the ominous scoring for Ravenous while Nyman took care of the rest. And although they worked separately and didn’t technically collaborate, their styles merge into a holistically emotive soundtrack that perfectly encapsulates the movie’s beautiful takes on cannibalistic horror. Albarn uses the TC Electronic Nova Delay pedal throughout and is particularly evident in the song Saveoursoulissa, which also share characteristic distortions and loops with The Pit, Let’s Go Kill That Bastard, and Manifest Destiny. Meanwhile, Nyman’s minimalism and classical instrumentation can be heard in Trek to the Cave, Checkmate, and Ives Returns.

Fight Club (1999) – Dust Brothers

An electric anxiety attack that you can nod your head to is perhaps the best way to describe Dust Brothers’ scoring work on the film that made David Fincher’s career. The Fight Club soundtrack set the stage for the next decade or so of edgy, anarchy-themed, cinematic violence. Interestingly enough, this awesome compilation of ‘90s electronic hip hop samples wouldn’t have existed had Thom Yorke from Radiohead said yes when he was first approached to do the soundtrack. But no amount of letters from Brad Pitt and Ed Norton would be enough to magically clear Yorke’s schedule during the late ‘90s – around the peak of Radiohead’s popularity. Since that didn’t push through, the task of scoring the film fell in the laps of the Dust Brothers – and the rest is history.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

This is another film by Fincher, who has more than a knack for finding the best musicians to score his strange movies. After their award-winning success in scoring The Social Network, the pair from the seminal industrial metal band Nine Inch Nails created their most haunting collaboration yet in the soundtrack for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It’s an absolutely haunting, cold, and droning album that’s reminiscent of Akira Yamaoka’s soundtrack for the game Silent Hill.