Music: The magic of sound tracks

The magic of sound tracks
by Marlene Alexander

It is hard to picture a movie without its music --- rising up merrily during happy scenes, making you freeze in suspense during a scary part (although grabbing a pillow or turning the movie off helps), or dipping to a more solemn note during quiet moments; all these musical tricks cleverly help the viewer further feel what the scene is trying to convey.

More and more we are seeing movie sound tracks becoming as important as the movie itself. Some are bestsellers in their own right, like Once and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Another notable sound track is Pride & Prejudice (the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley, Dame Judi Dench, and Matthew Macfadyen) --- its score was nominated for an Oscar. Although these were all stellar sound tracks that seemed to elevate its movies to another plane, the movies were wonderful --- able to stand on their own.

The sound tracks usually have a composer who is in charge of the whole score --- this is the case of French composer Alexandre Desplat who is little by little becoming a force in movie composing; he was nominated recently for an Oscar after composing the soaring, ponderous, and beautiful sound track of the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (standout tracks in the score being “Postcards” and “Meeting Daisy”). More recently, he did the score of the culinary flick Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, and of the upcoming The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

In honor of the effect music has on our moods, I compiled a list of songs that suit the moods below, but these are open to interpretation as most music or any other art form is, (maybe “Silent Sea” makes you happy) --- you can find all of the music mentioned here and in the playlists in iTunes.

Playlists

Happy

“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

“La Bilirrubina” by Juan Luis Guerra

“Weight of the World” by Chantal Kreviazuk

“New Shoes” by Paolo Nutini

“Mambo Italiano” by Rosemary Clooney

Moody

“Twice” by Little Dragon

“Indian Summer” by Mandy Moore

“Everything in its Right Place” by Radiohead

“Gravity” by Sara Bareilles

“Stranger in Moscow” by Michael Jackson

“Not my Friend” by Norah Jones

“Silent Sea” by KT Tunstall

Romantic

“L-O-V-E” by Nat “King” Cole

“Like a Star” by Corinne Bailey Rae

“A Waltz for a Night” by Julie Delpy

“Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop” by Landon Pigg

“Sunny Sunday” by Leona Naess

“This Kiss” by Faith Hill

culture