Film scores give movies their attitude, personality and soul. Looking back at 2015’s best film scores, I’m not just looking at the best music but the best collaboration of a movie and its score.
10) Tomorrowland – Michael Giacchino
If Michael Giacchino has proven anything, it’s that mediocre filmmaking doesn’t bleed into the music he creates; this soundtrack represents everything Tomorrowland should have been.
9) Spotight – Howard Shore
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Howard Shore gives Spotlight a subdued, melancholic melody—one that never takes on a life of its own, but compliments Splotlight’s devastating subject brilliantly.
8) Steve Jobs – Daniel Pemberton
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If anything is more memorable, loud and expressive as Steve Jobs it’s certainly the soundtrack, which seems to live for the big moments this movie emphasizes on.
7) The Martian – Harry Gregson-Williams
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Making the process of growing potatoes exciting is impressive, but giving weight to existential contemplation and providing a theme for celebrating scientific progression is remarkable.
6) Sicario – Jóhann Jóhannsson
A score that reverberates dread, gloom and foreboding into its enigmatic characters and the haunting images lurking between the US-Mexico border.
5) It Follows – Disasterpeace
On its own, you’d think you were listening to 80’s synth. Disasterpeace’s soundtrack is versatile, with a terrifying, pulsating beat for the scarier moments and a softer theme for its naturalistic moments.
4) Carol – Carter Burwell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v162MTr_RPM
Much like the the actual film, Carol’s soundtrack is tonally complex, intricately composed and romantic—a perfect theme for its characters, Carol and Therese.
3) The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone
Morricone is no strangers to westerns, and Tarantino is no stranger to Morricone. The two collaborate to create perhaps Tarantino’s most gun-blazing, scene-shredding soundtrack to date.
2) Inside Out – Michael Giacchino
It’s from the opening scene that you’ll realize Giacchino has created another masterpiece, one that plays with your emotions as much as its own central characters.
1) Mad Max: Fury Road – Junkie XL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C8I8wxZCis
It’s pounding percussion, operatic choir and blasting fanfare will win your attention, but its downbeat, sympathetic strings and strategically punctuated silences will win your heart.
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