Weekend Warm-Up No. 18: Soundtracking

–Words & list by Kevin Madert

Film scores and original soundtracks are ideal pump-up fodder – hell, these are pieces of music designed to evoke specific emotional responses to whatever visual media they’re attached to. Sure, it’s not all that difficult to get excited when Russell Crowe enters the Roman Colosseum, or Andy Dufresne  escapes from Shawshank Prison. But musical accompaniment ensures even out-of-the-loop viewers understand what they’re supposed to feel; even if it’s an unconscious response, those epic crescendos and frantic notes get the blood pumping and the heart racing all the same.

This week’s warm-up brings together some of my favorite music from some of my favorite films (and Tron). They vary widely, from the contrasting melodies & crashing guitars on “The Mighty Rio Grande” to Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ minimialistic beeps and bass on “In Motion,” but they’re all plenty capable of stirring you to great things. I’ve even thrown in a few video game tunes – let’s be real, Halo 2’s “Unyielding” is probably the most sweeping, triumphant track on this list. And I had to close it out with a two vocal tracks: “Going Up,” Russell Brand’s swan song in Get Him To The Greek, and “School Of Rock” from the movie of the same name (although unfortunately Spotify only has a weird cover version; here’s the soundtrack version if you’re like me and need the real deal).

Tracklist:

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – In Motion (From The Social Network)
Daft Punk – Recognizer (From Tron)
Martin O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori – Unyielding (From Halo 2)
Byelomorye Dam – Graeme Norgate (From Goldeneye 007)
Dream Is Collapsing – Hans Zimmer (From Inception)
The Mighty Rio Grande – This Will Destroy You (Most notably used in Moneyball)
John Williams – Main Theme From Star Wars (From duh)
Nigel Godrich – Boss Battle (From Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World)
Infant Sorrow – Going Up (From Get Him To The Greek)
School Of Rock Cast – School Of Rock (From, you guessed it, School Of Rock)