Tron Legacy (OST) by Daft Punk
(Walt Disney Records, 2010, CD, out now, £: shop around for a bargain)
I remember back in the pre-production phase of Tron Legacy, when it was announced that Daft Punk had been commissioned to do the soundtrack for the film. Part of me felt it was a far too obvious choice, whilst at the same time thinking that it might just be a move of extremely sound judgement…
Everything worked out fine in the end. The TL soundtrack is a thing of beauty and awe. The music was one of Tron Legacy‘s most impressive aspects and integrated so well into the visuals that they seemed symbiotic. I remember sitting in the cinema, of the winter of 2010, being immediately blown away by the opening salvo of Overture and The Grid, and The Son Of Flynn. Track four (Recognizer) on the soundtrack was the defining moment, initially, for me in the cinema; it was the scene where Sam gets caught by the Recognizer – and it looked amazing and sounded incredible. I remember thinking “this is one of the best scenes in a movie I think I’ve seen” – I was pretty caught up in the film by this point, so please forgive my fanboy gush. The film is, essentially, a sequence of beautifully staged and filmed set-pieces put to stunning music. And by gosh it works so well.
Daft Punk (comprising the duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) have produced a superb soundtrack that works equally well as a standalone record – they balance their trademark electronica with sweeping orchestral work, and the two styles mesh wonderfully (see the amazing tracks 9: Outlands and, more so, 10: Adagio For Tron as testament). DP really hit their stride with the more conventional club segment (where, in the film, the duo made their unusually memorable cameos) of tracks End Of Line and Derezzed, which are the nearest to their usual sound.
The last few tracks have the bombastic swagger you would expect from a soundtrack to a big Hollywood blockbuster, but even working within this frame, Daft Punk deliver. By track 22: Finale, you should be well and truly hooked, and will be intent on listening to the soundtrack again. And again…
This is an essential purchase for fans of Tron and/or Daft Punk, and anyone with taste, I think it fair to say.
Andy Jamieson, Editor
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