5 Best Soundtracks 2017
The Music That Made These Films Sing
Nothing makes a movie move, groove, and sooth better than an awesome soundtrack. And 2017 had some of the best in recent years. Here are the five soundtracks we plugged into and got turned on by. And don’t forget to check out the PROVOKR Award winners next week to see who won in this competitive category.
Baby Driver
From the opening scene featuring “Bellbottoms” by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, director Edgar Wright expertly picked a collection of songs that compliment his film. It’s really a sight to see. The more you watch the movie, the more you realize how wonderfully Wright edited together a great example of pairing an engaging story with brilliant music.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The first Guardians of the Galaxy was a surprise hit when it was released in 2014, so director James Gunn had a lot of expectations put on him to make the sequel (and the music) bigger and better. Mission accomplished with the song selection on the superhero’s awesome mix tape soundtrack. While the first movie also had a near-perfect song selection, the second tops it with more emotional moments like picking Cat Steven’s (Yusuf Islam) “Father and Son” for the film’s heartfelt coda.
Call Me By Your Name
Set in the Italian countryside during the 80s, the soundtrack for Call Me By Your Name is just perfect for the era and the film’s tone, especially the image of Armie Hammer dancing the night away to “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs. The soundtrack is also full of original songs from singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens, who wrote the film’s music.
Lady Bird
Lady Bird is Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut and it takes place in Sacramento during the early 2000s. While you’d think the movie would be full of music from that time, it actually features a lot of songs from the late 90s, about a few years earlier like “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette and “Crash Into Me” by The Dave Matthews Band. It’s as if the world is a step behind the trends of the time, which seems perfect for a suburbia before the dominance of the Internet.
Aside from its song selection, the soundtrack for Lady Bird also features original music from film composer Jon Brion, who is known for his whimsical tunes from movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Punch-Drunk Love, and I Heart Huckabees.
Get Out
It’s no surprise that one of the best movies of the year also has one of the best soundtracks. From “Redbone” by Childish Gambino to the ironic use of “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes, the soundtrack to Get Out is worthy of your ears, especially if you loved the movie. In addition, it also features original music from composer Michael Abels, who brings an eerie and haunting tone to the film. It’s brilliant!
