Next time you find yourself at the cinema watching the latest hip feature, pay a little attention to the film score: there’s every chance an equally cool musician has composed it. Films such as The Social Network, Tron: Legacy and Trespass Against Us all have scores by bands or pop stars rather than traditional film composers.
A film score, as opposed to a soundtrack, is the instrumental music that accompanies a picture, setting the overall mood and tone. Written specifically for the film, it is not designed to stand out but rather to complement the action. Indeed, film-makers often say that the sign of a good score is that the audience doesn’t even notice it.
To celebrate the release of Trespass Against Us on DVD and Blu-ray (July 3rd), scored by Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, we take a look at some of the most stimulating scores by musicians you might not have guessed!
Dust Brothers—Fight Club
As producers, The Dust Brothers have created some of the most defining and celebrated sounds of the ‘90, from The Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique to Beck’s Odelay to Hanson’s “MMMBop.” As the guiding musical hands behind David Fincher’s 1999 masterpiece, however, the group created a chaotic yet exhilarating score that reflected the mindset of that film’s disturbed protagonist.