5. “A Star is Born” Soundtrack
A soulful weariness drags on the troubled superstar Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) and his many alcohol-soaked demons in the moving and extraordinary “A Star Is Born.” This spiritual injury he’s sustained early on in life is perceptible in the performances, the writing, and the direction of the raw, vulnerable, intuitive drama, but it’s really the subtext of nearly all of his songs in the movie. “A Star Is Born” is a terrific movie, but it also speaks to so many audiences because it’s constantly talking to the audience in a direct, emotional manner in song. Sure, there’s a team of stellar songwriters behind so many of these songs, including the inimitable Lady Gaga, who couldn’t sing a bum note if she tried, but what they all nail, is the true emotional nature of a film about a broken man trying to hang on, a preternaturally exceptional woman about to give her gift of music to the world, the way those worlds collide, implode, and lift each other up and inspire. The cut-the-bullshit give-and-take conversation of “Shallow” is one of the best songs to ever come out of a movie, period; a dazzlingly hypnotizing track about the ache of longing, the nervous discovery of something of something wonderful and the balls-out feeling of diving in and embracing it no matter the cost. The song and that now-iconic sequence in the film creates an instant classic moment that will probably find itself in the halls of a classic AFI montage one day. But, even past that, you can find the Jason Isbell-penned, emotionally fatigued ballad “Maybe It’s Time,” the dusty foot-stomper “Black Eyes” and the cry-your-face-out anthem “I’ll Never Love Again” as diverse examples of the different genres the soundtrack spans, and spans well (hell, this barely speaks to some of the more traditionally Gaga-esque pop bangers too). Having a virtuoso musician like Lady Gaga to contribute to multiple tracks always helps, but the compilation here is top-notch and, in part, gives one of the year’s all-around best movies its true depth. – CW
4. “You Were Never Really Here”
Did you really think that Jonny Greenwood wouldn’t make it onto the list of the best scores and soundtracks of the year? Granted, it’s widely accepted by movie geeks that the musician stands shoulders above many modern film composers (don’t forget that this guy is responsible for the music behind “There Will Be Blood” and “The Master”), but his work on “You Were Never Really Here” branches out beyond lush string sections and brittle drum patterns. Although “Votto” and “Joe’s Drive” feature Greenwood’s trademark talent for capturing the sounds of hell, “Tree Synthesizers” and “Tree Strings” introduce and conclude the soundtrack with a calming sense of serenity. Relatedly, synth-driven tracks like “Dark Streets” and “Nausea” would not seem at all out of place in a neon-stained noir flick. The internal turmoil and unforgettable brand of chaos found throughout the movie are ever-present in this poignant soundtrack, and serves as the perfect complement to an already remarkable film. – JC
3. “Suspiria”
Surprisingly, Jonny Greenwood was not the only member of Radiohead to compose a film score in 2018. Thom Yorke, primarily known as the lead singer of the aforementioned band, ventured from the confines of his comfort zone and composed the score for Luca Guadagnino’s divisive re-imagining (aka remake) of “Suspiria,” a soundtrack that marks the musician’s first work on a feature film. Thankfully, Yorke’s two-disc album is an expansive labyrinth of wonders and is every bit as enjoyably self-indulgent as its cinematic counterpart. Around one corner, you’ll find abstract lyricism on “Suspirium” and droning instrumentals (“A Choir of One”) before diving straight into the 58-second “Synthesizer Speaks,” a distorted collage of indescribable noise. Although it’s fun to imagine what Yorke might have done with the score for “Fight Club” — yes, that really almost happened — the musician’s work on “Suspiria” is a supernatural dreamscape of epic proportions that will hopefully serve as Yorke’s calling card for future film work. – JC
2. “First Man”
Remember themes from movies? An infections instrumental tune you could hum over and over again the way say, John Williams, John Barry or Jerry Goldsmith could craft? Sure, there are tons of great film scores still, but twenty years from now, we may look back and recognize Justin Hurwitz (“La La Land,” “Whiplash“) as the composer who truly brought the iconic theme back to the movies. For “First Man,” his third collaboration with director Damien Chazelle, Hurwitz writes with the trails and lights of stars; framing the sadness, grief, and loneliness of a man looking out into cold, darkness of space, about to realize one of the greatest achievements man has ever made, but still grappling with the loss of his daughter. Utilizing vintage analog technology, like Echoplex’s, Leslie Speakers and lo-fi outmoded electronic instruments, he creates an air of retro-futurism the movie embraces—it’s the 1960s, but this is obviously NASA’s bleeding edge of tech at the time. Then there’s the unlikeliest tool, an electronic Theremin, a popular instrument in 1960s space-age movies, as the mournful theme of a cosmic, everlasting sorrow, the kind that never goes away and you always live with. But that’s not all. Hurwitz gifts the movie so many wonders, including an incredible, buoyant moving sense of wonder and awe-inspiring bravery, providing bold, alarming thrills, a propulsive kind of purpose and drive and even a tense sense of horror when things go unbelievably wrong. Ryan Gosling’s Neil Armstrong is taciturn and suffers in silence for most of the movie, watching so many loved ones and friends die, as he mounts his mission with steadfast determination. Armstrong may not say a lot in the movie, but perhaps he doesn’t need to, Hurwitz is there every step of the way, tracing his steps, lifting him up, and even placing an intimate hand on this shoulder that says, “you can do this,” before he takes that unforgettable step for mankind. Try and find something as sublimely magical as the “Docking Waltz,” this year and you won’t be able to do it. It’s the cosmic “The Nutcracker” in space of our time, the soundtrack for one of our greatest true-life superheroes. – RP
1. “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Director Barry Jenkins makes intimate, swooning movies and his impossibly romantic, and lovely “If Beale Street Could Talk” is just that. Composer Nicholas Britell, who earned an Oscar nomination for his gorgeous “Moonlight” score, returns here and somehow even tops his work (talk about a theme, man). Talk about impossibly lush and dreamy, from its dizzyingly passionate opening moments, Britell’s score makes you weak at the knees and punch drunk love with tender affection and warm amour (the track “Eden” is an overwhelming ecstasy that will bring you to tears). Jenkins’ ‘Beale Street’ is a love story and a Black love story about the everyday obstacles of institutionalized racism faced by Black people for America to simply just love each other without so much distracting suffering. It’s hard to love and be Black in America, Jenkins says, but goddammit the two can exist and that’s a bit of Britell’s remit: the inherent sadness in the film’s main concept (love should never be hard), the bold unapologetic embrace that is portraying Black love on screen in all its glory and then the simple droolingly starry-eyed, impractical, quixotic love that the main character’s share (give a big shout out to his “Vice” score too which seem to echo Terrence Blanchard). Britell uses exquisite cellos, and melancholy, moody trumpets to create a beautiful hybrid haze of classical music and jazz, that in its best moments, will bring you to your knees, make you profess all the adoration you have to give and promise to live up to cherish and honor this most special love supreme. – RP