ARTIST:
DAFT PUNK


ALBUM:
TRON : LEGACY


KEY TRACKS:
DEREZZED
ARMORY
RINZLER
TRON LEGACY


"end of line, man."


Tron-Time!  After last weeks intense but beautiful album, I decided to treat myself to some album candy.  I remember when I first saw the previews for this movie and the first thing that caught my eye wasn't the actual title (I didn't see the original Tron so I wasn't part of the undercover cult phenomenon), it was the fact that French DJ's Daft Punk were doing the score.  The execs behind the teaser trailer certainly did something right by making it a point to list that Daft Punk would be creating the soundtrack.  This was a selling point!  

Yes, this is them without the helmets.

 As silly as it sounds, I never really put 2 and 2 together on a popular band making a film score.  I was too accustomed to the grandeur  of John Williams, Hans Zimmermen, and Thomas Newman (or what I like to think of as the holy trinity of modern day film composers).  But now I'm beginning to notice it more and more:  like with Grizzly Bear and Blue Valentine, Yo La Tengo and Adventureland, and of course the Chemical Brothers EPIC score for Hanna (which I must admit is climbing its way up my playlist steadily).  Anyways, the more I thought about it it was absurd for Disney not to ask Daft Punk for this job.  They were practically groomed for it.


I listened to Daft Punk rather lightly back in high school and didn't really look back until I saw this movie.  And although the movie was a bit weak, the music was completely the opposite.  This film suite is Daft Punk's strongest work to date.  Unlike previous releases like Discovery and Homework, this album has such a level of polished maturity to it that it almost sounds like a different band entirely.  It's excellent.


Not quite as cohesive as most movie scores, this is a very unconventional composition but it works...really works actually.  The initial track that really perked up my ears is Armory.  I think this was more  because of the imagery in the movie, and I was especially disappointed when the Sirens's synchronized boot clicks in the movie were not included with the track.  That would have been a nice touch.


Next, Rinzler is one of the best example's of Daft Punk's new sophistication at work.  This track really builds, to the point where it almost makes you feel physically tense.  And at the apex of the track, the drums come thundering in and really get things going.  End of Line is another fun track, but I think I speak for most listeners when I say that Derezzed is probably the track Daft Punk fans were waiting for on the album.


Derezzed is a pretty ballsy track.  There really were no limits for the duo on this one.  It's a battle scene...in a club, could the stage be more perfectly set for these artists?  In any sense, they certainly do not disappoint.  I just wish it was more like four and a half minutes of ass-kicking beats instead of the all too short 1:44 play time.  Derezzed II anyone?  


C.L.U. was another particularly standout track.  I'm not one to normally go for villain themes but this one was particularly good.  And satisfyingly long.  Clocking in at over 4 minutes 30 seconds, it's the longest track on the album.  But again, this track isn't just massive in playtime, it's colossal in sound as well.  The collaboration of the traditional strings and Daft Punk's familiar electronic sounds makes for an interesting, and enjoyable listen.  


Lastly, TRON:  Legacy is an excellent send off for the end credits.  Just enough old school Daft Punk to satisfy seasoned fans and new listeners alike.  Overall, I support this trend of non-conventional film scores.  It certainly a nice break from some of the stuffier scores out there. And with films like Hanna, Blue Valentine, Where the Wild Things Are, etc.  it's certainly an exciting time for movies...well maybe more like movie scores.  

LISTEN:  DEREZZED  |  ARMORY |  RINZLER  |  TRON LEGACY

NEXT WEEK:  FEIST  |  METALS