Scenes and their soundtrack... (Ep.1)

​Sometimes, films just stick with you. A lot of the time it’s a specific plot, or a cast member, or even a killer scene that is simply mesmerising.
 
This feature is inspired by those majestic scenes, but more importantly because of the music over top that gives the finishing touch. When I think of certain films, sequences and soundtracks – there’s three films and symphonies that come straight to mind.
 
What’s interesting, the three I mention below are within the last decade, clearly showing my age. But also, all three films are from the sci-fi genre. Clearly, the bellowing orchestral and electronic music leaves an impression on science-fiction dramas.

S.T.A.Y (Hans Zimmer) – Interstellar (2014)
What a way to start this feature. Hans Zimmer is a veteran, a genius and everywhere quite frankly. His music adds a dash of elegance wherever he sprinkles his composer wand. Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is no different. Throughout this two and a half hour-epic, we are treated to snippets of ‘Stay’ as Nolan chooses to use this melody as the key soundtrack for when scenes are emotional, tense or revealing. It’s near the climax though where this beauty is best utilised. Zimmer’s ‘Stay’ just does something to me, it literally stays in my mind long after the scene has finished. It makes you think incredibly deeply, and that is just down to six minutes of strings and Hans’ wizardry.

Surface Of The Sun (John Murphy) – Sunshine (2007)
John Murphy’s ‘Surface of the Sun’ track for Danny Boyle’s 2007 movie Sunshine starring Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans is stuff of delight. The piece of music is used twice in two dramatic scenes. The first outing is when Cappa (Cillian Murphy) is sent out of the space station to fix a problem, and the second time it’s used is for the climaxing scene. Both sequences are fist-clenchingly tense, only to be dramatised even more with the help from this symphony. It’s perfect for a sci-fi flick and Danny Boyle deploys it wisely in the two breath-taking scenes. Sit back and listen to the instrumental music and revel in its entirety.

Outro (M83) – Cloud Atlas (2012)
Is there a piece of music that captures everything you could ever want from it better than M83’s ‘Outro’? I think not! And I am not only as this track has been used so much in recent years. However, it’s the appearance of ‘Outro’ in the 2013 film Cloud Atlas where it first left me thunderstruck in admiration. This is just a spectacular piece of sound, like M83 are making love to your ear drums. When I watched this film in the cinema, this track was 90% downloaded before I left the theatre. I couldn’t believe how powerful a piece of music could make a scene. Heck, Cloud Atlas’ trailer is anchored by it! It’s a dramatic, symphonic rock song which has evoked "heartbreak, nostalgia, anticipation, jubilation and triumph" according to Huffington Post and I couldn’t agree more. Anthony Gonzalez – I salute you.