The Best Scores & Soundtracks Of 2017

10. Angelo Badalamenti/Various Artists — “Twin Peaks: The Return OST”
It’s not quite a critique, but not quite a compliment either to say that we really can’t divorce a lot of Angelo Badalamenti’s score for David Lynch‘s “Twin Peaks: The Return” from the show it accompanies. Indeed, given their working habits it would be weird if we could: Badalamenti reportedly improvises pieces on cue to single words or images from Lynch — that usually have little to do with what’s going on in any given scene — and then Lynch works out how to stitch those pieces into the show according to his own arcane logic. Of course, Badalamenti’s indelible contribution really came 27 years ago when he first composed the show’s iconic opening music, as well as the likes of the evocative “Laura’s Theme” and spooky-jaunty “Audrey’s Dance” all of which he riffs on in ‘The Return,’ though with more of an industrial/atonal vibe. But far more than for its score, the new iteration will be remembered musically for the carefully curated selection of tracks that become part of the fabric of the show when Lynch closes each episodes with one of them being performed by their respective artists in The Roadhouse. The lineup is peppered with notable alternative and indie acts, including Chromatics, Au Revoir Simone, Nine Inch Nails, Eddie Vedder and Sharon Van Etten, but also encompasses everything from the folksy Americana of The Cactus Blossoms to the electro wizardry of Glaswegian Hudson Mohawke and a Lynch-penned track, “No Stars” performed by Moby and singer Rebekah del Rio. And in a show whose brilliance lies in never adhering to a particular rhythm, these musical interludes act almost like decompression chambers — a narrow passageway from the submerged surrealism of Lynch’s various demi-mondes back to our own world, while the credits roll.

9. Daniel Hart – “A Ghost Story”
What’s impressive and really exciting about film composers—when they’re really good—is their versatility. From film to film they can dive into any style that a picture demands. Such is the case with American musician Daniel Hart. Coming from indie pop roots (the Chapel Hill band The Physics of Meaning), one might think his lane was small, but the artist demonstrates how the classically trained often have enough skill to morph like a chameleon if need by. Hart’s also in the romantic electronic band Dark Rooms which might as well be from a different epoch from the Southern-flavored, cripple crowe’d banjos and violins of the “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” soundtrack. Ever since, Hart’s been on the radar in a big way and he continues his musical evolution with the moving soundtrack to David Lowery’s spellbinding “A Ghost Story.” Made up largely of spectre-like string orchestration, in Hart’s hands and a celestial sheen of production, “A Ghost Story” sounds like sad and gorgeous moonbeams lighting up the silent bottom of the ocean. Much like the character’s grieving and aching hearts, and the movie’s expansive thoughts on the universe, the meaning of time and the limitless notions of love, Hart’s evocative, ghostly score expresses an existential loneliness that is truly unforgettable. And we haven’t even mentioned Dark Rooms’ “I Get Overwhelmed,” which is just that: an emotionally overwhelming, romantic dance song that is so haunting, on its own terms, is probably our favorite song of the year, period.

8. Various Artists – “Call Me By Your Name”
It’s almost cheeky to ascribe the “Call Me By Your Name” soundtrack to “various artists” being as it’s already so indelibly associated with its three Sufjan Stevens tracks (two new, one remix of “Futile Devices”). But while “Mystery of Love,”and in particular “Visions of Gideon” which plays us out while Timothee Chalamet cries in front of the fire in the film’s completely brilliant and remarkable closing scene are undoubtedly the standouts, the rest of the soundtrack album is an eclectic pleasure that embodies a lot of the same clever contradictions as the film itself. Representing the classical side, Canadian pianist Andre Laplante‘s rendition of a section from Ravel‘s “Miroirs” gives a dreaming, swooning, swirling backdrop to the story of a young man’s first tumble into love. Then a couple of Ryuichi Sakamoto tracks bring us more into the era of modern classical and the sparingly but cleverly used contemporary pop tunes cleverly evoke the ’80s euro summer setting. They include Joe Esposito‘s cheesetastic “Lady Lady Lady” (also heard in “Flashdance“) and most memorably, The Psychedlic Furs‘ “Love My Way” which has already gifted the world the Armie Hammer dancing meme which may be the only thing to challenge the peach scene as “Call Me By your Name”‘s most definitive contribution to film culture in 2017.

7. Michael Giacchino – “War For The Planet Of The Apes”
As you might imagine for someone who is a staple on this list (and has two entries this year alone), Michael Giacchino is one of the most prolific and in-demand composers working right now. And he had a pretty great 2017, with not just the aforementioned “Coco,” but also a charming score for “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” one of the best in the Marvel universe. But his finest work this year, and indeed among his finest work ever, came on “War For The Planet Of The Apes,” Matt Reeves’ terrific finale to the Caesar trilogy. The pair had done great work together on ‘Dawn’ three years back, but the most recent score is on a whole other level. Evoking the westerns and POW movies that Reeves is drawing on, it’s positively operatic stuff, clever use of choir summoning thoughts of its increasingly vocal ape characters (and the humans losing their own ability to speak). For a composer who works as much as Giacchino, and in such high-pressure situations (he had to turn around his very good “Rogue One” score in a matter of months after replacing Alexandre Desplat), it’s pretty remarkable how many surprises he’s still able to conjure.

6. Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch – “Blade Runner 2049”
Speaking of tight turnarounds, it was only a few months before release that we learned that Johann Johannsson, who was originally meant to be reuniting with Denis Villeneuve for eagerly anticipated sci-fi sequel “Blade Runner 2049,” had left the project. We’re still curious to hear what he would have come up with (from what we hear, something rather more experimental and less close to the Vangelis sound of the original movie), but credit to Benjamin Wallfisch (who had a great year with this, “It” and “A Cure For Wellness”) and mentor Hans Zimmer for pulling something together so memorable on what must have not been a lot of time. It definitely has some familiar Zimmer Factory qualities as a score — it’s bombastic, anthemic and percussive for sure. But that percussion rings all the way through you, and the shimmering synths summon up memories of the original while, like Villeneuve’s movie itself, doing their own thing. It’s a score on the grandest possible scale, but never feels like it’s hitting sci-fi cliches in the way we feared. Again, we sincerely hope that Johannsson’s score sees the light of day, but this was far more than just a last minute substitution.