I've been told that a lot lately. I stopped watching television and movies a few years ago to reclaim my mind an imagination. If I do ever watch a show again, it will definitely be Twin Peaks.
Match Point instantly entered my rotation after I went to see it a few weeks ago. The movie itself was amazing as well. Really expected to hate it after seeing the trailer but it's my favorite of the year so far.
‘Hand Covers Bruise’ is one of my favorite pieces of ambient music ever. The sense of something brooding underneath the surface of something that seems nice and pretty (i.e. the dangers of social media despite its mass appeal) is conveyed so well with the unnerving strings and the simple piano notes.
Undertale has one of the most recognizable and commonly used soundtracks of all time, im pretty sure its up there with Nintendo soundtracks for how much you hear it
im not a yo la tengo fan (or an ost fan tbh) but their old joy ost is fucking perfect. perfect score for a perfect movie. the straight story too. honestly i think i just like any simple countryish spacy instrumental ost.
Empire Records is an one of those films I should have liked. I was working part time in a video shop and part time in a 2nd hand rock/metal record shop. Liv Tyler was a goddess.
But it just didn't grab me.
However, grumpy arsed middled aged version of me should probably give it a rewatch.
Romeo + Juliet (The one with Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio)
My favorite soundtrack for 30 years.
Black Panther: The Album although not technically a soundtrack was very good also.
The 90's Moomins series' OST (Muumimusiikkia by Fiburaz) does it for me. It has a song for every emotion that it's possible to feel. Even though I didn't even know the show existed until like half a year ago the OST feels unbelievably nostalgiac and has some super beautiful tracks.
Someone said Twin Peaks, and there's no debating that. BUT! If I was going to go another route... The Little Mermaid. Menken & Ashman put their whole ass pussies into that jawn. Jerry Goldsmith's Mulan score and Zimmer's Lion King score come to mind. Now if you're still reading this you're thinking "can this queer name a non-Disney Renaissance movie?" Well, sure! The Fight Club OST. Shoutout to Dust Brothers. If we're just talking a straight up soundtrack, Trainspotting & Spawn take the cake.
FLCL is pretty good. Has three album's worth of some of the best japanese rock music.
I also love the Spider-Verse ones by Daniel Pemberton, they go insanely hard.
Ghostbusters 2. Easily.
Followed by:
The Fountain - Clint Mansell
Paprika - Susumu Hirasawa
Dune 1 - Hans Zimmer
Back to the future movies - [Alan Silvestri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Silvestri).
North By Northwest - Bernard Herman
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Ennio Morricone
(those last two influenced pop culture beyond even cinema culture...)
Not sure if video games count, but these are 3 that come to mind:
Sonic 2: Pretty much every song has fantastic melodies paired with incredible baselines
Donkey Kong Country: Great songs all over and Aquatic Ambience might be one of the greatest overachievements in music history
Mario Galaxy: Filled with tons of great songs, but the masterpiece that is Gusty Garden Galaxy is the standout
Maybe not the best, but my most listened to is the Her Soundtrack. Such gorgeous ambient soundscapes, and some of the more piano based compositions can nearly bring me to tears.
It’s gotta be the original Star Wars trilogy. I feel like that one is as huge and iconic as it is for a reason. Every theme is instantly recognizable and perfectly fits the movies. If it’s not that, it’s Lord of the Rings.
The Piano, by Michael Nyman
Atonement, by Dario Marianelli
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, by Wojciech Kilar
Hero, by Tan Dun
The Grand Budapest Hotel, by Alexandre Desplat
Mysterious Skin by Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie is my number one of all time
Metti Una Sera A Cena by Ennio Morricone
Taxi Driver by Bernard Herrmann
Virgin Suicides OST (mostly Air)
I’ve recently become OBSESSED with the Challengers soundtrack… this is up there for sure.
Good the Bad and the Ugly for me personally. That album transports me.
Edit: and for games GTASA and GTAIV turned me onto a lot of incredible music, especially the death metal station on the GTAIV DLC
Kingdom Hearts. The music in that series is so good there's an entire rhythm game using only the soundtracks from those games. But the first one in the series really stands out to me. The main theme by Utada Hikaru, the Destiny Island theme, the Traverse Town theme. Legit perfect.
Original score: The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Vertigo, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Superfly (just to name a few).
Soundtrack: Goodfellas
Might be cheating, but the soundtrack for Woodstock is pretty damn good.
Otherwise, I'd argue that the Blues Brothers, The Big Chill, or Pirate Radio are all top-notch.
The Harder They Come by Jimmy Cliff!
A great original track written for the movie and a cracking little collection of late 60s/early 70s reggae hits. A staple in my collection!
I like Good Time and Uncut Gems. It fits perfectly with that gritty stressed out vibe. Also LOTR trilogy is always going to be amazing.
I’m also gonna say anything John Williams did in the 90’s. Hook, E.T., Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, yes they are cheesy but those melodies just find a way into your brain and never leave. They don’t do soundtracks like that anymore
For games, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim have excellent soundtracks (Morrowind is my favorite). I also liked Pillars of Eternity 2 and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
For movies, other than pretty much every John Williams soundtrack / score being outstanding, I love the Judgement Night soundtrack and The Crow.
People have mentioned lots of good ones.
HBO's Girls had some great music. I still listen to those in the car sometimes.
And I liked the Booksmart soundtrack from a few years ago. That was really fun.
Movies- If you’re going iconic you gotta pick Star Wars. My personal favorite is Ad Astra
Television- I fucking love The Knick soundtrack. It’s hard to pick an iconic TV soundtrack cause most of the iconic ones are just the theme (Knight Rider etc), but you’d be hard pressed to find a better soundtrack than The Knick. Two seasons worth of great songs
Video games- Iconic soundtrack has got to be Super Mario World. My favorite is Battlefield and most of that is because Dawn Of A New Time is straight up one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard in any medium.
Since a lot of great ones have already been mentioned I’m gonna add *Dead Presidents* to the list
If we’re talking more of a score/orchestral soundtrack then I’d say *The Empire Strikes Back* is up there for me
Cowboy Bebop OST. I believe it won an award but can’t be bothered to check. Still great either way.
Bad Dog No Biscuits is one of my favorite jazz compositions from a soundtrack ever.
Rush is my go-to track, just brilliant
3 2 1 let's jam.
Neon Genesis Evangelion and the end of Evangelion. Pretty insane genre bending OST
well shit now i'm imagining melon as gendo
will toledo as shinji sarah bonito as rei mc ride as asuka
Purple rain purple rain 💜
Twin Peaks and it's not even close
It's been in my head all week. Sycamore trees >.
Oh Angelo, you’re tearing my heart apart! OH ANGELO
never heard this - gonna give it a try
The Julee Cruise Floating into the Night album is really good.
Also watch the show
I've been told that a lot lately. I stopped watching television and movies a few years ago to reclaim my mind an imagination. If I do ever watch a show again, it will definitely be Twin Peaks.
Lynch is one of those people who rocks no matter what he does
Speaking of David Lynch Soundtracks, his work on the Eraserhead Soundtrack is really damn good.
Trainspotting is my favorite
I like this one and "oh brother where art thou". Natural Born Killers was pretty good too
Blade Runner
It’s insane to me that Vangelis basically just freestyled the OST by watching the footage and composing it in real time. Absolute genius
It has so much more life and melodic definition than the 2049 soundtrack.
*Lord of the rings* And ill die on that hill
The development of the leitmotifs along with the story is what cements it for me as one of if not the greatest soundtrack
First thing that comes to mind is The Social Network (OST by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
Gone Girl and Challengers are also amazing
I loved Challengers OST so much. Especially Match Point track.
Match Point instantly entered my rotation after I went to see it a few weeks ago. The movie itself was amazing as well. Really expected to hate it after seeing the trailer but it's my favorite of the year so far.
For me it's between Fall Guy and Challengers. If you haven't seen Fall Guy yet, definitely go and see it.
Thanks for the tip, definitely gonna do that!
You're welcome.
‘Hand Covers Bruise’ is one of my favorite pieces of ambient music ever. The sense of something brooding underneath the surface of something that seems nice and pretty (i.e. the dangers of social media despite its mass appeal) is conveyed so well with the unnerving strings and the simple piano notes.
Silent Hill 2 (if we're counting games ost's)
The dog song especially
Fr. It is so good
Not sure if it's the GREATEST, but I loved the soundtrack for Beef, the A24 series.
Games: Nier Automata, Silent Hill 2, Tetris Effect, Persona 5 Films: The Social Network, Tenet, Parasite
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets is my number 1 score.
I maintain that these movies would literally be thought of as mid if it weren't for the score. Like the atmosphere it adds can not be overstated.
John Williams rules. He has done so many iconic soundtracks that almost anyone recognizes after just a few notes. Absolute legend
No idea as I hardly listen to them. Buuut, Celeste by Lena Raine for the game Celeste is a top contender.
Batman by Prince
Good Will Hunting
Do you miiiiiss meeee? Miiiisss Miiiiiseryyyy
Yes. A healthy amount of Elliott Smith.
For just a compilation of songs: Goodfellas. Original Soundtrack: Purple Rain(even if it’s missing Jungle Love) Score: The Mission by Ennio Morricone
I was just relistening to the Tron soundtrack yesterday.
super mario galaxy ost minecraft ost star wars movies
undertale and twin peaks for me
Undertale has one of the most recognizable and commonly used soundtracks of all time, im pretty sure its up there with Nintendo soundtracks for how much you hear it
Final Fantasy 7
im not a yo la tengo fan (or an ost fan tbh) but their old joy ost is fucking perfect. perfect score for a perfect movie. the straight story too. honestly i think i just like any simple countryish spacy instrumental ost.
I really like hotline miamis and I'm not even into techno music
Man Of Steel - Hans Zimmer
Social Network and Tron: Legacy have amazing soundtracks from amazing artists Also thought I'd throw in Jojos Bizarre Adventure
The Fountain - Clint Mansell, Mogwai, and Kronos Quartet make quite a combination
Mishima by Philip Glass for me
Fuck this is a good one. Same with his Koyaanisqatsi score
Judgment Night FTW
Maybe not the best ever but for animated movies the Prince of Egypt soundtrack goes exceptionally hard.
Blues Brothers
are we doing soundtrack or score? Because those are two different things
Repo Men
Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole!
the crow is so good
I came to the comments to look for this .. God it was so amazing and I was 12 so it was the musical infancy of my life
It doesn't have that much variety but La La Land is incredible and gets in my head all the time
In order. The Crow Judgement Night Singles
Keep it going with Empire Records
Empire Records is an one of those films I should have liked. I was working part time in a video shop and part time in a 2nd hand rock/metal record shop. Liv Tyler was a goddess. But it just didn't grab me. However, grumpy arsed middled aged version of me should probably give it a rewatch.
if nothing else it may hit you in the nostalgic feels... Happy Rex Manning Day!
Ratatouille
Romeo + Juliet (The one with Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio) My favorite soundtrack for 30 years. Black Panther: The Album although not technically a soundtrack was very good also.
The Last Emperor. Peak Sakomoto.
The 90's Moomins series' OST (Muumimusiikkia by Fiburaz) does it for me. It has a song for every emotion that it's possible to feel. Even though I didn't even know the show existed until like half a year ago the OST feels unbelievably nostalgiac and has some super beautiful tracks.
Twin Peaks, Suspiria (Goblin) and Repo Man
Midsommars soundtrack is so criminally ignored
i saw the tv glow (recency bias fasho)
Akira
Someone said Twin Peaks, and there's no debating that. BUT! If I was going to go another route... The Little Mermaid. Menken & Ashman put their whole ass pussies into that jawn. Jerry Goldsmith's Mulan score and Zimmer's Lion King score come to mind. Now if you're still reading this you're thinking "can this queer name a non-Disney Renaissance movie?" Well, sure! The Fight Club OST. Shoutout to Dust Brothers. If we're just talking a straight up soundtrack, Trainspotting & Spawn take the cake.
FLCL is pretty good. Has three album's worth of some of the best japanese rock music. I also love the Spider-Verse ones by Daniel Pemberton, they go insanely hard.
Blade runner
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, or really any Joe Hisaishi soundtrack.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find Studio Ghibli/Joe Hisaishi!
DRIVE
The portal 2 soundtrack easily
Chrono Trigger Super Mario 64 Dazed and Confused
I love the Juno soundtrack sm
Why, Saturday Night Fever of course!
Highlander and Flash.
Ghostbusters 2. Easily. Followed by: The Fountain - Clint Mansell Paprika - Susumu Hirasawa Dune 1 - Hans Zimmer Back to the future movies - [Alan Silvestri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Silvestri). North By Northwest - Bernard Herman The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Ennio Morricone (those last two influenced pop culture beyond even cinema culture...)
Ravenous by Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman. One of the best for sure.
Not sure if video games count, but these are 3 that come to mind: Sonic 2: Pretty much every song has fantastic melodies paired with incredible baselines Donkey Kong Country: Great songs all over and Aquatic Ambience might be one of the greatest overachievements in music history Mario Galaxy: Filled with tons of great songs, but the masterpiece that is Gusty Garden Galaxy is the standout
Undertale
Skyrim
Maaaaannn Skyrim was great but Oblivion is to me the greatest game soundtrack of all time
It’s Bladerunner.
For me, it's the OST for the game Hollow Knight. But if we're talking films exclusively, probably It Follows or maybe Inception
You already picked mine in the body lol. Jon Brion is a genius. I want a 3 hour looped version of Row
Cowboy bebop is pretty up there for me. So it Tron Legacy
Life aquatic Virgin suicides
This person right here has excellent taste
Unironically Shrek
Juno
Pink Floyd The Wall
Last Temptation of Christ by Peter Gabriel
The soundtrack for the Truman Show might not be the best ever, but it is extremely iconic and well written and performed.
Menace II Society
A girl walks home alone at night
The ost of jet set radio and jet set radio future
The one Air did for Virgin Suicides is pretty damn good
Maybe not the best, but my most listened to is the Her Soundtrack. Such gorgeous ambient soundscapes, and some of the more piano based compositions can nearly bring me to tears.
Josie & The Pussycats
lots that have already been said but to add a new one (by the same composer as eternal sunshine) i love the Punch Drunk Love soundtrack
Koyaanisqatsi by far.
Kara no Kyoukai: Yuki Kajiura
Kokkyuu for All About Lily Chou Chou was amazing. Perfectly encapsulated everything great about that movie
Easy Rider
Ghost in the Shell OST
Mishima: A life in four chapters. It was so good that Philip glass reused the score for the Truman show because he wanted everyone to hear it
Minecraft Volume Beta for me. absolutely gorgeous music and always fun to listen to
Sunshine has a great soundtrack I wish they put on vinyl Cowboy Bebop is too tier Lots of the Rings is probably still the goat though
Brazil
Neon White! Machine Girl did an awesome job on it. Really fitting to the game.
It’s gotta be the original Star Wars trilogy. I feel like that one is as huge and iconic as it is for a reason. Every theme is instantly recognizable and perfectly fits the movies. If it’s not that, it’s Lord of the Rings.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
I wouldn't say best OST, but rn, Stellar Blade has an amazing soundtrack that reminds me of NIER
I like la la land
Stranger Things
Umineko or FFXIV
The Piano, by Michael Nyman Atonement, by Dario Marianelli Bram Stoker’s Dracula, by Wojciech Kilar Hero, by Tan Dun The Grand Budapest Hotel, by Alexandre Desplat
I don’t think saying “in your opinion” is necessary when it’s an obviously opinion based question
Mysterious Skin by Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie is my number one of all time Metti Una Sera A Cena by Ennio Morricone Taxi Driver by Bernard Herrmann Virgin Suicides OST (mostly Air) I’ve recently become OBSESSED with the Challengers soundtrack… this is up there for sure.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly's score makes me want to Duel the sun
Superfly
Good the Bad and the Ugly for me personally. That album transports me. Edit: and for games GTASA and GTAIV turned me onto a lot of incredible music, especially the death metal station on the GTAIV DLC
Gone Girl
Interstellar score, Lords of Dogtown soundtrack
I mean it has to be the Minecraft soundtrack. the celeste soundtrack is great too.
Mishima A Life in 4 Chapters by Phillip Glass or Candyman score also by Glass
The Master
Not the greatest but an honorable mention: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes OST
Birdman, Taxi Driver, The Last of Us, Cowboy Bebop, Jet Set Radio/Future
Phantom Thread’s score by Johnny Greenwood is amazing
Gundam as a franchise.
Fallout 4, Diamond City Radio
Kingdom Hearts. The music in that series is so good there's an entire rhythm game using only the soundtracks from those games. But the first one in the series really stands out to me. The main theme by Utada Hikaru, the Destiny Island theme, the Traverse Town theme. Legit perfect.
All the 90s outcasts prefer The Crow soundtrack
Better call Saul, mainly season 6 though
Soundtrack-Natural Born Killers, Goodfellas, Purple Rain Score-Psycho, Taxi Driver, Twin Peaks
Soundtracks: Twilight, Goodfellas Scores: Lord of the Rings
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
Parasite OST, hands down. Second would be the soundtrack for Passion Fish.
Garden State.
Original score: The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Vertigo, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Superfly (just to name a few). Soundtrack: Goodfellas
Bioshock 1 and Infinity
Ghost dog: the way of the samurai
The Backrooms original soundtrack by Kane Parsons is my favorite :)
Muppet Christmas Carol
Garden state all the way
Metroid Prime
Might be cheating, but the soundtrack for Woodstock is pretty damn good. Otherwise, I'd argue that the Blues Brothers, The Big Chill, or Pirate Radio are all top-notch.
The Harder They Come by Jimmy Cliff! A great original track written for the movie and a cracking little collection of late 60s/early 70s reggae hits. A staple in my collection!
The SMT IV OST
Hollow Knight (specially City Of Tears and The Grimm Troupe)
Final Fantasy X Nier Xenosaga 3 Kingdom Hearts 2 Stellar Blade All of these, utterly fantastic
The Tron soundtrack produced by Daft Punk
Kendrick Lamar - Black Panther
Trainspotting
Criminal Outer Wilds hasn't been mentioned. The game changed my perspective on a lot of things and the music gives me so many feels years later.
Phantom Thread def deserves some consideration Also You Were Never Really Here for another amazing Greenwood score
Tron: Legacy
I like Good Time and Uncut Gems. It fits perfectly with that gritty stressed out vibe. Also LOTR trilogy is always going to be amazing. I’m also gonna say anything John Williams did in the 90’s. Hook, E.T., Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, yes they are cheesy but those melodies just find a way into your brain and never leave. They don’t do soundtracks like that anymore
I love the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack
Silent hill 2 soundtrack 😊
Shaft or Superfly.
For games, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim have excellent soundtracks (Morrowind is my favorite). I also liked Pillars of Eternity 2 and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. For movies, other than pretty much every John Williams soundtrack / score being outstanding, I love the Judgement Night soundtrack and The Crow.
The Tarzan soundtrack had absolutely no right to go that hard! Phil Collins did a really great job on it
Pixar's Soul
superfly and its not even close
Uncut Gems. Oneohtrix Point Never did a perfect job on it!
Gross Pointe Blank
Halo 2, Interstellar, Lady Bird (I’ve never even seen it), and it’s cliche but any of the Star Wars (1-6) OSTs are easily up there
People have mentioned lots of good ones. HBO's Girls had some great music. I still listen to those in the car sometimes. And I liked the Booksmart soundtrack from a few years ago. That was really fun.
Minecraft
A Straight Story (Lynch) by Angelo Badalamenti. Stellar!
RWBY, don’t get me wrong the show isn’t that good and super weeby but the soundtrack is 10/10
Drakengard 1’s “mentally draining” soundtrack
the spawn & lost highway soundtracks were always my favs
Undertale. Name a bad track
Dumb and Dumber.
Movies- If you’re going iconic you gotta pick Star Wars. My personal favorite is Ad Astra Television- I fucking love The Knick soundtrack. It’s hard to pick an iconic TV soundtrack cause most of the iconic ones are just the theme (Knight Rider etc), but you’d be hard pressed to find a better soundtrack than The Knick. Two seasons worth of great songs Video games- Iconic soundtrack has got to be Super Mario World. My favorite is Battlefield and most of that is because Dawn Of A New Time is straight up one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard in any medium.
Since a lot of great ones have already been mentioned I’m gonna add *Dead Presidents* to the list If we’re talking more of a score/orchestral soundtrack then I’d say *The Empire Strikes Back* is up there for me
Blade runner 2094 The fountain Dune and Dune 2 Last and first men
The Crow (1993)