Okay. So, I feel like I have to start this post with a defence of my affection for movie soundtrack albums. There are certain music puritans out there who may scoff at my love for listening to a good ol’ fashioned film soundtrack. To them I say, this post is not for you. Don’t worry about it. Just go on with your high horse on your way to the pretentious music fair. We don’t need you here anyway. The truth is that I grew up on soundtrack CDs. I used to listen to them over and over. The classics, you know? Like, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Rugrats in Paris. Hand-me-downs from my mom: the Bandits soundtrack and the IMAX nature documentary for which Sting did the music (The Living Sea). An eclectic mix, I know. I want to bring back the practice of listening to soundtrack albums in their entirety. Of course, the music has to justify the commitment. That’s not always the case. But when it does, man. It’s a beautiful thing. I’ve scoured the music available both as physical CDs in our collection and as streaming content on our digital platforms — looking for gems. These are my finds. I encourage you to either give these items a gander or explore for yourself. If you’re someone trying to avoid streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, there’s a lot of media available on Hoopla and in our catalogue.

The Devil Wears Prada 2. Let’s just say, the sequel was lacking for me. Of course, expectations were always going to be sky high for the sequel to one of the most beloved comedic films ever made. So many folks I know have a fondness for the original. There’s something almost universally appealing about its depiction of the fashion magazine milieu — in particular, its evident satire of Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Pair the deft humour of Meryl Streep’s editor Miranda Priestly with the filmmakers’ refusal to condemn or caricature the haute couture world, and you have a winning combination. Anne Hathaway’s character Andrea, “everybody calls me Andy,” Sachs is juxtaposition gold — acting as a foil to Streep’s frosty and demanding editor. The sequel continues the same juxtaposition with the same actors reprising their roles (Stanley Tucci can do little wrong in my eyes, even here) but with none of the quippy lines and biting repartee of the first movie. What I can say in the second movie’s favour, however, is that the soundtrack slaps. Just like the original, each track is distinctive and memorable, propelling the narrative forward and keeping audiences engaged. In DWP2, one might say the music is doing some heavy lifting in that regard. We don’t have the soundtrack for the latter movie on Hoopla anymore, but we do have the first soundtrack here. That iconic Alanis Morissette cover of Seal’s “Crazy.” The tongue and cheek reference with Madonna’s “Vogue.” U2’s “City of Blinding Lights.” Great stuff. Highly recommend checking it out.

Moving on. I can’t believe I haven’t talked about Pitch Perfect on here yet! What an absolute classic movie musical. I must have seen it 15 times by now. Great, comedic acting from Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Ben Platt, and Adam Devine elevates the story about collegiate a cappella groups competing to be crowned the winner of the “International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella.” It’s based loosely on a non-fiction book by Mickey Rapkin. The choice to have the a cappella performers sing some of the biggest pop hits of the 2000s and beyond was a great one. I would definitely recommend listening to the whole album. Their rendition of “Since U Been Gone” might be my favourite.

There’s nothing like an instrumental soundtrack to calm the nerves. I find the often slightly melancholy, contemplative tracks help me focus. In university, I used instrumental soundtrack playlists to keep my brain on the task at hand, especially when researching and writing long essays. I wish we had access to more of my indie favourites, but we do have the soundtrack to Inception. Hans Zimmer has been a stalwart of the soundtrack composer landscape for decades now, but no film makes me think of him more than Inception. Having just recently re-watched it for the first time in a long time, I would say, don’t underestimate how intense it is. (And how much it doesn’t make much sense if you think about it for too long.) The impact of its singular narrative and awe-inspiring special effects has not lessened in the 16 years since its release. It remains fascinating, absorbing, and harrowing. Zimmer’s work is sublime. Without his monumental soundscapes, I don’t think the film would be nearly as effective. Alongside repeat listens to the most grandiose track of the album, “Time,” I would flit between Pixar movie soundtracks: Up and Ratatouille in particular. The work of Michael Giacchino always drew me back. Whereas Zimmer provided an ambiance of importance and dramatic concentration, Giacchino’s compositions were comforting, soothing, a reminder of innocent, animated movies with endearing and familiar characters. These are great for listening to while studying or cleaning. The lack of lyrics mean you can fill your head with words to your heart’s content and there’s nothing to get in the way.

There’s so many more to discover, so I hope you do your own digging into Hoopla and/or our physical CD collection. I’m going to leave it here for now, but I will be back next month. I hope everyone’s enjoying the warmer weather. Maybe next time you’re sitting on the porch, balcony, beach, or in the backyard, you can throw on a soundtrack album instead of your latest playlist. 🙂 Talk soon.