It’s been almost a decade since Tron: Legacy came out. Whether or not you consider it a colossal failure of movie-making, you also cannot deny it had a kick-arse soundtrack. You don’t even need to see the movie if you haven’t yet. Just download the score and start driving to it.
Daft Punk scored the entire movie, seamlessly combining rich, orchestral swells with buzzy, staccato electronics. The effect is a very dark, very synthwavy and very retro. The crescendos build like you’re climbing a mountain and the diminuendos fall away just as rapidly, exhilarated.
It’s a movie about a guy who got sucked in to a machine, scored by two other guys who pretend like they’re robots, the A.V. Club observed in 2010. It’s going to sound like science fiction.
It’s an excellent driving soundtrack. One, because it’s long. At 22 songs, the soundtrack stretches to just under an hour, which is a good amount of time for a spirited carve up through the canyons. The only drawback here is that some of the tracks are brief, barely lasting over a minute.
Second, it’s great for driving at night. Much of the film is cast in shadow and darkness, and the music echoes that. Because it’s soundtrack music, you just need it to influence a certain mood, cast an ambiance, not become the centre attraction. That’s what the driving is for.
And third, the soundtrack paces itself well. The tracks are a good blend of fast and slow beats, which is how a road generally is. There are fast and slow bits, and the music helps keep pace, rather than hammering on you constantly with intense, heavy and quick beats. The aural temperaments swing between triumphant, despairing and mournful.
I am sure you have your own ways of procuring the soundtrack on your own, but here’s a playlist on YouTube. The quality is alright. Take it for a spin next time you’re out.