Daft Punk created the soundtrack for Disney's 'Tron'.
The French techno duo has had an impressive musical career, starting with their crowd-pleasing “Discovery” and then winning multiple Grammys for their releases “Human After All” and “Alive 2007.” Their universal acclaim has made them the best musical project to come out of France since Georges Bizet.
After three successful studio albums, two well-received live albums and a handful of remix albums, the group has united to face a new frontier—a Disney movie soundtrack.
Keep in mind “Tron: Legacy” is still a soundtrack, so while there are some great electronic jams, there are scores of ambient orchestral music. The more traditional soundtrack songs are still good, but when was the last time music lovers popped in the Jurassic Park soundtrack for fun?
One of the unique aspects about the album being a soundtrack is the synthesis of electronic and orchestral music. Songs like “Disk Wars” really make the album an interesting listen with its many different textures blended on one track. The cool, clean sounds of the synthesizer mix well with the tense string part.
The album was created with large speakers in mind, making the experience depend on how the listener is playing the tracks. Dinky MacBook speakers, for instance, have the potential to leave listeners significantly underwhelmed. In a car with a good sound system, however, the experience of the album really takes form, giving viewers of “Tron” images of being right on The Grid, chased by C.L.U. and his henchmen on their light bikes.
Despite the limitations of a soundtrack, the album has Daft Punk’s signature all over it. The duo are masters of electronic music and make beautiful soundscapes that can be appreciated by critics and fans alike. With their intricate construction of sounds, the band makes music—like the titular track “TRON Legacy”—that is kinetic to both body and mind.
Although most of the songs are relatively short (most are under three minutes), this doesn’t hinder them from being epic. Weighing in at a meager 1:44, the song “Derezzed” is reminiscent of Scrappy-Doo; the song may be little, but it packs quite an energetic punch.
Daft Punk managed to take soundtracks to a whole new level of awesome. It’s a shame that the movie couldn’t match the intensity of its music.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Matt Glassett at Matthew.glassett@colorado.edu.
