It was 2007 when French techno duo, Daft Punk, last treated fans to a CD release. After not hearing much from the group for three years, minus their work and appearance on the video game DJ Hero, Daft Punk is back with their soundtrack for the new movie, TRON: Legacy.
TRON: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski approached Daft Punk, made up of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, in 2008 with a proposal to compose the score for the movie. At the 2009 Comic-Con, it was announced the group created 24 songs for the soundtrack. A total of 22 songs made it on to the album, but depending on what online source it is purchased from, various bonus tracks are also available.
The thing to keep in mind while listening to the album, however, is this is not just another one of Daft Punk’s records; it is the soundtrack for a film. While it does maintain the electronic vibe that comes with Daft’s music, it also incorporates the orchestral sound of a normal movie composition.
Daft Punk, with the help of conductor and orchestrator Joseph Trapanese were able to blend a perfect fusion of electronic and orchestral music to create the soundtrack. Beginning with a simple instrumental track titled “Overture”, it is the second track, “The Grid”, setting the scene for the album.
Complete with Jeff Bridges (who starred in both TRON movies) narrating the track, it is an excellent introduction to not only the album but to the movie as well. One of the great things about the soundtrack is none of the songs are out of place in the film. There is no weird happy sounding music in a scene that’s supposed to be sad. The film and soundtrack mesh well together to make a remarkable ending product.
When fans were provided with a full trailer for the film, there was much speculation about whether the thumping, electronic music at the end was a snippet from one of the songs off the soundtrack. It turns out the sample is from the track “The Game Has Changed”, an epic and grandiose song showcasing perfectly the ways Daft Punk is including their electronic roots with all the orchestral pieces of a score.
Few previews were given of the album before it was dropped, and the first full-length track released was for the song “Derezzed”, the only single from the soundtrack so far. The song is a buzzing and stellar dance track that is resonant of the traditional Daft Punk everyone knows and is one of the few tracks on the album that is pure electronic music.
The TRON: Legacy soundtrack has more than proven that Daft Punk is entirely capable of making an astounding album not necessarily in their comfort zone. Though Bangalter and Homem-Christo don’t plan on making another soundtrack anytime soon, the duo have mentioned the possibility of a world tour as well as the release of some new music they’ve been working on. Whatever the group decides to do next, it’s sure to be spectacular.
