TRON: Legacy Soundtrack (2010) Digital Format

An exceptional auditory experience blending synthesized and orchestral music, the soundtrack is even more dazzling than the movie. While I’m not a Daft Punk fan, the duo has created something very special here.

Thanks to the Internet, it is easier to acquire music than ever before in all its myriad variations. In turn, that has allowed me to broaden my musical horizons and sample things I would never have otherwise. There are only a few genres I don’t like and techno verges on being one of them. Daft Punk is so big in techno that even I had heard of them. So it was with some trepidation that I approached the samples from the forthcoming movie last winter.

To my surprise, the snippets I listened to were very intriguing and I really liked what I heard. With bonus tracks being offered with the digital version from iTunes, I purchased the album.  After that, I purchased the Amazon exclusive MP3 to complete what was available in the USA. Europe got a deluxe edition which I can’t find or afford so my review is limited to the USA tracks.

So without further adieu, the review of TRON: Legacy Original Motion Picture Soundtrack!

A note on my starring system: It is what I have them marked as in MediaMonkey, the media player and music database program I use. I tend to be harsher with evaluations, so 1 star = can be tolerated, 2 stars = good, 3 = above average, 4 = excellent, and 5 = a true favorite.

The Tracks

Overture is the first track and its slow rising horns and strings set a mournful tone before blending with synth for the fanfare. It is a somber and serious piece, not your typical heroic fare. 3 Stars.

The Grid follows with pulsating percussion and tense strings accompanying Jeff Bridges narration setting up the movie. It builds into heavy synth with a feeling of anticipation to it. 4 Stars.

The Son of Flynn is a moody track dominated by synthesizers that pays some tribute to Wendy Carlos’ score for TRON. It is an odd mix of playful synth that wouldn’t sound out of place on a harpsichord overlaid upon a pensive orchestral base. 5 Stars.

Recognizer builds to ominous tones very quickly. There is a feeling of something big and menacing coming that gives way to a variation of the main motif. It ends with a much darker version of the preceding track. 3 Stars.

Armory brings a change of pace to the soundtrack. Reminiscent of early 80’s electronica of the Tangerine Dream type, it conveys a sense of mystery through its softer tones.

Arena starts with quiet buzzing which leads to an ever escalating and repeating synth keyboard eventually joined by taiko drums. One can easily imagine the entry of a gladiator into an excited coliseum and the crowd erupting. 4 Stars.

Rinzler is a very sinister track that starts ominously. There is a feeling of being hunted, starting with the sensation that somebody is watching you followed by the realization it really is happening. Then comes the horrifying attack and silence.  3 Stars.

The Game Has Changed fuses elements from Arena and Rinzler then brings in the horns from Recognizer. Tension steadily rises and fades like the ebb and flow of an extended battle before ending in a crescendo of noise. 4 Stars.

Outlands begins with the now familiar use of repetitive and tension building strings. Along the way it turns into a Wagnarian journey when the horns kick in for an exciting finish before trailing off suggestively. 3 stars.

Adagio for Tron is mainly orchestral at first before its mournful strings meet mellow keyboards. Here Carlos’ influence is very clear. Halfway, the tone shifts dramatically in a bolder reprise accompanied by dark synths and louder horns. A solo cello assumes center stage to end the piece on a sad note. 3 Star.

Nocturne continues the brooding atmosphere with a mix of slow strings and synths. Introspection and sadness are invoked by the track. 3 Star.

End of Line kicks things into gear after the previous melancholy tracks. Featuring a turn toward techno, it has a strong dance beat that would fit in any club scene. But it also manages to sound incredibly sinister, with a feeling that very bad things are lurking under the surface. Distorted electronic noises contribute greatly to that feeling of unease. It is a stand out track. 5 Stars.

Derezzed was the track that got previewed on the Web and from what I’ve seen is classic Daft Punk. An example of pure techno it is frenetic and has a heavy beat, but with an 8 bit feel to it. Distortion that was present in the previous track is increased dramatically. 3 Stars.

Fall sounds like falling, strangely enough. Fuzzed tones rise like a tea kettle, pause, then start over again. The effect is that of something going very, very wrong. 3 Stars.

Solar Sailor brings another break from the tension while remaining somewhat pensive. Keyboard synth work reminds me of a babbling brook and also the original movie. Something serene and lovely is implied in this relatively peaceful track. 3 Stars.

Rectifier ends the mellow mood decisively when sinister strings build into something martial and strident. An impression of an army appearing over the horizon is conveyed by the horn section. The piece slows and fades out gradually like the army has marched past you. 3 Stars.

Disc Wars is percussive and immediate. It is the first heroic sounding track; strangely full of hope. The 8 bit keyboard returns and adds further urgency until it builds into something grand. Possibly my favorite on the soundtrack. 5 Stars.

C.L.U. features urgent strings again with dark undertones provided by synthesizer. They give way to calculated keyboards before resuming with horns accompanying. The overall effect is the feeling of someone slowly losing their temper until they hit the snapping point. Danger fills the soundstage and it stays that way until the end. 3 Stars.

Arrival conveys a sense of weariness after a long journey. This slower synth piece has a pervasive melancholy about it. 3 Stars.

Flynn Lives reprises the theme from Overture with the addition of whirling beauty to accompany the sadness. This is what the entire score has been building to. 4 Stars.

TRON Legacy (End Titles) is a heavy electronica version of what was first presented in The Grid. This restatement of the main theme simply sounds like an end title. Which it is supposed to, right? 4 Stars.

Finale is the final track of the score. Featuring mournful and elegiac horns that give way to strings, it moves to a more optimistic sound when woodwinds introduce the final crescendo. Seeing light at the end of a dark tunnels is how I would describe this track. 3 Stars.

iTunes Bonus Tracks:

Father and Son is a slow piano reprise of the main theme, with the addition of subdued strings and horns. It is another melancholy piece. 3 Stars.

Outlands, Pt. II is a variation on Outlands, but more urgent and layered in sound. Mysterious and dark by comparison, it begets a sense of dread before an organ makes it funereal. 3 Stars.

Amazon Exclusive Track

Sea of Simulation continues the burbling brook electronica of Solar Sailor. It is slightly more contemplative than that track. 3 Stars.

Thoughts

Daft Punk did an outstanding job in composing Tron: Legacy.  It is a wonderful and masterful blend of synth and orchestral elements that always flows with nary a misstep. I ended up loving it long before I finally saw the movie. The impressions are hopefully the ones from before viewing the film.

Like the movie, this is not a cheerful work. You’ll notice I used the word melancholy to describe multiple tracks and that is the over all mood of the album. But there is a purposeful sound to it that makes it very easy to keep in your music rotation. Make no mistake about it, it is beautiful music.

Not all soundtracks can stand on their own from their associated film, but this one easily does. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes music.

Technical

iTunes included what they call a Digital Booklet (it’s a Acrobat file) with the downloaded album. Scans of the entire CD insert make up the booklet and contain some small interviews.

Daft Punk was inspired by the original TRON as can be seen by their helmets they wear in concert (and movie cameo). Influences on them include Wendy Carlos, Bernard Hermann, and Hans Zimmer. Aspect of all three composers can be heard in the structures of the tracks.

Sound is clean, near CD level and will sound great on any system. iTunes files have come a long way over the years.

I’d like to eventually get the CD because my sound setup does show a difference between lossless and lossy sound files. Most people won’t notice the difference, but the soundstage is much wider on my Boston Acoustics speakers and Sennheiser headphones when playing complex music.