Rach’s Musical Brain - November Download

A truly random bunch for you this month, with half of them including people singing and not just film soundtracks. And that includes one awesome throwback!

Despite being a bit bonkers, I’ve used these tracks to keep a calm and cool head. With new soundtracks coming from Dune, After We Fell and No Time To Die in September and October, my playlists are getting longer… and these playlists become a bit more varied and exciting. At least they do for me anyway!

So without further ado, I’ll let the tracks speak for themselves this time. They really are awesome.

And as ever, the playlists can be found here:

OLD LIST to re-listen to some past faves

NEW LIST to immerse yourself in this month‘s musical numbers!

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NUMBER 15. The Wardrobe - Harry Gregson-Williams

The soundtrack for the first Narnia film is beautiful. Harry Gregson-Williams makes the soundtrack sound so good you truly do feel like you’re in the movie when you close your eyes. In this scene, Lucy finds the wardrobe for the first time. I love the transition from the previous scene to this one. We have ‘Oh Johnny’ beforehand, when the kids are playing hide and seek, and then as soon as Lucy finds the room with the wardrobe, the music suddenly fades, changing to the quiet music here. We have a magical feel, because… and I don’t think I’m spoiling it here… the wardrobe is magic. Georgie Henley, who played Lucy, hadn’t seen the wardrobe before this scene, so the wonder on her face is completely real. And a real wardrobe was carved for the film, so it’s not a CGI wardrobe either. I just love how magical it feels, and its why this soundtrack works so well. It’s a story about a magical land being found through an upstairs wardrobe… you can’t really get more magical than that!

NUMBER 14. Funeral for a Tree - John Powell

This track could not be more apt for what is going on at the moment. After spending the latter half of October getting ready for COP26, sustainability is well and truly in the forefront of my mind. This whole film is essentially about the environment, and how it doesn’t last forever, and needs to be protected. ‘My name is the Lorax, and I speak for the trees…‘ I don’t know about anyone but I really loved this film. I mean I can see the down points, but I think the Lorax is great, and Grandma Norma is AWESOME, voiced by the great Betty White. Another John Powell masterpiece, after How To Train Your Dragon, and you can hear the melancholy and sadness as the animals all gather round the fallen tree’s stump.

NUMBER 13. Finder - Cyrus Reynolds, Folial

Little Women was probably one of my favourite films of 2019. After hearing they were making another one, after the Winona classic, I was a bit dubious. But when it had a cast like Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, Laura Dern and Chris Cooper, as well as Florence Pugh, I knew I would watch it. And it was perfect. And yes, of course, I cried. We watched it in York at an Everyman cinema as a 28th birthday treat for me, and I was completely captured by how amazing it was. There was literally nothing wrong with it. This film is from the trailer, the tiny snippet that drew my attention, and it’s finally making an appearance after being in the ‘queue‘ for nearly 3 months! And you know what? I have a Josie-free evening today, so forget the cinema (a sentence I’d never thought I’d say) it’s Little Women this evening!

NUMBER 12. You Will Be Found - Ben Platt

A film about how fragile your mental health can be, and how we all need to support each other… because none of us truly knows what is going on underneath the guise of a bright smile. I haven’t seen this yet. I‘ve seen the trailer, but as I’m going to see this with a friend in January, I’m going to save it till after so I can experience the play first. And I just know I’m going to cry - I always cry. This song, like with Little Women, is in the trailer for the film, and is the only song I’m allowing myself to listen to. And if the rest of the songs are as epic as this one, I know I’m in for a wildly emotional ride… both for the play and the film!

NUMBER 11.

We Could Form An Attachment - Kris Bowers

I was a very late bloomer to Bridgerton. One of those cases of ‘I want to read the book first’ that just went on and on until someone told me I was being stupid… and that it was definitely my thing. You won’t be surprised to know that I love a good bonnet drama (and this one is a very good bonnet drama). This track though, amongst a few others which may feature at a later date, is my favourite. It’s as the Duke and Daphne form an attachment, so she looks desirable to others, and he stops getting bothered from being desired… A win win for both, and of course they (spoilers) end up getting a bit closer because of it. As so much of the show is focussed around dances, parties and general splendour, I think it‘s quite important the music does too. But what I love about this track is that, despite the scheme they set in place, you can hear the love in the track… a sense of foreshadowing so to speak. I mean, we all knew it was going to happen anyway… am I right?

NUMBER 10. Undone - Taylor Ocano

The trailer song to After We Fell… a new era of After is coming, and yes I am still obsessed! Although you would be proud that I have only watched this new film once since its release on October 22nd, but give me time. If you haven’t seen the film or read the books, I can tell you that this song is actually a very good match for Tessa and Hardin’s tumultuous relationship. After We Fell, which is the third book, is actually the point at which Hardin and Tessa have the most growth in terms of how they are as individuals and how they are as a couple, which I think is why it’s my favourite. You can tell how long I’ve had some of the queue for this playlist, given the trailer came out in late August… but what matters is that the film is now here, and it is very cute... as you can see above!

NUMBER 9.

My Road Leads into the Desert - Hans Zimmer

I could go on and on and on and on and ON about this soundtrack until I’m blue in the face… but I’ll try and restrict it to just a paragraph (or two), I promise. This is genuinely one of those instances where the soundtrack pushes the film to a WHOLE OTHER LEVEL. I mean, Dune is AWESOME anyway, with vistas and world-building that rivals literally no other film, but this eerily out of the world soundtrack just MAKES the film. You can hear the pulsing of the Sandworms, you can hear the tribal drums, you can hear the Atreides family in the bagpiped themes, and you can HEAR the desert. You can hear the fantasy. You can hear the futurism, and you can hear the otherworldly-ness to it… Aw man there just isn’t really a way to describe how good this soundtrack is. And I love the voice he incorporates into the soundtrack too. It’s one of the things I actually LOVED about the trailer, and I was praying it was in the real soundtrack. Thank God it was. I literally did a fist pump of relief in the cinema!

This is one of those films I will implore people to watch in IMAX if they can. I saw it in IMAX on my third try (yes I have seen it 3 times, believe me that is restraint!) and I can tell you that it made so much difference in terms of the experience. This is also one of those films that is BUILT for cinema in general. Although great on any platform I’m sure, you can truly immerse in the world-building when you’re in the big screen and bask in the glory of what a wonderful a film it is. Well done Denis Villeneuve for putting such a complicated story into such an awesome, followable epic masterpiece! And once again, well done Hans Zimmer for blowing us all away with incredible genius!

NUMBER 8. No Time To Die - Billie Eilish

I wasn't convinced about this song when I first heard it in the cinema, and I must admit I haven't listened to any Billie Eilish songs before this, so I haven't really understood the hype. But after giving Bond another watch, and subsequently adding this song to my playlist, I started coming around. The title credit of a Bond film is iconic, and there have been a few doozies in the past few films (I hated the Alicia Keys song in Quantum of Solace) but this one just pipped Sam Smith's Writing on the Wall for me, although it's definitely not as good either of Skyfall or You Know My Name from Skyfall (duh!) and Casino Royale. Again, not wanting to spoil the film for those haven't seen No Time To Die yet (as it is still technically in cinemas) I think its the second best Daniel Craig Bond. Skyfall is still my favourite, and will always remain my favourite, but this one is definitely a very close second. But I'm sorry Billie, Adele is better when it comes to Bond themes. You know what? Not sorry. Adele is awesome.

NUMBER 7. A Narnia Lullaby - Harry Gregson-Williams

Another Narnia one, this time a shorter one. And here we have James McAvoy playing the pan flute. I'll always remember this one because of the Narnia bloopers! As amazing of an actor Mr McAvoy is, and amazing as he is as Mr Tumnus, he can't play the pan flute. In the blooper, he has a completely serious expression, but it sounds as though a four year old is playing the recorder. I absolutely love it. But the song is genuinely great too. It's when Tumnus is putting Lucy to sleep to bring her to the White Witch, and as Lucy starts to fall asleep, she notices figures in the fire; centaurs galloping and fauns dancing. Only when she does finally fall asleep, Aslan roars, the music stops and the scene ends. This film was leagues above the other two, and Harry Gregson-Williams is a genius with this track, same as with The Wardrobe. Magical, mysterious... and a genuine lullaby!

NUMBER 6. Finding Nemo / Nemo Egg - City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

"Dory you don't speak whale!" "Yes I doooooooooo!" This Pixar film is one of the best ones after Up and Toy Story 2. It’s so clever, and the characters are so lovable, and it’s the amazing story of how far a parent would go to find their lost child. Thomas Newman is my second favourite composer after Hans Zimmer, with amazing scores such as Finding Nemo, Meet Joe Black, 1917, Tolkien, Passengers and Little Women (to name a few) and it’s absolutely no surprise that Finding Nemo is one of his most played soundtracks. The music is so calm and peaceful, using the waves of the water as the theme (as any composer would) telling the story of how a father crosses an entire ocean to find his son.

NUMBER 5. Gwen and Arthur - Rob Lane

Arthur and Gwen were the first TV couple I ever ‘shipped‘ and they remain ‘up there’ with couples such as Clois (Clark and Lois, Smallville) and Jamie and Claire, Outlander). I can’t remember what prompted me to start a Merlin rewatch but I didn’t regret a thing when I did. Merlin came out on the BBC in 2008 (which is actually a lot later than I remembered) and I just remember it being so ridiculous and fun that I loved it. The magic, the characters, the sets and scenery, even the music, were all amazing to 15-16 year old me! To this day I believe Angel Coulby (Gwen) and Bradley James (Arthur) should be together because their chemistry was so good. I always remember their kisses in the show always used to be highlighted with the sun behind them, very Pride and Prejudice-esque, and always gave me butterflies.

NUMBER 4. American Idiot - Green Day

Now here’s a throwback for you. The American Idiot album from Green Day are still in my mind today, with the likes of this, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends. This was the kind of emo punk of our teenage generation that everyone liked, and I think I still have the CD knocking about somewhere! I still know all the words. On Spotify, American Idiot is still the second-most played track since the album came out in 2004. I can’t switch it off when it comes on, and its actually quite refreshing to hear it in amongst soundtracks sometimes, so WOO GREEN DAY!

NUMBER 3. Stay - The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber

An odd one for me, given I‘m not much of a fan of Justin Bieber… but this one is actually pretty good. Justin Bieber’s one of those singers that seemed to be acting like a prat just because he could, but is now seemingly turning his life back around. Josie was listening to this the other day, or maybe she put it on our joint playlist for car journeys, and I found my head bopping along… so naturally it got added to my playlist, it got repeated and then finally added to this.

NUMBER 2.

Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

This one I heard for the first time on a road trip to Cambridge with my friend I call Wifey, Aamie. I’m such a big fan of Ed Sheeran, loving most of his previous stuff, so I was a bit dubious of his new album. I’ll be honest, I’ve only listened to this one and Shivers, both of which are good but different to the stuff of ‘old’ but, as the saying goes, each to their own I guess. I would recommend this one though. And the video is AWESOME... Ed looks good in vampire make up!

NUMBER 1. Star Wars and the Revenge of the Sith - John Williams

This is one of the best opening scenes of any Star Wars to be honest. I mean, the clue is LITERALLY in the title. I think it’s the only Star Wars movie that actually starts with a space battle (unless you count A New Hope, which isn’t much of a battle to be honest) and because the effects are so good, the scene genuinely works. It’s where the newer films excel, because they’re able to use better CGI, younger actors and therefore better stunts, and the ending to what is the greatest saga of films. The opening scrawl is all the same, but the bit that comes after is always different. But with this one, I listen to it and I know exactly where they are in the scene. Ain’t nothing wrong with Star Wars, and whatever people say about Episodes 1, 2 and 3, I still maintain that Phantom Menace is the first Star Wars film I ever saw, so therefore they will remain great. I love all 9 (granted I love some more than others) but I’m always just as excited by them after watching them probably over a hundred just as the first time I watched them.

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So there we have it folks, my brain for November. A few random ones, for sure, but all great ones… at least I think so!

Stay tuned for December‘s instalment in about a month’s time, but in the mean time I hope you enjoy these 15!

Remember, if you’re wanting to listen to this playlist, it’s here, and if you want to revisit some oldies, you can find them here. Happy listening!