The Movie Waffler The 15 Best Soundtracks Of 2016 | The Movie Waffler

The 15 Best Soundtracks Of 2016

Our favourite movie scores of 2016.






Words by Eric Hillis (@hilliseric)



Sing Street

The feel good Irish '80s set drama featured some great original songs. 'Drive It Like You Stole It' is the highlight.



High-Rise

Ben Wheatley's much anticipated adaptation of JG Ballard's cult novel may have been one of 2016's biggest disappointment, but Clint Mansell's score delivered in spades.



Midnight Special

Jeff Nichols' sci-fi thriller owed much to John Carpenter, as did David Wingo's brooding score.



10 Cloverfield Lane

Composer Bear McCreary is best known for his TV work, but his score for the mysterious 10 Cloverfield Lane is as sweeping and cinematic as you could wish for.




Disorder

Electronic outfit Gesaffelstein provided a creepy synth score that perfectly matched Alice Winocour's off-kilter paranoid thriller.



The Neon Demon

Nicolas Winding Refn's ongoing collaboration with former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez continues to prove a fruitful one. The Neon Demon's score is a big contributing factor to its effectiveness in immersing you in its world.



Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)

A mediocre movie, but the French are really knocking it out of the park with their electronic scores in recent years. This one comes courtesy of White Sea, a solo project of M83 vocalist Morgan Kibby.



Suburra

And speaking of M83, their score for this fantastic gangster epic added immensely to its Michael Mann vibe, washing over the neon and rain-soaked Rome streets.



The Childhood of a Leader

For his directorial debut, actor Brady Corbet enlisted veteran crooner turned avant garde composer Scott Walker, who delivered one of the year's most bombastic and unforgettable scores.



Julieta

Pedro Almodovar's long-time collaborator Alberto Iglesias laid down a melancholy score for the director's latest melodrama.



Hunt for the Wilderpeople

One of the feel good movies of 2016 had an equally upbeat soundtrack by New Zealand outfit Moniker.



Little Men

Ira Sachs' Little Men was a movie of small tragedies, featuring a tender and touching score by Dickon Hinchliffe.




Shin Godzilla

One of the surprises of 2016 was just how good Toho's reboot of their most famous franchise turned out. The film's action was driven by a propulsive score by Shiro Sagusi.



La La Land

Damien Chazelle's love letter to the musical genre is pretty much nailed on to land a Best Picture Oscar, and it owes much of its success to Justin Hurwitz's compositions.



Jackie

Pablo Larrain's unconventional biopic featured one of the year's standout scores, courtesy of Under the Skin composer Mica Levi.