Oblivion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Soundtrack album by M83, Anthony Gonzalez, and Joseph Trapanese | ||||
Released | April 16, 2013 [1] | |||
Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
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Label | Back Lot Music | |||
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M83 chronology | ||||
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Singles from Oblivion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||||
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Oblivion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2013 film of the same name featuring the original score composed by Anthony Gonzalez of the French electronic music project M83 and Joseph Trapanese. However, M83 was credited for the soundtrack. The album features electronic and orchestral music that was recorded specifically for the film for more than a year. Aside from the score, a six-minute title track was released as the single from the film on April 2, 2013. The soundtrack was released in digital and physical formats on April 16 by Back Lot Music, along with a deluxe edition released on the same day. It was released on vinyl by Mondo on April 30.
The original music is composed by the French electronic act M83, which consisted solely of Anthony Gonzalez at the time. [2] Director Kosinski wanted M83 to score the film, recalling his first treatment on Oblivion from 2005, which listed M83 as the soundtrack's composer, and his collaboration with Daft Punk for Tron: Legacy (2010) on "bringing artists from outside the film business to create an original sound for the film" worked out well as the score received critical acclaim. However, he felt Daft Punk's music did not make sense with the film, and it had to be an artist whose music fit the themes and story he wanted to tell. He felt that M83's music was fresh, original, big, and epic, but at the same time emotional, and since it is "a very emotional film" he thought that the music would be apt for the film. [3] [4]
Gonzalez did not know much about the film and started to write the score after reading the script, and experimented with the music after the final cut, so that "it switched to another vibe and change stuff altogether". At first he did not have any experience in scoring for a film, hence he was guided by Joseph Trapanese, who additionally co-wrote the score. [5] Gonzalez explained that "I worked with Joseph a lot, and he's very particular about the music in his movies, so we spent a lot of time talking about music and working the arrangements together." [6] Trapanese first came to Kosinski's attention when he collaborated with Daft Punk on Tron: Legacy as arranger and orchestrator. [7]
The duo worked on the film's music for more than a year, having written more than one hour and forty-five minutes of the film's music. Speaking to Pitchfork, Gonzalez recalled that he was initially skeptical about scoring the film, as with such a big film, he cannot please himself, but had to please the director, studio, and tons of people involved in the film. [8] He almost quit the film, and had gone through all types of emotions. He further stated that the studio told him that his music "would be too indie for the film" and that the film needed "more bigger, more orchestral". [9] He eventually had to do quick turnovers if some cues did not appeal to the studio or the directors, and realized that the ideas of studio-based music could not work well as "it's Hollywood and because it's a $150 million dollar budget". [8] [9] He also feared that people would dislike the soundtrack because it was different from M83's work and expect a new album from the band. [9]
The album cover features the credits of "Original Music by M83", and "Score Composed by Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese". He did not want to involve M83's name, but since Universal Pictures wanted to push M83 because of the success of "Midnight City", Gonzalez said that "It's funny because sometimes big studios don't give a shit about you, but when you're nominated for the Grammys, you start receiving emails like, 'Oh, congratulations. We're excited about the soundtrack.' I'm like, 'You didn't give a shit about me two months ago when I got the job, and now you're just acting like a ...' It makes you feel like there's something wrong with the movie industry—you can write that, I don't care." [8] [9]
A preview of the track "StarWaves" was reported first by Entertainment Weekly , where the track was released on the artist's SoundCloud channel on March 6, 2013, [10] with the complete track list of the score was released on the same date. [11] The album was preceded by the single "Oblivion" released on April 2, 2013. [12] [13] It was performed by Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Susanne Sundfør, [14] who co-wrote the lyrics for the song with Gonzalez. [15] [16] A day before the film's release, Gonzalez and Sundfør (in her television debut) [17] performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a part of the promotions. [18] [19] The album was released by Back Lot Music on April 16, 2013. [1] A deluxe edition of the soundtrack was released the same day exclusively through iTunes, which featured additional 13 tracks. [20]
In April 2013, Mondo announced the distribution of the film's soundtrack in 180-gram double disc vinyl LP, which additionally features artwork from Killian Eng. [21] [22] The vinyl album was released on Mondo's official website on April 30, and was made available to retail stores on May 28. [23]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Jack's Dream" | 1:22 |
2. | "Waking Up" | 4:09 |
3. | "Tech 49" | 5:58 |
4. | "StarWaves" | 3:41 |
5. | "Odyssey Rescue" | 4:08 |
6. | "Earth 2077" | 2:22 |
7. | "Losing Control" | 3:56 |
8. | "Canyon Battle" | 5:57 |
9. | "Radiation Zone" | 4:11 |
10. | "You Can't Save Her" | 4:56 |
11. | "Raven Rock" | 4:33 |
12. | "I'm Sending You Away" | 5:38 |
13. | "Ashes of Our Fathers" | 3:30 |
14. | "Temples of Our Gods" | 3:14 |
15. | "Fearful Odds" | 3:09 |
16. | "Undimmed by Time, Unbound by Death" | 2:26 |
17. | "Oblivion" (featuring Susanne Sundfør) | 5:56 |
Total length: | 69:06 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Jack's Dream" | 1:30 |
2. | "Waking Up" | 4:18 |
3. | "Supercell" | 4:19 |
4. | "Tech 49" | 6:01 |
5. | "The Library" | 3:27 |
6. | "Horatius" | 2:31 |
7. | "StarWaves" | 3:41 |
8. | "Hydrorig" | 2:23 |
9. | "Crater Lake" | 1:28 |
10. | "Unidentified Object" | 2:32 |
11. | "Odyssey Rescue" | 4:12 |
12. | "Return from Delta" | 2:22 |
13. | "Retrieval" | 6:48 |
14. | "Earth 2077" | 2:23 |
15. | "Revelations" | 1:43 |
16. | "Drone Attack" | 3:26 |
17. | "Return to Empire State" | 6:41 |
18. | "Losing Control" | 3:57 |
19. | "Canyon Battle" | 5:58 |
20. | "Radiation Zone" | 4:12 |
21. | "You Can't Save Her" | 4:59 |
22. | "Welcome Back" | 1:47 |
23. | "Raven Rock" | 4:35 |
24. | "Knife Fight in a Phone Booth" | 4:39 |
25. | "I'm Sending You Away" | 5:40 |
26. | "Ashes of Our Fathers" | 3:32 |
27. | "Temples of Our Gods" | 3:16 |
28. | "Fearful Odds" | 3:11 |
29. | "Undimmed by Time, Unbound by Death" | 2:27 |
30. | "Oblivion" (featuring Susanne Sundfør) | 5:57 |
Total length: | 113:36 |
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 55/100 [24] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [25] |
Consequence of Sound | [26] |
Digital Spy | [27] |
Filmtracks.com | [28] |
Pitchfork Media | (4.5/10) [29] |
Under the Radar | [30] |
Aggregator Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned Oblivion (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) a score of 55 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [24]
Heather Phares of AllMusic rated the album 4.5 (out of 5) saying "Oblivion resembles a blockbuster soundtrack more than an M83 album may disappoint some of Gonzalez's fans, but it means that he and Trapanese succeeded in making the film's music what it needed to be." [25] Simon Reynolds of Digital Spy gave a positive review saying "Gonzalez's Oblivion stands up as both an evocative score for film music buffs and an excellent M83 record in its own right". [27] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "it’s certainly not on the level of Inception or Tron: Legacy, but is several steps ahead of its other most obvious influence, The Dark Knight Rises . And while it’s all a bit simplistic from a compositional perspective, there are a few touches here and there – like the strings at the beginning of “Tech 49” – that go beyond anywhere an actual Zimmer-branded score would". [31]
Norman Fleischer of Nothing but Hope and Passion wrote "M83’s Oblivion score might even work without seeing the movie – which is quite okay, but not a must-see. All in all it’s a lovely joint venture of different musical worlds. And it might not only help you creating a movie on your own in your head but also.to open yourself up for these worlds. Gonzalez and Trapanese are bridging the gap between classic and electronic – and it looks like everyone is winning with this combination." [32] Alee Karim of Under the Radar rated 6/10 to the album and wrote: "M83’s audience knows they could nail this and are probably excited for this score for that very reason. But instead of a whole homemade M83 cake, we get an M83 glaze atop the sheet cake of a standard Hollywood film soundtrack. One can’t help but wonder what an M83 film score that wasn’t forced to play it safe could be. Here’s hoping they get another chance, because there’s a lot of promise here." [30]
In contrast, Brian Howe of Pitchfork gave 4.5 out of 10 and wrote "Gonzalez is a masterful stylist, but an average composer at best, which makes the subtraction of his style rather fatal for the Oblivion OST as a standalone experience. The music is more unmemorable than bad, though occasionally Gonzalez's inexperience, which seems to limit what Trapanese can do as well." Howe further concluded, "The people who buy action-movie OSTs—whomever they are—should be satisfied. But to M83 fans, this will just be a cautionary tale about an indie auteur turning his back on little machines he can control and getting mauled by a huge one—Hollywood focus groups—which he can't." [29] Writing for Consequence , Dan Caffrey rated two stars, and said: "In defense of the composers, the constant crescendos undoubtedly become more dynamic and less monotonous when they’re accompanied by visuals. Then again, there are soundtracks that break free from their respective films and can be enjoyed on their own; Jaws , Halloween , and There Will Be Blood all come to mind. But like Daft Punk’s soundtrack for Tron: Legacy before it (a film also directed by Joseph Kosinski), Oblivion is symbiotically dependent on the silver screen. Let’s hope the movie’s decent." [26] Filmtracks.com rated 2 out of 5 to the album, saying "the score for Oblivion is nowhere near the spectacle of Tron: Legacy". [28]
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
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UK Album Downloads (OCC) [33] | 83 |
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC) [34] | 5 |
US Billboard 200 [35] | 119 |
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard) [36] | 5 |
Credits adapted from CD liner notes. [37]
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved early popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining elements of house music with funk, disco, techno, rock and synth-pop. The duo garnered further acclaim and commercial success and are now regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history.
M83 are a French electronic music group formed in Antibes in 1999. Initially the duo of multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Fromageau and Anthony Gonzalez, Fromageau parted ways shortly after touring for their second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Gonzalez remains the sole constant member of the project, as the primary songwriter and lead vocalist.
Susanne Aartun Sundfør is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Haugesund, Sundfør started touring in 2005.
Joseph Trapanese is an American composer, arranger, and producer. He works in the production of music for films, television, records, theater, concerts, and interactive media.
Tron: Legacy is a 2010 American science fiction action film directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, based on a story by Horowitz, Kitsis, Brian Klugman, and Lee Sternthal. It serves as a sequel to Tron (1982), whose director Steven Lisberger returned to co-produce. The cast includes Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprising their roles as Kevin Flynn and Alan Bradley, respectively, as well as Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, James Frain, Beau Garrett, and Michael Sheen. The story follows Flynn's adult son Sam, who responds to a message from his long-lost father and is transported into a virtual reality called "the Grid", where Sam, his father, and the algorithm Quorra must stop the malevolent program Clu from invading the real world.
Joseph Kosinski is an American film director, best known for his computer graphics and computer-generated imagery (CGI) work, and for his work in action films. He has directed the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Spiderhead (2022). His previous work has primarily been with CGI-related television commercials including the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3 and the award-winning "Mad World" commercial for Gears of War.
Joel Burleson, better known as Ki:Theory is an American recording artist and producer who specializes in alternative rock with electronic elements. As of 2024, he has released four studio albums, three soundtracks, a remix album, one compilation, and eight EPs, as well as numerous singles.
Tron: Legacy is the soundtrack album to the 2010 film of the same name, released by Walt Disney Records on December 3, 2010. It is the only film score by French music duo Daft Punk.
Big Black Delta is a solo project by Mellowdrone vocalist/bassist Jonathan Bates.
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Oblivion is a 2013 American post-apocalyptic action-adventure film produced and directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Karl Gajdusek and Michael deBruyn, starring Tom Cruise in the main role alongside Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Melissa Leo in supporting roles. Based on Kosinski's unpublished graphic novel of the same name, the film pays homage to 1970s sci-fi, and is a "love story" set in 2077 on an Earth desolated by an alien war; a maintenance technician on the verge of completing his mission finds a woman who survived from a space ship crash, leading him to question his purpose and discover the truth about the war.
"Oblivion" is a song by French electronic music band M83 featuring lead vocals from Norwegian singer Susanne Sundfør. It was released as part of the film soundtrack album Oblivion: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to accompany the film of the same name. It was composed by Anthony Gonzalez. The song peaked at number 114 in France.
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The Divergent Series: Insurgent – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album of the 2015 American science-fiction action film The Divergent Series: Insurgent, based on the second book of the Divergent trilogy. The score of the film was composed by Joseph Trapanese, while Randall Poster reprised his role as music supervisor. The soundtrack album along with the film's score were released exclusively as digital albums by Interscope Records on March 17, 2015.
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Lady and the Tramp (Original Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album for the 2019 film of the same name, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, which itself adapted from Disney's self-titled 1955 animated film. The original songs from the 1955 film written by Sonny Burke and Peggy Lee were included, alongside two new songs written by Nate "Rocket" Wonder and Roman GianArthur of Wondaland, and Janelle Monáe: a re-worked version of the Siamese Cat song, titled "What a Shame" and an original song titled "That's Enough"(performed by Monáe) being curated for the film. All the tracks were produced by Joseph Trapanese, who also composed the film's score. The album containing both the songs and score, were released on November 12, 2019 alongside the film.
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