When Popular Musicians Make Movie Soundtracks

There was a time when your favourite rock guitarist stayed exactly that, and when your dance music makers stuck to the dancefloor anthems. Not anymore, this is the 21st century, and huge amounts of equipment are available readily to even modest guitarists and songwriters, combine this with the fact that the movie industry holds much more authority (and cash) than the music industry, and you can see why more and more musicians are turning their hand to composing for the silver screen. This article explores some examples of movie soundtracks specifically made for films, and the glastonbury headliners and dancefloor fillers who created them. You might be surprised.

Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood

The Radiohead guitarist was tasked with writing a score for Paul Thomas Andersson's Oil barron drama based on the novel by Upton Sinclair. The soundtrack was nominated for numerous awards and is a million miles away from 'Creep'.

Chemical Brothers - Hanna

The Chemical Brothers are more widely known for their hugely popular dance tracks, but in 2011 they composed the score for Joe Wright's action movie 'Hanna'. Full of synths and beats as you would expect, the twosome provide a great soundtrack to this thriller.

Mastodon - Jonah Hex

What better for a DC Comic based movie than heavy guitar riffs and rip-roaring beats. The film is far from a classic but Mastodon's brutal score is definitely one of it's highlights. Oh, and Megan Fox strutting her stuff in tight leathers, of course.

Daft Punk - Tron Legacy

A similar style to the Chemical Brothers' score already mentioned. Daft Punk were the first of the two groups of dance-mongers to take on a soundtrack, dropping their four to the floor beats in the cinema instead of the dancefloor. The electronic soundscape provides a perfect fit for this modern remake of an 80s sci fi classic.

Karen O - Where The Wild Things Are

More commonly known for fronting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O turned to movie soundtracks in 2009, composing for the visual spectacle 'Where the Wild Things Are'. A cutesy and pretty score for a film which wont go down in history as an all time classic, but made a load of kids (and some adults) very happy.

Trent Reznor - The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor put down the guitars and picked up some synths for this blazing soundtrack for "that Facebook movie". He teamed up with Atticus Ross here to create a soundtrack that was met with huge critical acclaim before taking on the English remake of cult classic The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.