Volume 8 | August 2025: Sam & I go to the movies
Good morning!
Today Sam Colt and I are each sharing a few of our favorite soundtracks…ones that might’ve been overlooked or deserve more time in the spotlight.
Welcome to the eighth installment of our (not so) new series! For those of you who may have missed previous editions, here’s a bit of context:
In this monthly series, Sam Colt and I will each share our picks for artists and/or titles that haven’t received their due. You’ll recognize Sam’s name from our On Repeat and Friends Best of Series, and also our Top 100 of all-time series last fall. These posts will adopt the latter’s format; I will make my case for my three picks and my reaction to Sam’s. Sam’s page will do the reverse.
In the inaugural post, we noted that successive editions would narrow things down slightly. Maybe a specific genre…maybe a specific era…maybe a specific…well, who knows!
In college, I took a 200 level film course as an elective. The syllabus covered several of the usual suspects ( Citizen Kane, Cabaret), and a few I never saw coming. All well and good, and I got far more out of the class than I assumed I would going in. Turns out I didn’t know very much at all about technique and cinematography.
But what I do know is records. And what really stuck with me were the soundtracks and film scores from each of the films. The way sound sets up & supports a scene is something I tend to focus on a lot. Case in point; if asked, I could maybe give you a rough outline of Cabaret’s plot. Ask me to sing a few bars of Willkommen, and we’re in luck.
And then there are soundtracks. To Live and Die In LA is a fun movie (and one of my faves), but it’d be nothing without it’s soundtrack. If you’re Gen X, Singles is iconic; but again, its the music that takes a good movie and makes it great. And that doesn’t even touch on all the John Hughes movies, and the soundtracks they gifted us. Don’t You Forget About Me? We couldn’t even if we wanted to.
This month, Sam and I are sharing a few picks that for whatever reason might’ve been overlooked. Some far outshined the movies they’re attached to, others might’ve been lost to time. Either way, we think they warrant a second chance.
Grab your popcorn, turn your phone off, and enjoy!
When you’re done here, remember to check out Sam’s take at This Is a Newsletter!
Let’s get to it!
KA—
Various Artists- The Saint
My first roommate was a huge fan of Val Kilmer—we’d call him a “stan” today, but back in the mid-90s this just meant watching whatever film he happened to be in, sometimes more than once (okay, like a lot more than once). I also happened to really like the original TV show, so when The Saint came out it was pretty much a lock that I’d be there to see it. The movie is… okay. I mean, Kilmer’s good and Elizabeth Shue costarred, but no one does Simon Templar the way Roger Moore does. This is another case where the soundtrack outshines the film it’s supposed to be supporting.
The record overindexes on EDM, with tracks from Moby, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, and more. Orbital does a bang-up job reworking the original theme. You can also find Sneaker Pimps’ “6 Underground” here, a track that is far and away the biggest hit of the lot. Duncan Sheik’s here as well, and his “In the Absence of the Sun” proves there’s more to him than just “Barely Breathing.” Like any Music From the Motion Picture, there’s bound to be some filler, and a couple of tracks here are less than stellar (looking at you, Duran Duran)—but in their defense, they at least fit the vibe of the film. That said, this works much better as a record per se than as part of the movie.
The whole thing screams “90s sound,” but when it’s packed with bangers from start to finish, who cares?
Sam’s pick and my take: Various Artists- Baby Driver
Sam shared his picks first, and seeing this made me say “f**k!” at my screen. Not because I was mad at him; rather, I was mad at myself for not having thought of this one. This soundtrack is one of my faves. I mean, it starts with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and just heats up from there. Jonathan Richman, The Damned, and Martha & The Vandellas? All in one place? Are you kidding me?! Yes please. I just wish I’d grabbed it first.
(punches air)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross: Challengers (Original Score)
One of the things about being a parent they don’t tell you is the weird side quests you’ll find yourself on. I have no idea how tennis is played. I mean, I get the general idea, but no clue on the scoring or terminology. My player trajectory consists of a few lackadaisical games played over beers at my first apartment. But there I was last week, watching my son’s girlfriend play in a high school match. I was a little lost, but it was a great night and I’m glad we went.
Likewise, I have no idea when Trent Reznor moved into soundtrack work, but I’m glad he did.
My Nine Inch Nails trajectory starts and peaks at the same spot—the beginning. Pretty Hate Machine is a masterpiece, and Reznor set the bar impossibly high. The rest of their discography ranges from “1–2 killer tracks, but I’ll pass on the rest” to “I didn’t listen to it.” YMMV.
So I was a little surprised when I saw him starting to work with artists like Fever Ray on their Radical Romantics record. I also have no idea when the duo moved into the soundtrack realm, but I’m glad they did. Challengers is a tennis movie—at least nominally. I can’t comment on the film, ’cause I haven’t seen it. But I’d like to think the soundtrack at least follows the plot arc—beginning, peak, denouement. Sure sounds like it does, anyway.
What I liked best about Pretty Hate Machine is what I like best about Challengers—the tracks sound like they belong more on a dance floor than in a dungeon. It’s unmistakably Reznor and Ross, but these are tunes that make you want to move as opposed to evoking images of an angle grinder or whatever fever dream Fever Ray is having.
Sam’s pick and my take: Master of None
I’d never heard of this show (if this sounds like a recurrent theme, trust your gut) before Sam suggested this soundtrack. Pulling it up on the platform we all love to hate, I was surprised to see it had over 7,500 saves… and then I looked at the songs themselves. Joy Division? You know I’m already sold. New Edition… Lou Reed… The Cure… it just keeps going.
I’m mindful this is an extremely narcissistic take, but this is the sort of list that feels like it was made just for me. Should I be watching this? Wouldn’t be the first time I watched a show for the music. If you’re a fan, weigh in below—I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
Various Artists- The Wild Life
Oh hey, an ’80s movie with Lea Thompson and Eric Stoltz? That’s interesting news (rolls eyes). Actually, this is a movie best forgotten. It’s also got a Penn and a Quaid (as in Chris and Randy). So yeah…
But we’re not here to talk about the film, we’re here to talk about the soundtrack. And if ever there were a case of the soundtrack outshining and outlasting the film, this is it, and follows the lead of Streets of Fire (which came out a few months earlier).
The Wild Life is from the same finishing school that gave us such Oscar contenders as Hot Dog…The Movie, and Zapped—mildly tawdry, some action scenes, a couple of A (or B) list talent, and a thin veneer of a plotline to ostensibly tie it all together. Yeah, sure.
In the same way that The Saint embodies late ’90s EDM, The Wild Life’s roster is a snapshot of the mid-’80s; but here’s the twist: with the exception of Bananarama (the title track) and Eddie Van Halen, these aren’t people you’d usually associate with the big screen. In ’84, Andy Summers was still doing big things with The Police, not solo work. Ditto Peter Case, who might be known more for tracks like this from his time in The Plimsouls—or this one later covered by Blondie.
The Paisley Underground is well represented here (speaking of things that don’t get enough due). In addition to Case, The Three O’Clock are here as well. And there’s a Go-Go track, because why not? (Spoiler: it’s not Belinda Carlisle or Jane Wiedlin.)
Sam’s pick and my take: Various Artists- Pulp Fiction
If you ever want to see how old someone is, play a few bars of Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle With You,” and see what happens. If they reflexively start dancing like Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs, that’s a tell. Same story with playing Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hurray” (waves arms). And if you’re of a certain age, you know how this trifecta rounds out: play a few bars of Chuck Berry’s “Never Can Tell” and see what moves are busted.
In the streaming era, we can have everything, anywhere, all at once. On one hand, that’s phenomenal. But by design, that also means audiences are irreparably atomized. Appointment viewing is something your parents carry on wistfully about as they scroll Facebook looking at style memes (and using their index fingers to do it).
A lot of people have seen Pulp Fiction, but not nearly enough. It would be disingenuous to call the film underrated. It is absolutely appropriate to describe the soundtrack that way. Say what you will about Quentin Tarantino’s style, but he knows what he wants out of a film and knows who to tap to get it—in this case, Karyn Rachtman, who did both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction (and worked on Reality Bites at the same time). Whether she uses Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” or knows just when to work in a Maria McKee song, Rachtman is masterful at soundtracking his vision—and we’re all the better because of it.
That’s a wrap! What are your thoughts on these records? Do you own any of them? Share your thoughts in the comments! Rants, raves, and spicy takes are all welcome. And if you have any ideas on future themes, please share those as well! Don’t forget to check out Sam’s thoughts over at This Is a Newsletter!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
Kevin Sent 