Cool Soundtracks

1. Scratch

After watching Scratch I went on a hunt to find the best DJ produced songs I could find. Turns out, most of them are on this soundtrack. The actual compilation lacks some personal favorites (No DJ Shadow?!?) but even without these tracks, this is easily my favorite soundtrack. Owning this CD will instantly make you 5 times cooler then you currently are. I pity the fool who can't appreciate this mix.

2. Mr. Untouchable

I'm no funk expert, but there are clearly some classics on this soundtrack, as well as a few modern hits. A potentially stale, run of the mill biography is turned into a vibrant and fascinating case study with the help of these funk legends. It's a shame you can't buy this CD in stores because it would be on every music aficionado’s wish list.

3. Shine a Light

This is a no brainer. Anyone who turns away from a Rolling Stones live album doesn’t deserve to read any more of this list. Scorsese’s music-documentary is so fun you might forget you are watching one of the most influential bands of all time. Do yourself a favor and pick up this soundtrack and remind yourself.

4. Dig!

Nowadays it seems throwback bands like the White Stripes and Black Keys populate airways like grunge rock back in the early 90s, but even as this throw-back rock crescendos, it’s important to look back at the early frontrunners. A soundtrack based entirely on the music of the Dandy Warhols and the less successful (but more talented) Brian Jonestown Massacre will surely go down as music 101 for genre enthusiasts. Everyone has their ‘desert island’ mix and this may very well be the newest addition to mine.

5. Dave Chappelle's Block Party

Want to hear the best hip-hop has to offer today? You’ll find it right here. Comedian Dave Chappelle says this is the concert he always wanted to see and it’s easy to see why: Blackstar, Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Jill Scott- the list goes on. It’s a shame the Fugees aren’t in the compilation, but at this point it’s only a minor quibble.

6. Buena Vista Social Club

the film is part concert, part biography and while the biography provides the information (and even some of the heart) it's the performances that provide the soul. There's a reason the band is award winning. If you're not moving your hips by the end of the first track, then frankly there's no hope for you.

7. Body of War

Eddie Veder. I don’t need to say anything else. Any discussion of great contemporary artists has to include him and his recent foray into movie scores has only pushed his talents to new heights. Is this soundtrack as good as his previous work on Into the Wild? No. But as far as I’m concerned you combine Veder, Bruce Springsteen, Ben Harper, Lupe Fiasco, John Lennon, Rage Against the Machine and lesser acts like Bright Eyes and others on a two disc set, and you get a truly wonderful soundtrack.

8. Darkon

Another soundtrack composed entirely by one man. I never heard of Jonah Rapino before, but it is to my great loss that I hadn't. This concert violinist turned composer develops an epic score that will rival any Hollywood film. If you can, close your eyes while his music plays and you too may be carried off to a land of kings and queens- where battles can bring you glory and where dark magic could spell your doom.

9. U.S. vs John Lennon

Yes, all these songs are extremely political in focus, but let's face it, John Lennon could write about ‘meat pies’ and his music would still be better then 80% of what’s heard today. An entire CD of John Lennon compositions would be a must-buy for any Beatles fan as even the most mundane songs stick in your head, inspiring long after the credits have ended.

10. Fog of War

Philip Glass is an undeniably talented composer and to our great fortune, some of his best compositions are for documentaries (he's composed at least half a dozen). Though I could easily pick any number of films (and others may wonder why I didn’t), the combination of him and Errol Morris is too impressive to ignore. Without his music, Fog of War is just another interview; with it, Morris' film turns into a deeply moving piece, where the layers of insight just peel off before your eyes.