Release Date: December 6, 2010
The Master Control Program holds no sway over the 0’s and 1’s in Daft Punk’s realm.
Tron: Legacy sets the tone for a futuristic venture into the grid, with French duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo’s meshing of soundtrack numbers with stylistic bounce and dance beats.
On this album, Daft Punk opted for a full orchestra and live music in the background to set the tone for this rediscovery of a childhood fantasy.
Being sucked into the grid by the MCP comes with its own set of rules and straying from that path could lead to being derezzed. The score from the original “Tron”, released in 1982, was composed by Wendy Carlos (who also include penned the score for Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange”) and touts a synthetic air. In addition, Journey performed the opening credits and to two additional tracks from the original soundtrack.
The music extended the lunging depths of the unknown computer world inside the grid by administering an eerily vast feeling of loneliness and despair. The score chronicled Tron and Clu’s journey through the grid as they battled evil programs working for the MCP.
Daft Punk provides the same cold, sterile atmosphere to accompany the ever-expanding cyber world. Each track is set to a specific part in the movie and there is no shortage of original score homages throughout.
“Overture” opens the soundtrack, building slowly into a crescendo of epic proportions. It sets the tone of homespun synthetic beats that encompass most of the soundtrack.
“The Son of Flynn” has flair reminiscent of the original “Tron” score. The song growls with a residual uproar emanating a dark, empty feeling conveying confusion and a need to leave the system. “End of Line” has a Daft Punk touch. complete with a video game background sound that draws the listener in, making them one with the game.
Songs like “Armory” and “The Game Has Changed” are menacing and carry an aura that programs sent by the MCP are lurking just around the next corner, poised to attack. “Arena” and “Recognizer” are intimidating just the same, and the names hold onto the scenes they are meant to coincide with during game play in the movie.
“The Grid” has the most throwback appeal with sound bites of Flynn talking about “getting in” to the grid. The remainder of the track has shallow house beats in the background with a wave of soaring Casio tones toward the end, continuing to mimic the original score.
In essence, having Daft Punk mastering the soundtrack for Tron: Legacy would curl anyone’s toes. The sheer thought of robot-minded musical guru’s melding together a masterpiece of monstrous proportions sends any Tron-loving geek reeling into the stratosphere.
For those looking for a dedicated Daft Punk album, stick to the duo’s original releases. The only song that completely encompasses that sound is the single “Derezzed.” From start to finish, the short song has everything from the Daft Punk stable, including stutter-start house beats.
The entire score stays true to the film’s ethos, as Daft Punk rallies to make a soundtrack pure and true to any devoted “Tron” fan. To make anything less would be grounds for being derezzed. End of line.
Tron: Legacy Soundtrack Tracklist
- Overture
- The Grid
- The Son Of Flynn
- Recognizer
- Armory
- Arena
- Rinzler
- The Game Has Changed
- Outlands
- Adagio For Tron
- Nocturne
- End Of Line
- Derezzed
- Fall
- Solar Sailer
- Rectifier
- Disc Wars
- C.L.U.
- Arrival
- Flynn Lives
- Tron Legacy (End Titles)
- Finale
