On the surface, one wouldn’t think the simple act of throwing a football down field could signify a better future. One wouldn’t think that small act of completion would be the focal point of an entire town’s hopes resting on the shoulders of teenagers who want nothing more than to escape the city and its inhabitants. That morsel of drama is the meat of the movie “Friday Night Lights,” a film focusing on a high-school team from the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas.
Not coincidental the band that scored the soundtrack is Austin-native post-rock band Explosions in the Sky. The fact that they never use a single word on the soundtrack is apropos for the movie. Sports fervor combined with teen angst is the epitome of raw feeling, and Explosions in the Sky’s ability to carry emotional heft through instrumental prog-rock makes them ideal messengers for it. The 14 songs on the soundtrack encapsulate the dusty, beaten down town with its sparse, echoing guitars and lush strings. They’ve accomplished what a good soundtrack should and created dramatic swells and falls that reflect the film.
Watching the film and then listening to the album illuminates some differences in mood. The excitement that’s inherent to the actual football scenes are lacking in the album. Their music does appear during games but only when our protagonist’s team losses or suffers setbacks. During games of minor importance and easy victories licensed songs like “Bring the Noise” by Public Enemy and “Got My Mo Jo Working” by Muddy Waters. None of these are on the officially released soundtrack, which makes the album less dynamic than it should be.
Though it shares similarities to their other albums the soundtrack is also a departure from much of Explosion in the Sky’s discography. It’s not quite as heavy in terms of the guitar melodies and rhythms but takes advantage of the band’s more orchestral side with strings giving the songs a warmer feeling. It works on its own terms though and is a great album in whatever context the listener could put it into. The “Friday Night Lights” soundtrack does that by sucking you into dusty small town Texas and the head of the kids who live there.
You feel the weight they carry and the beaten optimism in their hearts. It’s fitting music for a film that gets the drama of high school football so right.
While music is an important part of any film, removing it usually doesn’t cripple the viewing experience. Soundtracks on the other hand are more reliant on their companion films. Out of context the mood they seek to evoke may not get across properly or their obedience to theme may become repetitive. The second track off the album, “Your Hand in Mind” is a beautiful arrangement, but the album doesn’t evolve past its reliance on an echoing guitar and dulcet tones. It’s a shame considering how exciting the film can be. Actually creating a song or two that matched the intensity and joy of a good game would have made the album more interesting. It would have also represented the film better.
