It was just announced that the folks behind the surprise hit film Juno are set to release a sequel to the film’s hugely successful soundtrack in April. Like the original soundtrack, this one will feature songs from Kimya Dawson, as well as songs that weren’t actually featured in the movie—including star Ellen Page’s performance of a song written by Juno writer Diablo Cody, as well as songs by Yo La Tengo, Astrid Gilberto and others.

This made us think of some other films with soundtracks we really liked.
In fact, the soundtracks are probably better than the actual movies in several cases, but that’s not the point.

Top Rock Music Movie Soundtracks

Singles (1992)
Featuring songs by the biggest grunge bands of the day, this soundtrack is a perfect snapshot of the ‘90s alternative nation.
Key Song:
Alice in Chains—“Would?” (video)

Buy at AllPosters.com

Dazed and Confused (1994)
A fun slacker flick centered around teenage rebellion, confusion, boredom and the end of an era, the soundtrack is basically a greatest hits of the ‘70s compilation—but a really cool one.
Key Song:
Foghat—“Slow Ride”

Empire Records (1995)
Another slice of life from the ‘90s, the film is centered on life at a doomed record store and, not surprisingly, includes a lot of bands that were trendy, but didn’t endure. The movie features a young, slightly less sour-faced and annoying Renee Zellweger.
Key Song:
Edwyn Collins—“A Girl Like You”

That Thing You Do (1996)
Yeah, this Beatles-esque flick about a fictional ‘60s band is pretty sweet, empty and Tom Hanks-ish, and so is the soundtrack. The soundtrack isn’t monumental, but it’s so fun and catchy you’ll end up with the title track stuck in your head instantly—like it or not. Starring a fictional band called the Wonders, much of the music was written/performed by members of Fountains of Wayne and the Candy Butchers.
Key Song:
Wonders—“That Thing You Do”

Once (2007)
This year’s Oscar favorite, the Once soundtrack belongs to a movie about a pair of musicians/lovers, performed by the same pair of musicians/lovers. Sometimes, you just can’t argue with romance and sweet indie pop ballads.
Key Song:
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova—“Alone Apart”

Buy at AllPosters.com

Juno (2008)
An unusual story of young love and teen pregnancy, music plays a big role in the film onscreen and off. The soundtrack is a sweet and unusual mix of folk, rock and indie, and a recently announced soundtrack sequel will feature the vocal skill of star Ellen Page and Yo La Tengo, among others.
Key Song:
Kimya Dawson—“My Rollercoaster”

And…
Of course we didn’t have room for EVERYTHING on our list, we skipped some things we thought were pretty obvious, such as soundtracks to biographical films.

Do you know a great movie soundtrack that we forgot to add to our list? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 2:08 pm and is filed under Free Music, Movie Soundtrack. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.