10 Movie Scores to Make Life More Tolerable

Life gets us all down at certain times and one of the ways to recuperate is by listening to music. It is always difficult to compile a specific list, but here are 10 soundtracks that can help get you through the day. They are listed in no order of importance.

The entire album is good from the intro to the end, but if you only had time for one track then "The Kiss" by Trevor Jones is one of the greatest pieces ever written. This soundtrack is a good introductory soundtrack for those who are interested in original scores.

Shutter Island, as a whole, contained a deeply emotional score. "On The Nature Of Daylight" by Max Richter is another piece of music that is arguably one of the greatest blessings ever created. It has such a simple melody that gets fed with more and more string instruments turning into a quintet.

Max Richter has also written music for T.V. and other projects. If the above song is appealing then "Dona Nobis Pacem 1" would be a great 2nd piece to explore Richter's brilliance.

The Tron Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk is an outstanding example of technology and electronics blending with orchestral sounds. The entire album is good, so just fire and forget, and enjoy distracting yourself from life for awhile.

Hopefully, Ennio Morricone needs no introduction. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is not only one of the greatest movies of our time but contains one of the most diverse soundtracks in history. To this day some of the pieces from the soundtrack are used as modern references and themes. Check out the "Ecstacy of Gold"!

Nancy Wilson, better known for being in the band Heart, is an astounding songwriter with diverse skills. The Vanilla Sky soundtrack contains music from several artists, which all deserve a shoutout, but Nancy Wilson composed some original music that helped raise the film to cult status. "Elevator Beat" is a great starter piece to see what Nancy is capable of when left to her own devices.

John Murphy is one of the current top composers. He can be compared to the likes of Hans Zimmer. The soundtrack to Sunshine will set you in space and deliver one of the most inspirational pieces of our time with "Sunshine" or "Adagio In D Minor". The slow tempo strings filled in with rapid drum beats will confusingly embolden the heart.

Cliff Martinez writes the original score for Drive. The soundtrack has music by several others, and it is all good, but Martinez captures the feel of ambient music in a city at night. This is also great driving music by the way.

Almost every list of top soundtracks contains at least one from Hans Zimmer. Zimmer is perhaps the greatest modern composer, but more importantly, he isn't afraid to use technology. Zimmer represents what Beethoven would have done if he had access to technology. Most of his style is inspiring and it was difficult to choose just one soundtrack. Inception contains the timeless piece "Time", which is quite impressive considering how much Zimmer has already written. This guy never seems to be out of great ideas. Zimmer also seems to never take a break.

Charlie Countrymen is the oddball soundtrack on the list. It is comparable to Drive with its ambience. Christophe Beck with DeadMono pull off some of the simplest melodies that stick in your head while allowing you to peacefully contemplate what the hell you are doing with your life.

This isn't Marco Beltrami's first rodeo, but it may be his best. World War Z takes you on an emotional ride because of the soundtrack. The music can be heartwarming and intense. "The Lane Family", "Wales", and "Like a River Around a Rock" are the paragon songs from the soundtrack.

Soundtracks are a great way to expose us to new music and themes. There is no shortage of options out there, but these eternal pieces are great sounds to return to in our time of need.