The most disappointing part of TRON: Ares isn't even Jared Leto deciding mid-sentence that he doesn't want to be there; it’s actually how lackluster Trent Reznor’s music is.
When I saw that Nine Inch Nails was chosen for the OST, I was hyped. I thought, "Damn, it’s electronic but organic—I can see the vision." But how was I to know they were chosen as a sacrifice to bring a "budget" version of Vangelis back to life? We all know Vangelis, man. You don’t need to make a "Vangelis type beat"—you’re a legend in your own right.
You can feel they had a general idea of what "TRON" should sound like, but they couldn't bridge the gap to the actual themes of the movie. This is the first TRON film that spends 80% of its runtime in the real world. It’s a story about the transition from electronic to organic—the inverse of the first two movies. The oppressive barrage of synths works only because it’s an action movie, not because it’s the right creative decision for this story.
Juxtaposition between the organic and the digital should have been the golden rule for every track on this OST. Synths that sound like voices? Cool—layer them for eternity until it feels like 100 people talking at once. Massive, distorted synths that make your head buzz? Sick—layer them against live percussion. Want to do a house track? Use live instruments and taiko drums. Throw in some opera singers using Travis Scott’s autotune settings.
If I were the music supervisor, here are a few artists who would have... nailed... the job:
Gesaffelstein: Specifically the vibe of "OPR."
Charli XCX: Think "Wall of Sound" or "Be With"
SOHN: For the atmosphere and the idea of repetition that he captured in "The Wheel."
Flume: The use of voices in DUMB
Aphex Twin: In the style of Acoustica.
