Tron: Ares
is a match made in cyber heaven as the masters of atmospheric unease and digitized dystopia put their distinctive spin on a beloved franchise, establishing the proper tone as only
Trent Reznor
and
Atticus Ross
can do. Just as realities merge in the movie, so too do the parallel lives of these film score composers and rock stars collide, with
becoming the first film soundtrack to be officially billed under the
Nine Inch Nails
name. Like
John Carpenter
on cybernetic enhancers, this pulsing techno-synth soundscape follows in
Daft Punk
's robo-footsteps -- sans any orchestral backing -- as
Reznor
Ross
set the stage with ominous, sprawling sonics, injecting familiar
NIN
hallmarks like distortion, sonic glitches, and dissonance to really nail the aggressive and foreboding mood of the movie. The intentional
branding is further justified with a handful of new songs with
on vocals. Lead single "As Alive As You Need Me to Be" is the clear standout, one of
's most well-received mainstream hits in years and a jolt to their catalog, falling in line with elder siblings of the pulse-pounding, dance-friendly variety like "The Hand That Feeds," "Discipline," and "Less Than." In addition to that radio hit,
also sings on "I Know You Can Feel It," which expands from a slinky, haunted dose of mystery into a widescreen, cinematic force. The tender blip-bloop programming and mournful piano of "Who Wants to Live Forever?," which finds
in a particularly vulnerable state, soars alongside harmonized vocals with Spanish singer
Judeline
. Lastly, paired with the preceding "Out in the World" instrumental, the credits roll on the closing track "Shadow Over Me," the grand finale that cranks the tension to unbearable levels atop vocoder vocals (hey,
!), a throbbing heartbeat pulse, and terrifying narrative lyrics that echo the film's plot.
On the flip side, the soundtrack instrumentals (which make up the bulk of this effort) might be split into two categories: "Could have been on
Ghosts
or another spooky
Reznor/Ross
score" or "Outtakes from
The Slip
/
Hesitation Marks
." "Infiltrator" offers another chance to hear "As Alive¿," just without vocals, plunging listeners into that same club where
was on the decks in
Tron: Legacy
, while "Target Identified" takes those motifs into a much darker space. Other highlights include "Daemonize," "A Question of Trust" (sadly not
Depeche Mode
related), "New Directive," and "What Have You Done?" Like the
Quake
theme, the kinetic
TMNT
score, or the highlights from the
Watchmen
albums, there are plenty of instrumental moments on
that are just begging for vocals in a more fleshed-out version. That desire and tension play an expert part in the overall feel of the soundtrack, generating a very human, physical response without even realizing it. Visceral, engaging, and potent enough to warrant the
name,
is one of the standout soundtracks in the
catalog, one that mirrors its subject by taking something digital and transforming it into something very human and emotional. ~ Neil Z. Yeung