Customer Reviews

Donnie Darko (Score)

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you are looking for the numerous 80s pop songs that appeared in the movie, look elsewhere. The score sets a wonderful mood, but as all Donnie Darko fans know, many of the highlights of the movie were the 80s classics. Do not buy the score looking for the pop songs. If you'd like to know what the songs were:
- The song played over the slow-mo opening scene where Donnie returns home after waking up on the mountain is 'The Killing Moon' by Echo and the Bunnymen.
- The song played over the slow-mo school montage that begins with the kids stepping off the bus and ending with Donnie's sister performing the 'routine' outdoors is 'Head over Heels' by Tears for Fears.
- The song played during the love scene between Donnie and Gretchen is 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division.
-The song played immediately after the love scene is 'Under the Milky Way' by The Church.
-The song played during the Sparkle Motion scene is 'Notorious' by Duran Duran.
-The song played during the last scene is a cover of Tears for Fears 'Mad World' (both found on this album).
Buy or download the 80s pop tunes, intersperse them with the score, and enjoy!

Pop Music from Donnie Darko (in order of appearance):

01. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & The Bunnymen
02. "Head over Heels" - Tears For Fears
03. "Notorious" - Duran Duran
04. "Proud To Be Loud" - The Dead Green Mummies
05. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - Joy Division
06. "Under the Milky Way" - The Church
07. "Mad World" - Gary Jules

the thing about this movie is the overwhelming complexity of each event that happens. not only is it (by turns) humourous, thought-provoking, infuriating and emotional .. the soundtrack complements it in nearly every way. The only reason i would give this soundtrack less than five stars is the lack of the '80s songs that appear. It is a "score" soundtrack, but the other songs are a critical element, i.e., "Under the Milky Way Tonight" and "Head Over Heels" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "The Killing Moon". But this is in no way an admonition for you not to purchase this .. it's sublime. Michael Andrews does an amazing job with the darkling emotions lurking in the film, and translates it to music compellingly. The only vocal track "Mad World" is worth the entire CD. It's just a shame that Gary Jules is so hard to find on CD... but this is definitely an essential to the film enthusiast or soundtrack lover.

No question Michael Andrews is a great composer, but the fact that the soundtrack lacks the incredible songs by Joy Division, Love and Rockets, and Echo and the Bunnymen....among others, is truly heartbreaking. The music sets the tone for this unique film, but without the full soundtrack to reflect on, there is something missing. I purchased it anyway, but do not enjoy the music quite as much without the visuals from the movie.

The score for Donnie Darko is one that takes us into another realm, full of suburban surealism, and various ethereal overtones. The effect is intoxicating. I found myself listening to this soundtrack over and over again as I swung on the family glider in the backyard. I felt like I'd crossed over into another place, and no, I wasn't on anything! ;-)

Michael Andrews has elevated himself into becoming one of my favorite composers - and to think this was his first film score. His moody tone is deeply otherwordly and full of both anxiety and beauty. Many would compare this music to something along the lines of Danny Elfman's work for Tim Burton, and I'd have to say that I agree a bit. We hear simple piano melodies turn into stark choruses, then resound into joint blissfulness.

Take note, these songs do not hit the high emotional peak where you found yourself while listening to scores like Shawshank Redemption or Braveheart. This is more along the lines of Carter Burwell's Fargo, David Julyan's Memento or even the work Jeff Gibbs did for Fahrenheit 9/11. It's dark, dreamy, and would probably go best with a few sleeping pills.

* Not that you'll probably care, but I have over 120 movie soundtracks. Donnie Darko, even though I heard it four years too late, is one of my top 20. My only complaint is that many of the songs are only one minute long.

It is an excellent score, and the cover of Tears for Fears 'Mad World' sold me on it. It is true that Donnie Darko is science-fiction, but if you were like me and watched it with no pre-conceptions as to what was going to happen, you lost yourself in a complex story. Its an indie film with the score of any John Williams or Ennio Morricone scored film updated to include those of us born in the seventies, and who came of age in the eighties.

If you want the actual soundtrack, you are like me: looking back to the artists that performed the songs in the movie. I love artists like Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and The Church, but you have to find them in other places. The 'Mad World' cover (which is excellent in itself) is enough of a reason to buy the score. The rest of the music keeps you in the mood that you were in during the movie.

I hate to say it, but kudos to Drew Barrymore for making sure this film saw the light of day, and gripes to Flower Films (Drew's baby) for not putting out the soundtrack (all of those 80's guys I mentioned earlier) also. I guess we are supposed to like the garbage of 'XXX' and 'Charlie's Angels'.

The score is worth it, though, especially if you are an 80's kid who may have matured into a 00's adult.

Utterly awesome composition by Andrews, a composer I admittedly haven't heard anything else from. The film peaked my interest when it came out, and I saw it probably half a dozen times -- inevitably, I had to pick up the score.

Like I stated in my title, the score is both hypnotic and surreal, and those looking for a highly melodic score will likely be disappointed. There are a few memorable themes/melodies performed by piano or (synthetic?) choir, but for the most part this album is pure ambience, and quite frankly I don't understand why it's so appealing to me. Note, however, it absolutely is. I'm not sure if it's the films images that linger in my subconscious that pair up so well with the score, or it was really a creation of some Divine force, but it's a totally enchanting listen.

It's a hard score to sum up, or at least go into detail on. A majority of it is very airy and minimalist, but again, totally captures a certain mood that I always seem to want to be in when listening. "Carpathian Ridge" and "The Tangent Universe" are good examples of this. Pieces like "Burn it to the Ground" keep this tone but add a more serious, brooding quality, while the beautiful and soaring "Gretchen Ross" attempts to balance the darkness with glimmering light. There's a good deal of quirky bits too, but never overstated and always pleasing to the ear.

Some may call this album nothing but nonstop filler, and I can understand where they are coming from. To me, however, it's almost blissful, and I can't exactly pinpoint why, beyond that it merely makes me feel a certain way. I agree that the 5 or so 80's ballads left out that appear in the film (and a cue entitled "For Whom the Bell Tolls", which is a glorious choral piece in itself) is disappointing -- and the alternation between Andrews' score and the songs works, surprisingly -- but still, what we have here is without question worth the price of the CD.

Michael Andrews is one of today's best composers. His score for the little-known sci-fi flick "Cypher" was brilliant, and although his music in Donnie Darko is never quite as good (after all, DD was one of his first real scoring jobs), it is a somber, weird, sometimes beautiful album.
Andrews uses many bizarre non-musical instruments and female vocals to great effect, and creates an ambient, sad world that works regardless of your having seen the film.
His song "Mad World" is one of the saddest and most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
The disk isn't very long--just a little over thirty-seven minutes as I recall. But definitely recommended.

My review title hints at my usual prerequisites for a soundtrack.This debut!by Andrews has it in spades.The movie is probably my favorite of last year and I now own the dvd,but a large portion of its' charm is due to its' haunting score. I haven't seen the cd in the stores anywhere so on the second viewing of the film,(and knowing by then the music was a must have),I ran to Amazon to make sure it was available.Thank the gods it is!That funeral dirge/gothic lament track is worth the price alone.Sooo beeautiful.I used to be a rabid soundtrack collector,but for the past three or four years that habit dropped off and was forgotten, I guess because nothing much grabbed me when I saw a film--until this one.It's the first soundtrack purchase I've made in a long time.

The score from Donnie Darko is by far the best I've ever heard. Forget about the fact that it's low budjet and that the 80's music is absent and just concentrate on the wonderful stuff that is there! The fact that they included the superb cover of "Mad World" is also a brilliant bonus, although you may find yourself reminising to the part in the movie which makes everyone sad!
Don't even think about it- order this score now and appreciate it for what it is.