There are few things more thrilling in cinema than seeing and hearing a great piece of music matched with great visuals. We've already highlighted the best scores of 2013, now here's the year's best use of pre-recorded (ie existing music not written for the screen) music.
The Comedy
William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops 1.1
The Comedy took the intriguing premise of presenting us with the sort of man-child characters we see so much in contemporary American comedy but treating the subject in an ultra-realistic manner, thus exposing how pathetic these people really are. Basinski's gloomy piece was juxtaposed with a basketball montage, that staple of "bro" comedy.
To the Wonder
Arvo Part - Fratres for Eight Cellos
Arvo Part's Spiegel im Spiegel is the most overused piece of music in modern cinema. Thankfully Malick opted for a lesser known work from the Estonian composer.
Simon Killer
Spectral Display - It Takes a Muscle To Fall in Love
As with last year's Martha Marcy May Marlene (whose director, Sean Durkin, acted as producer here), the music in Simon Killer provides an extra layer of characterization. The lead character carries an MP3 player filled with Dutch synth music, odd for a young American, suggesting he may have acquired it through sinister means.
Wadjda
Grouplove - Tongue Tied
In the West we moan about silly things like how bad modern pop music is. Watching a young Saudi Arabian girl dance around her bedroom to mediocre western pop music (recorded on a cassette) exposes our first world problems.
Call Girl
George McCrae - Rock Your Baby
Forever associated with cheesy wedding receptions, McCrae's song provided the background for a teenage girl's induction into the world of Swedish prostitution.
The Kings of Summer
Thin Lizzy - The Cowboy Song
Thin Lizzy's song, played over the opening credits, set the tone for this fun but smart coming of age romp.
You're Next
The Dwight Tilley Band - Lookin' For the Magic
Played on a constant loop throughout the film, Dwight Tilley's third rate track became embedded in the mind of everyone who saw this movie.
The Great Beauty
Vladimir Martynov - The Beatitudes
Sometimes a movie gets an ending it doesn't deserve and that was certainly the case when Sorrentino chose this beautiful piece of music to end his highly over-rated film.
Blue Jasmine
Lizzie Miles - A Good Man is Hard To Find
Allen opted for a soundtrack of more bluesy numbers than we usually associate with his films and this rather obscure track was one of the highlights.
Filth
David Soul - Silver Lady
The standout moment in an otherwise forgettable movie was seeing David Soul mime to his 1977 hit.
Drinking Buddies
Richard Swift - Lady Luck
A menial job can be a lot of fun if you work with people whose company you enjoy and the opening credits of Swanberg's film nailed this, partly due to deploying this great tune.
Discopath
Kiss - I Was Made For Loving You
Seeing a really fun piece of trash on the big screen can often feel like a rock concert, especially with the right crowd. Kiss' disco outing was the perfect track to end this joyous trashfest.
American Hustle
Electric Light Orchestra - Long Black Road
Russell's film was compared to Boogie Nights and like that movie it ended with a great ELO number.