My Top Ten Favorite TV Show soundtracks

Yeah, I know this is sort of a filler post…but I wanted to write it.

Hopefully I will have a post on my favorite anime soundtracks up soon! Maybe sometime next week.

10. X-Files Soundtrack, Mark Snow:

Standouts: Materia Primoris, The X Files Theme

This has an eerie, electronic sound to it. I haven’t seen this show in a while, so I may not have much to say…but I do like it a lot! It matches the science fiction creepiness of the show very well. 

9. Arrow Season 1, Blake Neely:

Standouts: Five Years, Setting Up The Lair, The Dark Archer/It is I Who Failed This City, Oliver Queen Suite

This manages to sound action packed, but with dark undertones and even some slower, haunting tunes to accompany the more moody, reflective times on the show. Whether the music enhances the fast paced fights, accompanies the sudden realizations, or adds a punch in the feels to a touching scene, there is no doubt that the first season of Arrow had some of its best soundtrack moments.

8. Sherlock Season 4, David Arnold and Michael Price:

Standouts: Who I Want To Be, She Was Different, I Had No One, Who You Really Are

Sherlock Season 4 was crazy, of that there is no doubt. It took the show into some dark places and made some controversial plot twists. But what everyone seems to be in agreement on is that the soundtrack may have been one of the best of the show. Unlike the usual, it wasn’t the fast paced tracks that stood out, but the slower tunes that enhanced more emotionally charged scenes. Just listen to the violin duet In Who You Really Are.

7. Flash Season 2, Blake Neely:

Standouts: Savage Attack, A Legend is Born, Stuck in the Speed Force, I Will Wait For You, The Race of His Life

The second season of The Flash had more of a fantastic element to it than the first, which was caught in the soundtrack. The whole Vandal Savage arc had some great music, fast paced with some choir in the background for a more haunting vibe. And the last episode was made even more intense with The Race of His Life. But again, it was some of the slower tracks that truly made scenes impactful; Stuck in The Speed Force just sounds so ethereal and beautiful.

6. RWBY Volume 1, Jeff Williams (with vocals by Casey Lee Williams):

Standouts: This Will Be the Day, Red Like Roses, Pt 2, Mirror Mirror, Red Like Roses

I may be cheating, as most of the tracks involve vocals…oh well. RWBY has one of the best soundtracks for an action series; it can get your heart pumping and your head bobbing in time to the music, like with This Will Be The Day. But there are more introspective songs, like Mirror Mirror, that can have a haunting quality. They can also add foreshadowing and symbolism, like in Red Like Roses Pt. 2, in which it is heavily implied the singers are Ruby, and her missing mother, Summer.

5. Doctor Who Season 3, BBC National Orchestra of Wales:

Standouts: All the Strange, Strange Creatures, This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home, Blink (Suite), The Doctor Forever

My dad and I agree that some tracks from season 3 sound like they could be in Harry Potter, like All the Strange, Strange, Creatures. In a way, the songs from season 3 sound more fantasy than science fiction, which is interesting. One of my personal favorite tracks is This is Gallifrey; it’s intense and incredibly moving, and is just one of the most beautiful pieces in the entire show. And who can forget the Blink suite? It’s so creepy, and matches the Weeping Angels eerily.

4. RWBY Volume 4, Jeff Williams (with vocals by Casey Lee Williams):

Standouts: Let’s Just Live, Bad Luck Charm, This Life is Mine, Home

Casey Lee Williams displays her tremendous range once again. But unlike in the previous volumes, her habit of over singing isn’t so clear here; she has more subtlety in her voice, particularly in Let’s Just Live and This Life is Mine, which both require range, but soft moments. This Life is Mine is also so empowering and beautiful, a perfect description of Weiss’ character journey. Home is just touching. And Bad Luck Charm has a wicked amount of foreshadowing and symbolism for a certain character.

3. Broadchurch Soundtrack, Olafúr Arnalds:

Standouts: So Close, Take My Leave of You, The Journey, Main Theme, So Far

It’s how understated the soundtrack is that makes it stand out, ironically. And while most of the standout tracks include the vocals of Arnor Dan, I don’t think that’s cheating. Broadchurch has a very quiet, melancholy sound, which matches the darker nature of the show. It can be a bit much, but it truly provides some haunting moments. The Main Theme just matches the world so well. So Close is still my favorite theme, combining fantastic words and sound, but Take My Leave of You matches the third (and final) season beautifully. 

2. Sherlock Season 2, David Arnold and Michael Price:

Standouts: SHERlocked, Irene’s Theme, Prepared to do Anything, Blood on the Pavement, One More Miracle  

Yep, the second season is my favorite season of Sherlock in just about every way. It includes just about everything that makes Sherlock what it used to be; it has mystery, intrigue, feels, aphumor, and even some action. SHERlocked has one of themost beautiful scores, matching the elegance and feels of the episode. But any track used in The Reichenbach Fall stands out so much. Prepared to do Anything is pulse pounding and haunting, matching the stress. Blood on the Pavement hits you in the feels. And One More Miracle starts out sad, but ends up intriguing and leaving you wanting more.

1. Person of Interest Soundtrack, Ramin Djawadi:

Standouts: Listening With a Million Ears, God Mode, Samaritan, Root of All Evil, Watching with a Thousand Eyes, Day 3191

How did I know this would be my top choice? Well, because I couldn’t choose just a few seasons! While Ramin Djawadi may be more well known for his work on Game of Thrones, Person of Interest remains sadly underrated. He uses the perfect mix of computer generated sound and human orchestras, illustrating the contrast and comparisons on the show; it’s science fiction, about computers and A.I programs, but also about the human element behind that. Listening with a Million Ears is the most iconic piece, illustrating the Machine and the main characters perfectly. God Mode is action packed, but subtle, and Root of All Evil is an amazing piece for a main character; it was that piece that helped make the character it’s for appear more often.