Ghost in the Shell Movie Soundtrack (Review)

From the pages of the original 1989 Japanese manga by iconic Masamune Shirow to the 2017 Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment’ big screen adaptation of Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson as its heroine, this immortal tale seamlessly lends itself to the ebb and flow of electronic music. 2017’s official soundtrack album, Music Inspired By The Motion Picture Ghost In The Shell [Paramount Pictures via Kobalt Music Recordings]—due out on March 31--threads together 12 tracks elegantly befitting of Major’s unpredictable cybernetic war and personal journey to uncover the secrets behind her dark past.

Ghost in The Shell movie soundtrack captures the tone and spirit of the anime. The twelve track soundtrack features compositions from Kenji Kawai, Johnny Jewel, Boys Noize, DJ Shadow, Above & Beyond, IO Echo, Tricky, Ki-Theory and Gary Newman. The album opens up with a great remix of Kenji Kawai Ghost in The Shell main theme “Uta IV” from Steve Aoki. The song brings a more epic feel with the addition of drums and synths sound. The opening track is not only the best track but it is the stand out track on the album. From there we go to the track “The Hacker” by Johnny Jewel which builds the tone of tension and I feel that this is the main theme for the antagonist. Other tracks such as Aokigahra Forest, Escape and Enjoy the Silence and Free Fall are all good tracks. Each song really gives a mystery and cyberpunk feel that captures the spirit of Ghost in the Shell. The music has a consistent tone throughout the album which works very well. A soundtrack needs to capture the tone and feel of the scenes plus the atmosphere. All these artist did a stellar job of connecting the feel and tone of Ghost in the Shell. This is an album that fans of Ghost in the Shell will enjoy.

Top Five Tracks

Uta IV Reawakening (Steve Aoki Remix)

Scars

Escape

Enjoy the Silence

Surge

Tracklist

01) Kenji Kawai- "Utai IV Reawakening" (Steve Aoki remix)

02) Johnny Jewel - "The Hacker"

03) Boys Noize - "Cathryn's Peak"

04) DJ Shadow ft. Nils Frahm - "Scars"

05) Above & Beyond - "Surge"

06) IO Echo - "Aokigahara Forest" (Album Only)

07) Tricky - "Escape"

08) Ki: Theory - "Enjoy The Silence" (Album Only)

09) Johnny Jewel - "Free Fall"

10) Gary Numan - "Bed Of Thorns"

11) Johnny Jewel - "The Key"

12) Kenji Kawai- "Utai IV Reawakening"