The Guest (2014) – soundtrack review

2014 film The Guest has one of the best soundtracks I’ve literally heard in years. Literally.

It’s the kind of soundtrack that makes me feel EXCITED and I want YOU to feel excited about it too. I find it so totally and utterly irresistible – and yes of course I’m saying that in the Marks and Spencer sex food voice. Standard.

I put off reviewing it for a while because I wanted to see if they’d bring it out on CD, but sadly they haven’t. I must have bad luck because my two favourite soundtracks of the last decade – The Guest and Sunshine (2007) – have never been released on CD and this pains me a great deal.

Usually I wouldn’t even bother getting the download. If I can’t have the case and the CD inlay, why fucking bother? It’s all on YouTube and Spotify after all. But – with The Guest, one thing here was different. I NEEDED THIS SOUNDTRACK IN MY CAR.

So I could drive around pretending I’m…… I dunno really, just pretending I’m awesome I suppose?

My boyfriend downloaded it for me and because he’s pretty cool (sometimes) he got me the soundtrack and then put all these extra songs at the back of it which were songs played in the movie but not included on the sound track. 

And I’m so glad he did otherwise I would have forgotten about this little beauty that I’ve been driving around listening to in absolute PURE DELIGHT recently. Waving my hand around, grinning inanely. Shouting things I’d never usually shout like “yeah baby” or “give it to me”. Hmmmm.

Fans of the movie may remember where this song was playing, like I did. Here’s a clue – beer kegs. Wowza.

Anyway, the whole soundtrack is really very excellent. There’s not one track I dislike and there’s a real mix of songs – both modern and vintage. Though  there is a really bloody strong 80s sound which remains pretty consistent.

The Guest relies on its soundtrack quite heavily in my opinion. Many scenes were completely enhanced or even transformed by the music playing in the background. Comical moments and climatic or thrilling points of the film were massively highlighted by the music – which was loud and proud throughout.

Of course The Guest is quite a strange film, not your average ‘Liam Neeson in Taken’ type of stuff. I truly believe the soundtrack has a lot to do with this. It makes it more exciting, more memorable. Even when Anna’s daydreaming about David coming out of the shower – the music used might not be as thrilling, but instead is romantic and evocative.

And THE scene itself, where David does actually walk out of the bathroom – it builds up with Anna standing outside the door, steam oozing around the door cracks. The guitar song (technical talk) playing in the background is building up sensationally. Then BOOM the music hits a crescendo as David opens the door, steam rushes out and he’s looking all hot and lovely. This, to me, is genuinely comical and obviously intentional.

One of my favourite songs plays in the car when Anna and David are coming home from the party where he picks up the beer kegs (swoon). The band playing are a Dutch 1980s ensemble called Clan of Xymox and they feature three times on the soundtrack (along with a few David Bowie impersonators).

I would NEVER usually listen to music like that, usually I’d be shouting “I’m not listening to that hippy bollocks” but it just goes to show the power of a really great soundtrack. If twinned with a film you love, it is very possible to find yourself listening to music you wouldn’t usually bother with. And I just think that’s great. Genuinely I do.

On that note, let me end by leaving you with a Sisters of Mercy song also on The Guest OST. The title is very apt – Emma. It plays at that sexy moment (I’ve mentioned once or twice before) where David comes out of the shower all steam and six pack. Sadly this is not in line with my reality of being Emma.