The East Village of Manhattan was home to a huge punk rock movement in the 1980s, and the new drama film Ten Thousand Saints pays tribute to this. The movie features Asa Butterfield as a teen who moves to New York after a tragedy and discovers the music scene and its surrounding culture. Music is therefore obviously central to the film, and I'm curious as to what artists and tracks will be featured both in the movie and on the soundtrack. Yet when trying to find out where to get the Ten Thousand Saints soundtrack, I was met with an unexpected challenge.
Although the film premiered at Sundance in January and is in theaters as of Aug. 14, there has been no word about a release date for the soundtrack. There hasn't been any mention of a track list either, despite the fact that many critics at Sundance said that the choice of music in Ten Thousand Saints was one of the highlights of the movie. While it’s not clear what’s causing the delay, thankfully enough information has been released by critics and the film’s promotional materials to give some clue about what the soundtrack might entail. Here are a few ideas of what might be in store for the Ten Thousand Saints soundtrack based on the hints that have been dropped so far.
80s Tunes Galore
Jeff Berkshire commented in his review for Variety, "Music supervisor Linda Cohen packs the pic with familiar and less exposed tunes from the likes of the Replacements, the Feelies, the Cure, R.E.M. and Sting." Film blog The Playlist also name-dropped R.E.M. as a featured artist, so definitely be ready to hear some of their singles.
Some Modern Tracks, Too
The film's trailer features the song "We Were Kids" by Turtle Giant, which was released in 2012. And this Brazilian band has only been around since 2009, so their inclusion in the trailer suggests that the soundtrack might feature music from groups that didn't exist at the time the film's events are supposed to take place.
Straight-Edge Hardcore Punk
The trailer reveals the protagonist Jude's taste in music, foreshadowing his involvement in the straight-edge subculture that arose in New York during this time. This is backed up by The Playlist's remark that "the soundtrack is a perfectly curated blend of deep cuts, tending towards the classic hardcore sound."
So although it's not yet known when or where the Ten Thousand Saints soundtrack will be available, the film itself features some amazing music. The filmmakers clearly took great care in selecting the tracks for the movie, so it's reasonable to assume that any accompanying album would be compiled with such artistry as well. Here's to hoping that we can find all of the songs from Ten Thousand Saints in one place soon!
Image: Screen Media Films
