favorite Fountain tracks

So, as I may have mentioned in other posts, I am currently obsessed with the soundtrack to The Fountain. Here are my favorite tracks:

(honorable mention) Track 2: Holy Dread!
Cool and trippy. Less traditionally beautiful than the following five tracks, but possessed of a style all its own. Bonus points for leading into "Tree of Life" (see below). Still, I tried to limit myself to five of the disc's ten tracks (much as I love them all), and this one didn't quite make the cut.

#5: Track 6: Xibalba
Lyrical and beautiful. Takes a while to get going, but once it does, the lovely cello, other strings and background chorus just overtake you. Of the disc's ten tracks, this is definitely the mellowest and most traditionally "spiritual" sounding. It stands apart from the others in that it doesn't repeat many of the same central themes, as many of the others seem to do. Anyway, I love it. A strong #5.

#4: Track 7: First Snow
Sort of a prelude to #2 on this list, so it loses points for being basically the same thing, but less... but WHAT a prelude. What a grand theme. This music is so stunningly beautiful. Puts you in a trance, it does.

#3: Track 3: Tree of Life
You might think from it's title that THIS track would be the mellow, spiritual one. Surprise! It's closer to a dance club rhythm. Well, sort of. In any case, it's very intense and drum-laden... just begging for some kind of dance to be choreographed around it. Maybe not club dancing... but modern or west african would fit it just fine. LOVE it.

#2: Track 9: Death is the Road to Awe
OK, the title of this one tells you all you need to know. Well, not really. This one just needs to be heard. A lot. Like, all the time. It's basically the best music I've ever heard - oh wait, nevermind, there's still one track more to go. But regardless, this track is just... well, words fail me. All the accusations of it being "New Age," crazy/electric and whatnot are true, but if you can get past that (or if you just LIKE New Age shit, like me), you will love it like no other. Structured as a theme-and-variation kind of musical "quickening," it consists of several rounds of heightened intensity of the same central theme. Oh, and it's also totally orgasmic. Literally. One of my goals in life is to have sex to this music. Like, seriously. It's THAT amazing. BUT not as amazing as...

#1: Track 10: Together We Will Live Forever
OK, if #2 was the "during sex" music, #1 is the "after sex while smoking a cigarette" music. The diminuendo. The bittersweet remembrance. The wonder. This simple piano rearrangement of the previous themes is strikingly sad and hauntingly beautiful, especially when listened to immediately after all the other music in sequence.

This last track seals the deal on The Fountain being one of the all-time great film scores, in its own unique and trippy way.

Those of you who've heard the music, feel free to comment if you're so inclined. You know who you are ; )