Exceptional soundtracks can make good movies great. They can also take on a life of their own, becoming a greater highlight than their respective films. In this series, I’m selecting some of my favorite soundtrack songs. While quite a few are well-known recordings, I’m also including a few that have flown under the radar over the years.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was an odd movie about an odd character that happened to have a pretty stellar soundtrack. “Step Out” came out as a single, and isn’t found on any of Jose Gonzalez’s full-length albums. It’s probably one of his most well-known songs, but in many ways it’s wildly different than most of his catalog.
For the most part, Jose Gonzalez’ music tends to exist in a slow, meandering tempo universe. His songs are reflective and atmospheric, often relying on his vocals, incredible acoustic guitar skills, and not much else. In “Step Out”, Gonzalez literally steps out of his comfort zone, revving up the RPMs and bringing in a much fuller sound. The high intensity isn’t built up, it exists from the very beginning — with more instrumentation, uncharacteristically loud percussion and full background vocals. It's a great song that happens to sound nothing like a Jose Gonzalez song.
“House on fire, leave it all behind you. Dark as night, let the lightning guide you.”