I will always love a really good soundtrack, but it’s the ones that you love from start to finish that are worth buying. Otherwise, you’d just buy the one song, right?

Of all the amazing movies and TV shows that came out in 2017, only a small handful of soundtracks had me moving and grooving or just downright obsessed. And although they didn’t make the list, there are still a lot of other lovely gems that were very impressive and had gripping scores, like the one in Wonder Woman or Get Out or Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. But, alas, as it says in the title, these are the top 5 TV/Movie Soundtracks… IMHO.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

source

Source: Disney/Marvel

It should be no surprise at this point that this one is on the list. The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 album is the ultimate party album. Bringing back some of the greatest hits of the 1970s and 1980s, the soundtrack covers a nice array of genres from rock to folk to pop. So whether it’s a party of twenty-plus people or a party of one, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a good time.

My favorite song: Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra Song

 

2. Blade Runner 2049

Source: Warner Bros.

I can only image how Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch might have felt before taking on the Blade Runner 2049 film score. I mean, who can compete with the original Blade Runner score done by Vangelis? Despite having incredibly large shoes to fill, Zimmer and Wallfisch emulated Vangelis flawlessly and perhaps even took the score to a whole other level. The successors added new elements of sound to the noir ambiance, while still incorporating a Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer, which was the same model that Vangelis used.

My favorite song: Memory by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch

 

3. Stranger Things 2

Source Netflix

Creating a perfect vignette of the 1980s, the Stranger Things 2 soundtrack allows us to time travel to the decade by combining grandparent-approved favorites, the celebrated hits, and an engulfing, atmospheric original score.

My favorite song: The Return by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein

 

4. The Shape of Water

Source: Fox Searlight Pictures

Beautiful, serene and hypnotizing are only three of the many words that describe Alexandre Desplat’s score for The Shape of Water. Desplat’s intricate weaving of music into a film made it completely deserving of the recent Golden Globes award for Best Original Score. And not only was the score masterful in art, it was masterful in meaning. In an interview with GoldDerby, Desplat explained that the music was meant to give a voice to the minorities in the film, adding the word thought-provoking to the list of reasons why this score was so beautiful.

My favorite song: The Shape of Water (Theme Song) by Alexandre Desplat

 

5. Baby Driver

Source: Sony Pictures

I saved my favourite—and in my humble opinion, the absolute best—for last: the Baby Driver soundtrack. To this day, I am still obsessed with the album and I am still in awe of director Edgar Wright’s impeccable choreography. In case you haven’t seen the film yet, I will say no more. Just watch it and maybe you’ll fall in love with the protagonist the same way I did. And I don’t mean Ansel Elgort’s character, I mean the music.

My favorite song: Brighton Rock by Queen

 

Honourable Mentions:

Mystery of Love by Sufjans Stevens in Call Me By Your Name
The entire John Wick 2 album is just really good workout music