"It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear."

My soundtrack for Joe: "First Breath after Coma" by the instrumental group Explosions in the Sky (from Texas).

I had trouble choosing a song with lyrics--although there are many songs with lyrics that can accompany the images and text, I opted for this instrumental song (by a band I love) because the music is much more impressionistic.

I chose this specific song for a number of reasons. I think the title aptly fits what happens in the story as Joe seems to have a kind of rebirth or awakening at the end when he approaches his wife. I like that the song starts with what sounds like a heartbeat. I can almost hear Joe's sewing in the opening twenty seconds. The song also sounds like I am walking in a spiral in its cyclical overlaying of sounds. I imagine myself walking through "Joe." I love the crescendo from roughly 2:00-4:30. In my mind, I imagine the crescendo as the center of the torqued spiral. The music starts up slowly and quietly again as the story talks about everything happening backwards. As we find our way out of the spiral and Joe starts to fulfill his resolutions, the music builds again. I love the end this song in its wonderful crashing cacophany. This is what I hear when the sick Joe finally decides to turn to his wife and say: "Look what I'm thinking," releasing all that has not been said for so long.

That's just how I hear it.

What do others think? I'd love to hear what vocal songs capture the sculpture and text in your mind. What songs give you the same feeling as the sculpture and/or story?