Forget special effects and lighting with this list of top adverts. Here we focus purely on the marriage of music and visuals in our favourite adverts of 2011. A good match of music and visuals is the perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. So without further ado, please enjoy the following clips as examples of the best partnership of music and visuals in 2011:
No. 5: Heineken “The Entrance”
Wieden & Kennedy produced this ad and wisely picked “Golden Age” by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour to match the shiny and glamorous visuals. As seamlessly as the main character takes to the stage, so too does the music go from a recorded sound to a live sound (non-diegetic to diegetic for the musos out there).
No. 4: Thomson Holidays “Time For A Holiday”
Firstly, it’s nice to see a holiday ad with great visuals. This original take on the holiday ad is beautifully shot and uses an equally beautiful track. The keen-eared among you will recognise it as a cover of the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” arranged and conducted by Guy Farley. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on what Thomson come up with for 2012.
No. 3: Lynx Excite “Even Angels Will Fall”
Another great advert by Lynx, but the gravitas of the falling angels is made even more significant by the powerful and stirring rendition of “Sexy boy” by Air. The song choice isn’t what’s inspired here (“sexy boy” must have been on the cards for lynx for years); it’s the production of the cover that makes this advert. It just goes to show how far a good cover can take you.
No. 2: Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Computer game adverts have taken a whole new cinematic turn thanks to the advances in animation and game sophistication. This allows for visually brilliant ads and therefore the chance to pair them with tracks like “Iron” by Woodkid. The percussion and brass in this matches perfectly to the dramatic and cinematic scenes in the trailer.
No. 1: Avios “Anything Can Fly”
Who’d have thought an airmiles ad could be so captivating? The beautifully strange visuals are paired with a brave choice of music (“Underwaters” by Leila Arab) that works brilliantly with the images of random household goods flitting about in the air. The music choice could have easily gone down a safe acoustic-quirky route, but instead we’re left with a track that, much like the visuals, remains quirky but in a wholly original and modern way.
Check our blog soon for our top albums of 2011… the list is shaping up nicely!
soundlounge blog 
Good list – I particularly agree with the no. 1 spot, it’s a great use of music and brings the ad to life.