The soundtrack for American Zeitgeist was scored by Ravi Krishnaswami, a composer from New York City’s Sacred Noise (www.sacrednoise.com). In his second collaboration on a documentary with Rob McGann, Krishnaswami wrote a prodigious 90+ minutes of music in an array of styles, adding power and force to the experience of the movie. His music also appeared in Avenue E’s first feature, Oracles & Demons of Ladakh (www.avenueeproductions.com), in 2003. In addition to his work at Sacred Noise, Ravi is also the founding member of a pop band called Charming (www.charmingpop.com).

The Zeitgeist soundtrack also features the work of internationally renowned Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo (www.yungchenlhamo.com). In its brief but powerful depiction of September 11th, the film features a concise selection of still images from that catastrophic day, set to a song called “9/11,” from Lhamo’s soon-to-be-released fourth album, entitled Ama. Lhamo also improvised original vocals to a selection of Krishnaswami’s compositions, providing layers of lyrical texture rarely heard in a documentary film score to key moments of the film.

The movie also makes prominent use of the song "Iodine in the Wine," by Boston musician, Dennis Brennan (www.dennisbrennan.com). A haunting, blues ballad with probing lyrics and guitar lines, the song figures prominently in the opening and concluding sequences of the movie.

Lastly, American Zeitgeist features the song “Makeshift Patriot,” a Hip Hop reflection on terrorism, paranoia and the unreliability of the workings of government and the media post-9/11. Written and performed by master poetry slammer and rapper Sage Francis (www.sagefrancis.net), the song underscores a tumultuous protest sequence in the latter half of the film.