You had to have known this was coming. Not because I’d left off imploring you to watch the Drive My Car while remarking that had an , but because I’d mentioned then that I would channel my desire to buy a rare (and probably pricy) into a much more reasonable purchase: the music from the film.

You know the drill. Head to and get you some sweet so that you can put the FLACs on your . Or the music. Or buy it on ! Well, OK, maybe just put it on a tab in the background. Indeed, these jams lend themselves to the task of white noise. Let me explain, though, that I say that without negative connotation.

Eiko Ishibashi’s is not muzak, by any means.

It’s soothing music that sets a familiar scene, one that I expect is a favorite of many of you who love to drive. It’s not , but driving music. The kind that lets you think with your hands and feet. Calm shifts, gentle pressure. Much like the song featured today — named after the main character — every song from the soundtrack is the musical equivalent of a thinking cap. And the video linked above is the automotive equivalent of the .

The music Ishibashi wrote for the road has a light touch. It’s not demanding, and it doesn’t want your undivided attention. Of course, that is expected from a soundtrack meant to accompany what’s on-screen. But I’ll be honest: I lost count of how many times I watched the just to hear the piano step and the cymbal patter. I’ve logged serious miles by now with Ishibashi playing in the background of my car, which is, after all, where I do most of my thinking.