The original soundtrack to Thailand’s controversial teen romance movie shines with thoughtful pop and earnest singing.

The Love of Siam OST (OST-รักแห่งสยาม) was my introduction to Thai pop.  It was easy to get into the music, which ranged from wistful, acoustic love songs to mid-tempo R&B. I also took note of the song structures - some of the refrains interestingly deviated from the surface melodies, while elements of jazz and soul were seamlessly blended into the pop arrangement. After countless spins of the OST, I was simply enthralled, and this later encouraged me to discover other Thai bands.

Anyone who has seen Love of Siam (Rak haeng Siam/ รักแห่งสยาม) would consider the soundtrack to be an extension of the movie because the songs play an integral part of the narrative. Initially marketed in Thailand as your run-of-the-mill teen romance, audiences were taken aback by the nature of love explored: a bittersweet awakening of two high school boys to homosexual love set, against the ruins of a family recovering from a tragedy. Mew, played by August Band vocalist Pchy Witwisit Hiranyawongkul, learns to overcome his ‘frightening loneliness’ by writing songs for Tong (Mario Maurer), his childhood friend.

In the movie’s climax, Mew sings ‘Gun Lae Gun’ (You and Me/กันและกัน) to a crowd in Siam Center while Tong watches from afar. This song, which has three different versions in the OST, carries all of the characters’ hopes and longing with an optimistic innocence that is almost heartbreaking: ‘ Let this be the song that guides our way, with our voices, you and me (ให้มันเป็นเพลงบนทางเดินเคียง ที่จะมีเพียงเสียงเธอกับฉัน)/ Together, as long as possible (อยู่ด้วยกันตราบนานๆ)/ Just like a line from a poem, As long as you have love you have hope, (ดั่งในใจความบอกในกวีว่าตราบใดที่มีรักย่อมมีหวัง)/When our love shines through, I have a goal (คือทุกครั้งที่รักของเธอส่องใจ ฉันมีปลายทาง).’

The single version sung by Q Flure is synth-pop perfection. Building slowly from the somber piano intro, it explodes into a dancy chorus complete with new wave flourishes. The film’s director, Matthew Chookiat Sakveerakul, also takes a shot at an acoustic version of Gun Lae Gun. The jazzy saxophone solo and the laid-back strumming make this version’s mood more pensive. The August Band’s live rendition (he is still credited here as a solo artist) is my favorite of the three. The awkward rawness of the band’s playing wonderfully complements the vocalist’s pleading sincerity, and taken within the movie’s context, is simply one of the most vulnerable confessions I’ve ever heard.

The timidly funky ‘Roo Suek Barng Mhai’ (รู้สึกบ้างไหม), which Pchy composed and performed, also has a live and studio version, and both recordings are equally good. What the live version lacks in polish it makes up for in immediacy of emotions; the right-there-in-your-room recording quality is a thrill to listen to. ‘Pieng Ter’ (เพียงเธอ) lilts like a lullaby and is a soothing number with a bare piano and guitar arrangement. In contrast, ‘Ticket (Day Trip)’ is a slick, easy-grooving R&B track. The VCD that comes with the OST contains interviews of the film’s teen stars, and music videos of the single version of Gun Lae Gun and Pieng Ter.