Well, Bond flicks usually go with "cutting-edge" (their words, not mine) pop music at the time, that is, usually a style or sub-genre that most of the world refers to and includes in the all-encompassing 'pop.' Madonna in Die Another Day as well as pretty much all of her songs she ever had heavily rely on Madonna snapping up sounds and styles from the underground. In DAD's case, it was definitely influenced by Electroclash. All of her stuff at the time is based (unrequitedly butchered) on Electroclash. A few years earlier, she did the same with Trance as if once again she invented the damn thing. With Garbage and Guns N' Roses, it was again pop, but under the label of 'rock' because for the target audience, that sort of 'packaging' would definitely be more acceptable and embraced. With the earlier Bond themes, it's harder to consider them Pop, but at the time they certainly were, prior to when 'Pop' earned it's own
feel and still stood for popular. Jazz has so many styles and permutations, just like all the variations of rock, or all the sub-genres of EDM (electronic music...which 'Techno' is a sub-genre, not a synonymn...and which also includes the entire genre of Hip-Hop - little known fact; it's not just umptz umptz umptz
).
Anyways, based on this formula, I cannot see a band such as U2 or similar earning the honor. I'm not ruling them out or anything since I'm sure there are many more and other factors involved that could certainly get them the gig. Personally, though, the formula at it's most basic simplicity is this: Whatever twenty-something middle mid-western America is listening to by the bulk, then it's whatever style/sub-genre that sticks out on that Billboard list that doesn't seem to fit in with that bulk.
I can see Casino Royale going one of two ways with a theme...
1) Something along the lines of aforementioned The Killers. That is, electro/synthpop - heavily influenced and the love child of The Cure, Duran Duran, and Depeche Mode and throw in some Beck. I'd like Metric (
http://ilovemetric.com) or to a lesser degree Tegan and Sara (
http://teganandsara.com), or Air in this case. There are far and few songs and albums that make its way to the mainstream in this case, but it's influence is apparent and growing not just in musical tastes, but stretching past through and into it's ties with fashion. Unfortunately, that also signals that in 3-5 years it's influence and prominence will peak and then die, usually marked by acceptance in the fratboy/chatch community.
2) Downtempo, Deep House or lighter DNB. If they're going back to their roots with Bond while at the same time reinventing him to be relevant in a post-Cold War world, then why not go back to the chill and lounge sounds of an Ella Fitzgerald era but with that modern twist. Nothing too crazy or experimental like straight-ahead jazz (which is amazing by the way), but it has that downbeat, string-bass, brass, elegant-but-intense like a Mediterranean@dusk Balearic vibe...like the fricken James Bond theme!
It's current incarnation...modern downtempo (not all that different from it's early days, but not redundant and every bit as much creative and enjoyable). I would love if it were something in the Jazzanova (
http://jazzanova.net), or Cafe Del Mar (
http://www.cafedelmarmusic.com) line...or Afterlife, Buena Vista Social Club, Lamb, LTJ Bukem, Groove Armada. But judging by past Bond songs, they're probably going to go for a NAME talent which I can't really think of anyone...though I do believe most people have heard and enjoyed these genres without knowing who/what it is. It's used all over the place in lounges, hotels, casinos (hah!), commercials, websites, lobbies (not muzak), etc. Pretty much the Connery era and OHMSS themes ARE earlier downtempo.
Anyone ever listen to the Secret Agent Internet Radio station on SomaFM (
http://somafm.com/)?...named after and inspired by the entire James Bond saga. Anything on the station is pretty much what I'd go with, personally...or Groove Salad or BeatBlender.
