Marion’s Theme The score for Raiders of the Lost Ark—and the entire Indiana Jones series—is a cornerstone of my childhood. The collaboration between John Williams and Steven Spielberg produced music that is truly timeless. In particular, ‘Marion’s Theme’ stands out as one of Williams’ most […]

The Mandalorian Set in the Star Wars universe, The Mandalorian takes place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi and follows a bounty hunter beyond the reaches of the New Republic. It’s filmed as “a Western” and it’s the best Star Wars […]

Never Let Me Down Again Never Let Me Down Again, is a song by the English band Depeche Mode, who were pioneers of electronic and “alternative” music in the 1980’s. This song is from their 6th album, Music for the Masses (1987) My arrangement is directly […]

Video Games I’ve always loved the song, Video Games by Lana Del Rey. With her usual deft lyricism and poetry — Lana sings about the relationship she has versus the relationship she fantasizes. It’s all stylized with her signature ‘longing in California’ vibe. Composer Ramin […]

The Last of Us (HBO) The HBO series “The Last of Us” is a critically acclaimed adaptation of the popular video game. Contributing to the show’s atmosphere, is the soundtrack by composer Gustavo Santaolalla. Having also composed the music for the original game, Santaolalla’s work […]

Adagio in C Minor HBO’s Succession has definitely been on my list to watch. A friendly listener suggested Impromptu No. 1 from the soundtrack of Season 3. I had no idea the classically inspired music was from composer, Nicholas Britell. He’s one of my all […]

Yellowstone Yellowstone is a Paramount TV series created by Taylor Sheridan — the writer behind Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River. Kevin Costner plays John Dutton, a father fighting to protect his ranch — the largest in the United States — from land […]

All Quiet on the Western Front This film has instantly become one of my all-time favorites. While based on a literary classic, All Quiet on the Western Front is not your “classic” war film. It has more in common with HBO’s Chernobyl, than 1917. There […]

Blood Theme Dexter was an excellent Showtime series (2006 – 2013) set in Miami. The series centered on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a forensic technician, who leads a secret parallel life as a vigilante serial killer. The Blood Theme, by composer Daniel Licht, is […]

The Quarantine Zone (20 Years Later) The Quarantine Zone is the first song from the iconic The Last of Us soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla. This track embodies Santaolalla’s creativity — and his element of surprise. Quarantine Zone is gnarly, like a Radiohead song. The chorus […]

The Shawshank Redemption Written and directed by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption, is a 1994 drama film based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.  The film tells the story of a banker who is (despite his claims of innocence) sentenced […]

Misty Mountains The Hobbit was directed by Peter Jackson, and the classic music is from composer Howard Shore. Misty Mountains was, naturally, sung by Dwarf Cast. My family just started watching The Rings of Power. We’re finding that — to get all the references — […]