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 […]

The Haunting of Hill House I loved this Netflix series from writer/director Mike Flanagan. The music by The Newton Brothers almost acts like an additional character (or ghost). If you’ve seen the series, you’ll agree the music and film are inextricably linked. This is also […]

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 […]

Blood Oath This is definitely my favorite piece from the IT score. I’m 45, so I remember when the book came out in the 80’s: Stephen King’s IT (the book) was figuratively and literally biggest thing in 1986. I remember going Christmas shopping at the […]

Andor Andor is unlike anything else in Star Wars canon. It’s a slow burn, clearly designed for adults — don’t expect The Mandalorian. This is more Blade Runner than lightsabers. The acting is excellent, especially Diego Luna in the title role, who brings a brooding, […]

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 […]

The Parting Glass The Parting Glass is a Scottish traditional song written in 1770. (However, evidence of this song has been found in manuscripts from the 1620s-1630’s.) This solo guitar arrangement is heavily inspired by the live a-capella versions of Loreena McKennitt and Hozier. The […]

The Terminator The original Terminator theme was written by 80’s synthesizer composer, Brad Fiedel. Even though he composed a lot of movie scores through the 80’s and early 90’s, The Terminator theme was the defining work of his career. The best version of this theme […]

Naru’s Way Prey, is an origin prequel to Predator, set 300 years ago in the world of the Comanche Nation, in 1719. The story follows Naru (Amber Midthunder) a skilled warrior, as she fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators […]

Casadh an Tsúgáin Sean-nós “in the old way” singing is unaccompanied, traditional Irish vocal music — usually performed in the Irish language. Of these singers, Iarla Ó Lionáird is definitely my favorite. His performances are emotive, and his intonation is masterful. The song, Casadh an […]

My Heart Will Go On I recently heard a super minimal version of My Heart Will Go On played with two cellos. I believe the duo’s name was literally 2CELLOS. It was beautiful and I wanted to create a subtle and minimal guitar version too. […]

Fifty Fifty Narcos: Mexico is the soundtrack that I had been waiting for. It’s a glorious series and Gustavo Santaolalla adds a smooth, dark underpinning. Much like Amado Carrillo Fuentes character himself. Although Gustavo Santaolalla is prolific pop musician and composer — I prefer his […]