“One Battle After Another” is an action-comedy-thriller film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely adapted from the 1990 Thomas Pynchon novel Vineland. Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood composed the film score, marking his sixth collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson. I love all things Radiohead, and Jonny […]

Unravel “Unravel” is a breathtaking and emotionally profound song from Björk’s 1997 masterpiece album, Homogenic. While tracks like “Jóga” and “Bachelorette” often get the spotlight, “Unravel” is a quiet, stunning gem that showcases Björk’s unique artistry. Homogenic is one of my favorite albums, and formative […]

Chichina Directed by Walter Salles, The Motorcycle Diaries 2004 is a biographical drama that chronicles the transformative road trip taken by a young Ernesto Guevara and his friend Alberto, across South America in 1952. The iconic soundtrack is from Gustavo Santaolalla. His song “Chichina” serves […]

Daybreak With virtuoso cinematography and pacing, Nosferatu, keeps you in a trance-like state of awe until the final frame of the film. The movie crescendos in an extraordinary final scene, with an accompanying piece of music entitled, “Daybreak”. Maybe the trance never ends — as […]

Now We Are Free “Now We Are Free” is one of Hans Zimmer’s most iconic themes, right up there with “Time” from Inception. Originally composed with vocalist Lisa Gerrard for Gladiator, the piece captures the Roman concept of the afterlife—Elysium—and the protagonist’s final journey home. […]

The Hand of Fate Hands down, my favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie is Signs. The humor, the humanity, and the early fall scenery of Pennsylvania (my home state) just get me every time; it’s a film I find myself returning to every single autumn. Beyond […]

La Muerte De La Poderosa I revisit The Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack often. The whole thing is a masterpiece. I love everything Gustavo Santaolalla does, but for me, the big two are: The Motorcycle Diaries and Brokeback Mountain. Gustavo Santaolalla’s work on The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) embodies […]

Like Real People Do Irish singer/songwriter, Hozier, is an extraordinary talent, and visionary musician. His voice is a breathy, rounded baritone. His guitar playing is comprised of an avant-garde, alternate tuned fingerstyle. If Hozier’s lyrics were stand alone poetry — he’d be one of the […]

A Model of the Universe This has been one of my all time favorite pieces by the late composer, Johann Johannsson. While I love all of his music, The Theory of Everything, won the Golden Globe for ‘best score’ and is widely considered to be […]

El Paso El Paso is beautiful little étude for Spanish guitar. The piece is by composer, Harry Gregson-Williams, from the 2004 film, Man on Fire. The film starred Denzel Washington as “Creasey” a washed up former special forces operator, who takes a gig as the […]

American Prometheus I’ve been obsessing over the Ludwig Göransson’s Oppenheimer soundtrack since the film’s release. Just brilliant. Like Hans Zimmer at his peak in the 2010’s. This is a complex story about a complex individual — and Christopher Nolan leans heavily on the music to […]

The Road This piece, by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, is the theme from the 2009 film “The Road”; based on the Cormac McCarthy novel (by the same name).  The story details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over a period […]