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 […]

21 Grams I completely lifted my right-hand technique from composer, Gustavo Santaolalla. He effectively arpeggiates chord shapes by rolling through them with his fingers. This is a beautiful way to voice chords, and pretty easy to do with a little practice. The best way to […]

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 […]

Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) While I don’t know too much about this film — it was released internationally in 2011 as Mumbai Diaries. (At the time of this writing, it’s actually on Netflix.) However, Dhobi Ghat is the one of the best Gustavo Santaolalla soundtracks […]

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 […]

Left Behind (Together) Left Behind (Together) is a nifty, steel-string guitar piece by Gustavo Santaolalla; from The Last of Us Volume 2. It’s emblematic of his ability to find small spaces, and set positive constraints on the guitar. Gustavo Santaolalla picks low hanging fruit like […]

Apertura Apertura is the opening song of Walter Salles’ The Motorcycle Diaries —  a 2004 biopic about a then 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara, who would years later become internationally known as Che Guevara. The film recounts the 1952 expedition by Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado […]

The House I highly recommend The House on Netflix. In general, stop-animation is incredibly engaging — with a weirdness and authenticity that’s impossible to look away from. The House couples this with excellent writing and a creeping dread. This film is an easy watch — […]

Finch Free audio download on SoundCloud. Finch on Apple + was a beautiful and highly entertaining movie: In a post-apocalyptic world, Finch (Tom Hanks) knowing that his health is slowly failing, builds a robot to take of his dog after he passes. The robot was […]

El Recuerdo El Recuerdo (The Memory) by Gustavo Santaolalla, is from the soundtrack of Narcos: Mexico. The whole thing is a treasure trove of gorgeous, minimalist pieces by Santaolalla. The ‘Mexico’ show was excellent too. Within the 1st episode, you’ll be quickly reminded that Narcos […]

Maya and the Three Maya and the Three (Maya y los tres) is a Mexican animated miniseries on Netflix. The show is about a precocious and lively princess on a mission to fulfill an ancient prophecy and save humanity from the wrath of vengeful gods. […]

Abby and Owen This motif is an unreleased track from The Last Of Us Part II by Gustavo Santaolalla. It’s relatively easy to play and works as a perfectly as an etude (a composition built on a technical motive — but played for its artistic […]