Snow Snow (Brokeback Mountain) is emblematic of Gustavo Santaolalla’s minimalist, and egoless songwriting. There’s an unusual dissonant chord position at the end of each cycle. It catches you off guard. While Santaolalla is probably following his ear when writing music, he has a proclivity for […]

Making a Murderer Making a Murderer, released in 2015, is an American true crime documentary television series created by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos. The series chronicles the investigation and murder trial of Steven Avery, who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he […]

Relatos Salvajes (Wild Tales) Gustavo Santaolalla is an Argentine composer and record producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Babel (2006). He has also composed music for a number of other films, including The Motorcycle Diaries […]

I love You Too Much “I Love You Too Much” is a song by Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla, written for the 2014 animated film The Book of Life. It is a beautiful and haunting ballad about the power of love and the importance of family. […]

Alma Alma is a hauntingly beautiful instrumental piece composed by Gustavo Santaolalla from his 2014 album Camino. The song is performed on the ronroco, a traditional South American string instrument, and it features a simple but mesmerizing melody that evokes a sense of longing and […]

Home Gustavo Santaolalla is an Argentine composer and musician who is known for his innovative and atmospheric soundtracks. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score for his work on Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Babel (2006). Santaolalla’s soundtrack for the video game The […]

Riding Horses (This post and tab have been updated as of 8/31/20) Riding Horses is one of my favorite selections from Gustavo Santaolalla’s iconic, Academy Award winning score for Brokeback Mountain. It’s truly one Gustavo Santaolalla’s most beautiful melodies. The actual piece is two separate […]

Lima Lima is one of my favorite tracks from Gustavo Santaolalla’s The Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack. Rather than his usual minimalist approach, Lima really displays Santaolalla’s guitar prowess. I had an opportunity to see Gustavo Santaolalla play live in Pittsburgh with his band Bajofondo. Rather than a […]

[Updated September 2017] Biutiful Biutiful stars Javier Bardem and is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant, Birdman). Biutiful is a love story between a father and his children. Uxbal (Bardem) is a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, guilt, and mortality amidst the […]

The Motorcycle Diaries The Motorcycle Diaries is considered to be one of Gustavo Santaolalla’s greatest film scores. The film depicts the complex human and social landscape of South America in the early 1950’s. The film, directed by Walter Salles, is adapted from the journals of […]