Life on Mars? “Life on Mars?” is a highly acclaimed song by the iconic David Bowie. It was originally released on his 1971 album Hunky Dory and later as a single in 1973. The lyrics are surreal and cinematic, depicting a young girl’s escapist disillusionment […]

Renaissance “The White Lotus” is an acclaimed HBO anthology series, known for its social satire and dark comedy. Each season follows the wealthy guests and the staff at a luxurious “White Lotus” resort, with each location providing a new backdrop for the unfolding dramedy. “Renaissance” […]

The Last of Us Part II Gustavo Santaolalla’s score for “The Last of Us Part II” deepens the game’s harrowing, emotional landscape. The title theme is played on some type of guitar-banjo (played as an actual 6 string guitar). We can also see elements of […]

Summertime Sadness “Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey, is a bittersweet anthem with a dreamy and cinematic production. I love Lana’s signature breathy, crooning vocals. Together it creates an atmosphere of beautiful longing. It’s a summer song that acknowledges the shadows within the sunshine — […]

Where is My Mind This song was originally released in 1988 by The Pixies. It’s a true “indie” song — with a delightfully Lo-fi production. The drums sound like they were recorded with a single room mic. Where is My Mind was most famously used […]

Resolve This piece is from the HBO Max series, The Last of Us (season 1). The series is directly based on the iconic PlayStation game where —  in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal pandemic, Joel, a hardened smuggler, is tasked with escorting Ellie, […]

Severance Severance is a psychological thriller series on Apple TV+ about employees at Lumon Industries who have undergone a “severance” procedure, surgically dividing their memories between their work and personal lives. This creates two distinct versions of themselves: one for work (the “innie”) and one […]

Song From a Secret Garden Secret Garden is an Irish-Norwegian duo specializing in New Age instrumental music — combining elements of Celtic and neo-classical styles. The duo consists of Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and Norwegian composer and pianist Rolf Løvland. The pair rose to international […]

The Shire Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a masterpiece, and among its many highlights, “The Shire” stands out as a beacon of warmth and nostalgia. This gentle, folk-inspired theme captures the idyllic homeland of the hobbits. The opening melody […]

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 […]

[no spoilers] Goodbye Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a superb and long overdo remake of the 1922 gothic horror classic. The movie looks incredible, and is very well acted — especially by Lily Rose-Depp. I found the film to be an absolute romp: horrifying, arousing, macabre, […]

Superman On Monday 12/16/24 James Gunn released a graphic on Instagram announcing the Superman (2025) trailer. Within the graphic there’s an ethereal and slightly Celtic version of John Williams’ original theme. I thought I was beautiful, and immediately grabbed my guitar to create a fingerstyle […]