One of the draw backs to get older is that you really do lose touch with the younger generation. Fortunately I teach guitar for a living — primarily to young people — and that keeps me abreast of what’s happening culturally. One of my students, […]

Brooklyn Baby Lana Del Rey’s “Brooklyn Baby” is a song from her third studio album, Ultraviolence (2014). It is a satirical ode to the hipster subculture of Brooklyn, New York, and it is one of her most popular and critically acclaimed songs. With Brooklyn Baby, […]

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 […]

Fury Fury is a 2014 American war film directed by David Ayer. It stars Brad Pitt as Wardaddy, a tank commander who leads a five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film’s score was composed […]

Penny Dreadful Penny Dreadful, was a supernatural horror/drama series that aired from 2014 to 2016. The series is set in Victorian London and features a number of well-known horror characters, including Victor Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and the vampire Count Dracula. The series’ musical theme, “Demimonde”, […]

Latch Sam Smith’s Nirvana EP, released in 2013, was his debut EP and featured four songs, including the acoustic version of his breakthrough single “Latch”. The EP was a critical and commercial success, reaching number two on the UK Albums Chart. “Latch” is a collaboration […]

Sister Rust Lucy is a 2014 science fiction action thriller film directed by Luc Besson and starring Scarlett Johansson. The film follows the story of Lucy, a woman who is forced to become a drug mule for a group of gangsters. When she is accidentally […]

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 […]

Ultraviolence Lana Del Rey’s song “Ultraviolence” is a dark and atmospheric ballad that explores the themes of toxic love, violence, and addiction. If you listen to this song with the right frame of mind, Ultraviolence is the perfect James Bond theme. Lyrically and musically. The […]

Vladimir’s Blues Vladimir’s Blues is a short, but haunting piece of music by Max Richter. It was first released in 2004 on his album The Blue Notebooks, and has since become one of his most popular and enduring works. The piece is named after Vladimir […]

Once Upon a Dream The 2014 film Maleficent is a dark retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, the evil fairy who curses Princess Aurora to fall into a deep sleep on her sixteenth birthday. The film’s […]

No Rest for the Wicked Lykke Li is a Swedish singer-songwriter known for her dark, introspective music. Her song “No Rest for the Wicked” is one of her most popular and critically acclaimed tracks. The song was released in 2014 as the lead single from […]