Back catalogue: Soundtracks

Review: Who doesn't love Toy Story? It's an on going classic with a heart of gold, some of The best animation in the film world and most loveable characters to ever make the silver screen. Whether young or old, snuggling down to watch this sone is always a treat, and now you can bring some of that magic onto your decks with the red vinyl compilation album. It brings together some of the best tracks and favourite musical moments of the movie such as, of course the most notable song of them all, 'You've Got A Friend In Me (Para El Buzz Espanol)' as well as 'I Will Go Sailing No More' and 'We Belong Together.'

Review: Galcher Lustwerk has put together a collection of 10 ambient cuts here that he wrote to score a film by Josh Kline, a fine artist whose solo exhibition 'Project for a New American Century' recently opened at the Whitey Museum of American Art in New York. It is a dystopic science fiction movie that details what happens after the climate crisis really takes hold. The music is an esoteric mix of free jazz, drones and bleeped-out ambient that is alive with busy, fizzing frequencies. It's a dense, textural brew that collides synth and sax sounds into a new sort of tribute to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner score.

Review: As the name suggests, this album is a full-on dub and reggae re-rendering of soundtrack themes from nearly every Studio Ghibli film - from 'My Neighbour Totoro', to 'Nausicaa', to 'Princess Mononoke' - courtesy of a mysterious troupe known only as GBL Sound System. Production comes courtesy of Dubforce's Ippei Tatsuyama and features vocals from artist Kyoko Abe, making for ear-piquing foray into Japanese dub reworks.

Review: Some 30 years later, Flashback, the legendary game by Paul Cuisset, is back with a new addition to the franchise. A classic game for the players, the newly reissued version of Flaschback 2 gets a facelift on its 30th Anniversary, in "2.5D" - following his victory over the Master Brain in the first episode, Conrad and his allies are once again confronted with Morphs, whose modus operandi is to crush all civilization. The new OST was produced by Raphael Gesqua; with about one hundred original soundtracks created for video games or cinema since the beginning of the 90s, Gesqua reunites here with the one who got him started in the world of video games: Paul Cuisset, on Flashback: The Quest For Identity. Cuts from both versions of the game (Commodore and Amiga) appear as part of a rich soundtrack, swerving between cinematic music, electronics and synthwave ambiances. A must have for all science fiction fans.

Review: Having slowly become known as 'Batman for the clubbing era', Matt Reeves' new 2022 film version of the Batman story had several techno bits thrown in. But for the most part, its spectacle was locked in by this swelling classical soundtrack by Michael Giacchino. Nearly two hours of emotion adorn all sides of this 3xLP, bringing fresh darkness to a renowned series - probably one of the most re-done franchises in the world, in fact.

Review: It's pretty hard these days to keep up with all the different new Spider-Man movies, but you should try because somehow they all seem to be pretty good despite it being such a well-worn character. The music, too, always manages to reach new levels as did this, the original soundtrack for the 2017 version, Spider-Man: Homecoming, by Michael Giacchino. It is full of dramatic and wide-screen orchestration, sweeping strings and rousing musical adventure but also the more quiet moments of reflection and tenderness. This version comes with a poster in a deluxe sleeve on blue vinyl.

Review: Michael Giacchino's score for 'Lost: Season 1' did plenty to add to the cult shows mystical appeal. Released originally in 2006 and now arriving via Craft across four sides of vinyl, the soundtrack weaves a rich tapestry of emotion, mystery and adventure with Giacchino's evocative compositions capturing the essence of the show's enigmatic island setting and enhancing the drama and suspense of each episode. The main theme, with its haunting strings and ethereal melodies, became synonymous with the series and contributed to its atmospheric allure. Giacchino's ability to create a musical landscape that mirrors the show's complexity makes this a standout soundtrack of its kind.

Review: Michael Giacchino, a decorated Academy Award-r winning composer, delivers a commanding yet tender score for J.A. Bayona's moving film The Society of the Snow. It recounts the harrowing true tale of the 1972 Uruguayan flight that crashed in the remote Andes, and the ensuing battle for survival. Amid despair, the film champions hope which is a sentiment echoed in Giacchino's emotionally charged score. Balancing poignancy with optimism, the music navigates a delicate path that amplifies the film's power. Bayona and Giacchino's collaboration yields a cinematic masterpiece that will surely resonate as one of the year's most compelling narratives.

Review: The 2002 film The Hours starred hefty Hollywood talents Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, and the original score was composed by no lesser titan of his industry than Philip Glass. It is a masterful work from the legendary minimal composer and is here presented across four sides of vinyl by the Nonesuch label. It has plenty of thick, lush strings and lots of tonal suspension with cool piano parts, plenty of heavily pregnant silences and cascading scales that all add plenty to the film itself as well as being a great standalone listen.

Review: Suspiria, one of Dario Argento's defining horror masterpieces, wasn't the first time Goblin had worked with the controversial-yet-acclaimed Italian director. The progressive rockers had, two years previous, delivered the incredible score to Profondo Rosso, and won plaudits at the time for their work - once people knew it was them. It was originally intended to be soundtracked by jazz pianist and composer Giorgio Gaslini, but disagreements on his output left just three of his themes in, but the credits were never updated, leaving Goblin listed incorrectly as "performers" as oppose to writers of the music. While this would have left a bad taste in the mouths of many, evidently that wasn't the case here. Two years later, the band were back with Argento and making this insane collection of sounds, half tracks, atmospheric noises, and cacophonous arrangements. A truly visceral experience, it's an immersive assault on the senses touching on experimental electronics, contemporary classical, gothic, and plain weirdo.

Review: Talk about a cultural Tardis, Doctor Who ranks among the most longstanding love affairs British TV viewers have ever had with a work of science fiction, ranking up there with global phenomena such as Star Trek in terms of legions of faithful fans and decade-spanning sagas. After a small blip of obscurity in the mid-late-1990s and immediate post-millennium years, the show rebooted and reconfigured for the 21st Century in 2005, and hasn't left the common conscience since.

The score is certainly something to do with that resonance. As far as theme tunes go, Doctor Who's may not still be the most forward thinking (as it was back in 1963), but it's easily up there in the premier league of iconic. On this live rendition of music from the latter-day Series 1 & 2 that theme remains as impactful, while a talented entourage of players and conductors also help us remember just how consistent the music is overall.

Review: In the grand tradition of devilish offspring on film, has there even been one as powerfully creepy as little Damien in The Omen? The film may show its age these days, but the Gregory Peck-starring horror remains an all-time classic, and that's in no small part down to Jerry Goldsmith's score. Just listen to the eerie choral chants opening up 'Ave Satani' and feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. This seminal horror soundtrack has now been repressed on a limited blood red and black splattered vinyl, all the better to channel your own demons from the comfort of your home.

Review: Earnest, atmospheric, romantic-gothic guitar pieces from Alain Goraguer, whose Rare Soundtracks & Lost Tapes hears a collection never heard before on vinyl. Goraguer is best known as a collaborator and ghostwriter of Serge Gainsbourg, as well as the scoring composer for the surrealist sci-fi animation film Fantastic Planet. At around the same time of the making of these two indelible compositions, Goraguer also wrote two similar, but less publicly-oriented scores, both of which appear on this record in a back-to-back fashion. An array of breathy flutes, eerie backing synth counterpoints, and shaky percussions all combine to cloud the glasses on this beautifully bittersweet album-length hypnosis.

Review: La Planete Sauvage, or Fantastic Planet to give its Anglicised name, is a landmark of animation. In technical terms, it's perhaps not the most advanced film to have come out in 1973, but the creative vision, storyline and atmosphere of Rene Laloux's film remains an enduring influence, and that's helped no end by Alain Goraguer's surrealist, expressive score. As the film celebrates its 50th anniversary, Decca are pulling out the stops for a high-end reissue that remixes and remasters Goraguer's score from the recently discovered multi-track tapes, including seven previously unreleased pieces and three alternative mixes.

Review: There isn't a Star Wars fan in the known galaxy who isn't singing the praises of The Mandalorian, a series which has gifted the world (and the merchandising machine) with the magic of Baby Yoda. As well as the stunning sci-fi action on screen, the series is also notable for the striking soundtrack from Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson, and now you can score a highly collectable edition of that very work thanks to this awesome picture disc. With the titular hero's helmet on one side, and of course wee little Grogu in his hover basket thing on the other, this is one that will look as good on the shelf as it will sound on the platter.

Review: If you've not seem the movie Oppenheimer chances are you've had your head buried deep in the sand for the past year or so. The multi-Academy Award-winning scientific epic charts the development of the first nuclear bomb and subsequent realisation, on the part of the man who cracked the formula, that such terrifying power should never have been brought into our world. Directed by Christopher Nolan, outspoken critics of the master filmmaker may by now be wondering if he'll ever make another movie with a linear storyline - so much of his output is anything but these days. However, that slightly surreal, disjointed, era-jumping approach to storytelling necessitates a soundtrack that combines stunning classical and more avant-garde experimentations. Which Ludwig Goransson delivered with spectacular effect. Now those tones are yours to own.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Summer 2023 will always be remembered for the cinematic battle that was Barbie vs Oppenheimer, two polar opposite Hollywood smashes that spawned a wave of memes. Both managed to break records but one stands out when it comes to the soundtrack - and that is Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, the three-hour epic about the genesis of the atomic bomb. Written by Ludwig Goransson it now arrives in full, on nice opaque orange vinyl, via Mondo. The music matches the deep trip into the psyche of a singular American mind J. Robert Oppenheimer with plenty of drama and immersive, emotional moments.

Review: Jonny Greenwood is of course best known for his work with Radiohead, but like all members of that particular band he has side projects. The latest was soaring the music for the film The Power of the Dog. The result is a dark, absorbing and disturbing listen to accompany Jane Campion's Western with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead as a difficult cowboy in early 20th-century Montana. It is Greenwood's third movie soundtrack this year alone with Pablo Larrain's "Spencer" about Princess Diana already out and next up Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" arrives before the end of the month.

Review: It would be pushing it to say many of us were expecting Pablo Larrain's movie about Princess Diana to be the way it was. Or is. In fact, it would be pushing it to say anyone was expecting any film to ever be made about the late-British royal in such a surrealist way. Nevertheless, Spencer is a bonafide work of art and a creative triumph. As such it was always going to come with a great score.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, though, it would also be pushing it to say people predicted just how incredible Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack was, and is as a standalone record. It's the sound of free jazz meeting the baroque tones of a palatial dance. It's the noise of uncertainty, exclusion, difference, and struggle, married to an atmosphere of sophistication and refinement. It's a trip. It's a classic.

Review: Dave Grusin's score for the whodunit comedy Murder by Death masterfully blends traditional and modern elements. Grusin's intent to approach the comedic affair seriously resulted in a thematic and delightful score that captures the film's eclectic nature. Paying homage to British murder-mystery roots while pushing boundaries, Grusin created a unique and charming musical landscape. The score's first-ever vinyl release allows audiences to fully appreciate Grusin's artistry, highlighting the perfect balance between tradition and innovation that characterizes his work.

Review: It has been five long decades since the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving episode first hit US TV screens. Originally aired in 1973, the show proved beyond any doubt that Peanuts was the coolest and most sophisticated cartoon of the day, and that's in no small part down to the original scores, which were the responsibility of Vince Guaraldi, and all of which are worth picking up if you see copies on sale.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has never been available on record before, having only recently been rediscovered in the vaults and then primed for this autumn 2023 debut. Remixed and remastered to elevate some of the details that had been lost in the old recordings, tracks run between lounge jazz and soul funk, with 'Little Birdie' arguably the pick of the lot (and not just because it stands out with those iconic vocals).