Back catalogue: Soundtracks

Review: Undeniably one of the most prolific anime soundtracks of all time, Yoko Kanno's band SEATBELTS was formed just to record this 1998 OST for Shinichiro Watanabe's smash success 'Cowboy Bebop'. Following the adventures of the crew of Bebop, a bounty hunter ship that chases criminals and turns them into the Inter Solar System Police for reward, Kanno's zany fusion of rock, blues and jazz oozes cool. The opening track 'Tank!' has been hugely influential, informing innumerable title sequences, from 'Danganronpa' to 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'. Focusing, as the Japanese often do, on Americana hallmarks, there is a distinct New York slant in the horns with some Afro-Cuban percussive influences as well, most notably on 'Rush' from the first 'COWBOY BEBOP' album. This boxset serves as a comprehensive rundown of all things SEATBELTS, an 11-vinyl boxset featuring all 7 albums the band have made for the legendary franchise housed in a box with art from the show.

Review: Yoko Kanni's seminal "Tank! Gold: Cowboy Bebop' soundtrack is now a quarter of a century old and to mark that occasion it has been pressed up for this special 25th Anniversary Edition across a double album including a booklet courtesy of Victor Entertainment. The anime movie itself is one of the most famous of the genre and follows the adventures of the crew of Bebop, a bounty hunter ship that chases criminals and turns them into the Inter Solar System Police for reward, Kanno's zany fusion of rock, blues and jazz oozes cool. It's a musical mix of Afro-Cuban rhythms, New York horns and plenty more.

Review: Spanning no less than 131 volumes in print, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has understandably found cult status among fans of Manga worldwide. Running from 1987 to present day, the most recent instalments began serialisation in 2023. Presumably looking to make the most of the first new chapters since 2012, Sony has opted to re-release the score to part five, Golden Wind, which landed in 2001 and was adapted into anime form. Setting the scene in Naples, Italy, the plot involves gangsters, drug dealers who specifically target kids, and a plot to kill the protagonist's daughter. Steeped in Japanese animated movie score traditions, the accompanying music by celebrated composer Kanno Yugo is at times tense, in other moments playful, often fantastic, regularly bizarre, and resolutely eccentric.

Review: Tava Tava Rare is a pretty apt name for the label behind this strangely captivating and utterly bizarre release. And we don't actually know what Tava Tava means. Rare in the truest sense, UFO Robot Grendizer was a 1970s Japanese animated series that very few people will have heard of outside the country in which it was made, let alone have seen or experienced the soundtrack as it was designed.

What this means is the tunes here have a kind of open-ended meaning, removed from their intended context. And, free from the trappings of a specific show and its iconography, we're left with tunes that are grand, dramatic, emotionally charged, witty, sincere, and spanning a full spectrum from tense and captivating to pomp and pageantry. They really don't make them like this anymore.

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Review: .You have to admire Basil Kirchin's attitude. At the age of 13, he joined his father's Big Band orchestra,, debuting at Tottenham Court Road's Paramount venue, and would spend up to eight hours a day practicing music during the London Blitz. Soon after the war ended, he went off to tour with a number of famous names, including Teddy Foster and Ted Heath, before he rejoined his old man's outfit for another stint. The arrival of rock & roll in the late-1950s catalysed a decision to leave that group again, telling his parent "you're a prisoner of rhythm, and I was fed up playing other people's music." At this point, Kirchin headed for India, spending five months in the Ramakrishna Temple trying to figure out what life was about, and if his world view had any substance beyond "the ramblings of a pot-head." This was before other artists were doing that kind of thing. A true visionary who would go on to play a pivotal role in the British jazz, avant garde, free jazz and experimental scenes, now you know all that is there anyway you're not buying this?

Review: The iconic Contra saga gets a big revival here with Ship to Shore unveiling the inaugural vinyl release of KONAMI's Contra: ReBirth soundtrack. In this superb adventure, Chief Salamander threatens Earth by altering history, plunging it into chaos. Exclusive to WiiWare in 2009, Contra ReBirth offers a nostalgic homage to classic 16-bit run-and-gun gameplay, enhanced with modern graphics and seamless action. The soundtrack, remixed in signature KONAMI ReBirth style, revitalises beloved Contra melodies and delivers an electrifying fusion of past and present. Complete with liner notes by Jeremy Parish and captivating artwork by Drew Wise, this one comes on striking purple-blue swirl wax.

Review: In 1991, 'Super Casltvania IV' smashed onto the SNES rocking a brand new story and soundtrack composed by Masanori Adachi and Taro Kodou. Of the huge amounts of critical acclaim the game garnered for it's gothic, creepy atmosphere, the sound design was always at the forefront of the conversation. Even retrospectively, many publications consider 'Super Castlevania IV' to be a contender for best Castlevania, SNES and even videogame of all time.

Extremely limited to the sound chip, leading to what we now recognise as chiptune music, the atmosphere wasn't sacrificed at all, with the bitty synths imitating organs and bass guitar to create some low-key jams like 'Forest of Monsters' and of course the 'Theme of Simon'. These sounds have gone on to influence huge game franchises like Capcom's Phoenix Wright series. Part of Mondo's effort to have these soundtracks available for Castlevania's 30th anniversary, this comes packaged on beautiful 180g eco vinyl and unique artwork.

Review: Tom Ford's second feature film was another classy affair. A refined and sophisticated piece that's based on the1993 novel, Tony & Susan, which was written by Austin Wright. If you're not seen it, we'll not spoil it, but to quickly summarise it involves a gallery owner reading a new novel by her first husband. In its pages, she sees plenty that mirrors how their relationship played out. Reflective, tense and thoughtful moods abound. Who better to provide the soundtrack, then, than Abel Korzeniowski. An accomplished composter, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter responsible for a plethora of excellent scores, here he provides exactly the tonic. Subtle, but incredibly powerful slices if contemporary classical that seem to speak to the mind and heart in equal measure. Those who like this should also check A Single Man, the directorial debut of Ford which Korzeniowski also scored.

Review: The ominous clangs and thuds grow louder and louder, louder and louder, atmosphere of increasing tension turning into borderline panic as timbre's brooding menace threatens to erupt into snarling aggression. Suffice to say, like a good chunk of Diabel, 'Wedding Dance Macabre' is disinterested in niceties and would likely run anyone through who is looking for background music. The fact this is one of Andrzej Korzy?ski's scores for one of Andrzej ?u?awski's movies only makes that feat more phenomenal, given the role soundtracks often play in cinema.

Of course, it's not all so foreboding and intimidating. Tracks like 'Through the Door - Theodor' are in fact downright playful, tune comprising high pitched 'boing' noises, like springs recoiling in harmony, while 'Your Father Is Dead Young Lord' is a masterclass in emotionally captivating piano. Nevertheless, the point remains - these were never meant to accompany a visual piece, but instead play leading parts in the narrative of Diabel.

Review: You might be more familiar with Bobby Krlic's long-established moniker, The Haxan Cloak, with two critically acclaimed studio albums already out under that name. Here, he steps out from behind the veil (ahem) for the latest example of just how far video game soundtracks are going these days. Returnal is a third-person shooter set in space, wherein players land on a distant planet in search of the White Shadow, a mysterious signal that has been emanating from the region.

Sadly, things don't go too well, as we wind up trapped in a time loop, really just wanting to go home and make some sense of what's happening. Krlic's score does that surreal and unnerving plot proud, moving between these huge, epic, Blade Runner-esque moments of stretched synth refrains to collages of eerie chimes and whispered abstract noises.

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


WRWTFWW Records have got the official rights to reissue Daisaku Kume's iconic soundtrack to Violent Cop, a highly acclaimed 1989 Japanese crime and drama movie that is now available outside of Japan for the first time in its history. The movie marked Takeshi Kitano's directorial debut and is a grotty new-noir staring a rogue detective and sadistic crime syndicate. The soundtrack ranges from smooth jazz melancholy to late 70s fusion and is a superb blend of atmospheric and dramatic genres including elements of ambient-classical, and modern Western atmospherics making it the perfect accompaniment to the lead lonesome urban cowboy character.

Review: WRWTFWW Records have got the official rights to reissue Daisaku Kume's iconic soundtrack to Violent Cop, a highly acclaimed 1989 Japanese crime and drama movie that is now available outside of Japan for the first time in its history. The movie marked Takeshi Kitano's directorial debut and is a grotty new-noir staring a rogue detective and sadistic crime syndicate. The soundtrack ranges from smooth jazz melancholy to late 70s fusion and is a superb blend of atmospheric and dramatic genres including elements of ambient-classical, and modern Western atmospherics making it the perfect accompaniment to the lead lonesome urban cowboy character.

Review: Among the many hot takes about the recent London romance film Rye Lane is that it is the UK's Amelie, contributing further to the continued coolification of South London's Peckham, in which the film is set. Whatever your take on the film is, it's certainly far less controversial to consider its stellar soundtrack work by Kwesi Sey aka Kwes, a longtime fixture of London's musical spirit. A curveball compared to his wholly original releases with Warp, Kwes took a detour here, in part taking on the image of his collaborator Mica Levi by debuting his first ever soundtrack. Quirky, pink and full of the ideal spirit of the film, Kwes' chosen sound is unfiltered, opting for ear-to-the-ground neo-soul motifs and clear-eyed ballads written with his friends Tirzah and Sampha.

Review: It's astounding to think that Mother 2 was released in 1994. A landmark moment for the SNES video game system, it arrived five years after its predecessor, and as such enjoyed the benefits of what was then a next generation platform. Felt in terms of graphical and gameplay capabilities, suffice to say the upgraded hardware was also capable of capturing much more engaging and imaginative music. Here we are, almost 30 years on from when this sequel first captivated people, and the score itself gets a re-release on vinyl. Again drafting Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki as composers, the pair would later explain how much more freedom they had due to the technological progress made between this and its predecessor. Translated into a music review, think deep, atmospheric ambient constructed from many layers of sound. A futuristic sonic trip into the far reaches of the cosmos that still holds up within the genre today.