Back catalogue: Soundtracks

Review: We thought they didn't make them like this anymore. Then they made four seasons like this, and we all remembered what it meant to combine fantasy, horror, coming of age, and stick the lot in the most nostalgic decade for many people aged between mid-20s and late-50s. An age that, even if memories are hazy or you weren't even born ye, still manages to reflect the way the world was and had been for some time. The culmination of half a century's progress in mechanics and engineering, the final hurrah before the tech revolution got underway and changed our lives for good.

A key part of what makes Stranger Things so evocative is the music itself. Each instalment is littered with great chart tracks from the year in which they are set - not least this time round, with Kate Bush rocketing to the top of the charts with 'Running Up That Hill' thanks to its use in the show. Nevertheless, the finest sounds on offer are the original tracks, which come in the form of these synth heavy masterpieces, which should be longer, but instead opt for a 'keep them wanting more' philosophy.

Review: Truman Capote's novel Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of the silver screen's most iconic films and certainly one of Henry Mancini's best ever soundtracks. It is a superbly pleasing blend of pop and swing that is captivating and fresh for the duration. The 12 tracks here all exude real class, great songwriting and arranging skills and range from the big-band sound of 'Something for Cat' to the smooth lounge groove 'Sally's Tomato' via the more wilfully wild moments of 'Mr. Yunioshi. Reel To Reel present this reissue on limited edition white vinyl.

Review: Mirai is a Japanese adventure fantasy comedy written and directed by Mamoru Hosodo for the beloved Studio Chizu, the house behind genre favourites such as Belle, Wolf Children and The Boy & The Beast. The latter two releases came with soundtracks by Takagi Masakatsu, a bonafide master of scores whose ability to interpret narratives sonically has been referred to many times before. Here, the composer and musician opts to combine a dreamy aural aesthetic with more simplistic tonalities, which to him apparently reference the everyday family dynamics playing out on screen, combined with the more extraordinary elements of the story itself. The result is at times woozy and dizzying, in other moments reflective and relaxing, and always immediately captivating, romantic, and smile-inducing.

Review: In one of those instances where the soundtrack eclipses the film, Curtis Mayfield's Superfly stands tall as a career highlight from one of soul's all-time greatest. The blaxploitation film itself was solid, but the songs Mayfield wrote for it are pure perfection - an acerbic portrayal of street life in urban America that views its players with heart and understanding, a truly wise rumination on cause and effect set to some of the most transcendent funk playing imaginable. As well as the original album, this special double-disc edition features single mixes, instrumentals and alternate takes from the sessions, deepening the legend of this seminal work.

Review: Comet In Moominland was a cult kids TV show that has never been heard before. It is a world of Moomin melodies and instrumental comet songs from a show that is often said to be one of the most haunting ever shown for children. It is crafted on a weird and wonderful array of gear, with lo-fi home tricks as well as ocarinas, kalimbas, miniature squeak boxes, Waspy synths, cornflake box shakers and more. The sounds are as enigmatic, curious and alluring as the show was and this is the sort of occult and left of centre record we hardcore diggers always love to lap up.

Review: This soundtrack was devised for the video game of the same name which finds lead character Serge stumble into another world and learns of the connection between his existence and the future of his planet. It is a classic time-bending tale and has an epic soundtrack that is beautifully innocent, naive and uplifting. Originally released only in Japan as Chrono Concert series merchandise, this long player features all the music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda complete with a booklet featuring plenty of extras.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Ennio Morricone's legacy is well known across the world, or at least the world of cinephiles. The legendary film composer is responsible or no less than 400 movie and TV scores (in fact, he's made a few more), with a 100-strong oeuvre of classical compositions to add to that storied back catalogue. Sadly lost last year at the age of 91- unrelated to coronavirus - much of his work is now rightfully returning to the release schedule.

Of course, none of his output can match the music he created to accompany Spaghetti Westerns - Italian made cowboy movies from directors such as another late-great, Sergio Leone, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars. 134 of the finest arrangements from that part of his life are included on this mammoth collector's item, which proves you don't really need visuals to be transported to the wild frontier towns of yesterday.

Review: Soundtrack maestro Ennio Morricone is back with Psycho, the second in a series of five double vinyl releases that collect his best filmic work. This volume is focussed on his work with Italian directors from the late 1960s up to the 1980s and the music was made for dark films and the occasional horror. This is the Italian's milieu, though, where he feels most at home and gets his best results. This limited pressing on translucent red vinyl includes a four page insert with liner notes written by Claudio Fuiano and plenty of eerie tracks that will have you looking over your shoulder.

Review: There is a glut of Ennio Morricone soundtracks being released at the moment and each one needs to be heard. Following the likes of Cosa Avete Fatto A Solange? and Theme V: Passion comes Istruttoria E Chiusa: Dimentichi from this renowned composer. The film was a 1971 Italian crime drama directed by Damiano Damiani and for it Morricone crafted an obscure score to the thriller which went on to be globally admired by fans and critics alike. A couple of tunes here were not used in the final film having been recorded in the original session and they are the B2 and B3, which both need hearing.

Review: The man, the legend, the soundtrack composer extraordinaire, Ennio Morricone pull off another master stroke with this one. It is the soundtrack to Il Prigioniero, a TV movie broadcasted by Italian Rai Television in 1978 that now gets a super limited reissue on heavyweight wax. As always with this great, this is a serious score with many different sides - sentimentality, romance, drama, tension, and historic atmosphere that takes you right back to the era in an instant. Flute, harpsichord, cello, bass, pianos and fine orchestral work all feature and add to the psychological suspense. Sicilian folk song 'Si l'ammuri' is a gem, as is the loved up and old fashioned 'Dove sei amore.'

Review: RECOMMENDED
It has been just over 12 months since Ennio Morricone passed away, aged 91, and if it were up to use there would have been a non-stop stream of reissues from the Italian maestro's back catalogue to help people either remember or discover what made his work so important. It's hard to comprehend, but during his career he wrote more than 400 scores for TV and cinema, alongside around 100 classical works. That's some contribution.

Giu' La Testa is one of many he worked on to accompany a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western - with the pair collaborating on all but the latter's directorial debut. From whichever angle you're listening, this is the epitome of that relationship, with tracks veering from deeply atmospheric to playful, Romantic and wistful to cautiously adventurous. Exceptional stuff from a genuinely irreplaceable practitioner.

Review: If you've been paying attention then Augustus Muller will be familiar thanks to the wonders of Boy Harsher. Here casting off the expectations that live act create to focus instead on a debut solo feature film score, those who really have been studying will also know this is actually his third soundtrack following music created for two experimental porn movies a little earlier. Focusing on My Animal, the flick itself is a genre (and mind-)bending romantic horror about a woman tormented by a family curse. Sonically, this translates as tracks which at once play out like an homage to the glory days of atmospheric synth sounds made for movies, from Phantasm to Assault On Precinct 13, while also feeling genuinely fresh and innovative. Suspense by the background refrain and curious key-load, you can listen to it with or without the visuals and still feel immersed.

Review: This release marks the first offical vinyl outing for Gustavo Santaolalla and Mac Quayle's soundtrack. It is the highly anticipated 2020 sequel, The Last Of Us Part II and features stunning new artwork by Tula Lotay and liner notes by Co-Writer and Director Neil Druckmann. Musically it is a striking and emotive listen that takes in moments of bass heavy impending doom next to gentler tracks of acoustic guitar that soundtrack tearful moments. The dual narratives of revenge and differing perspectives of the game all shine through in beautiful fashion.

Review: Final Symphony II delves deeper into the cherished melodies of the Final Fantasy series. Renowned composers Roger Wanamo and Jonne Valtonen skillfully craft rich and intricate arrangements of Nobuo Uematsu's iconic compositions from FF5, 8 & 9. Additionally, Masashi Hamauzu offers a captivating suite inspired by his monumental original score for Final Fantasy XIII, while Valtonen sets the tone with his atmospheric opening piece 'In a Roundabout Way - Fanfare'. Pianist Mischa Cheung shines brightly in the spotlight, captivating audiences with his masterful performances in 'For the People of Gaia' and the emotive solo arrangement 'You Are Not Alone'.