soundtracks . library music . exotica . easy

WEEK STARTING 7 Nov

Genre pick of the week Cover of Back To Black - Original Motion Picture Score - 2025 Reissue by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Back To Black - Original Motion Picture Score - 2025 Reissue

    Nick Cave and Warren Ellis crafted the evocative soundtrack for the biopic Back to Black, which chronicles the rise and impact of Amy Winehouse. Their composition is a haunting yet soulful homage, blending melancholic strings and ambient soundscapes to mirror Winehouse’s turbulent journey and profound artistry. The duo’s music underscores the film’s emotional depth, capturing both the rawness of Winehouse’s struggles and the brilliance of her musical legacy

    TRACK LISTING

    SIDE A
    1. Opening
    2. At The Taxi
    3. Park Bench
    4. Tattoo Parlour
    5. Dublin Castle
    6. Snooker Hall
    7. Sort Yourselves Out

    SIDE B
    1. Soho To Glastonbury
    2. Holloway Prison
    3. The End
    4. Song For Amy
    5. Song For Amy (Reprise)

    C418

    Minecraft Volume Beta - 2025 Repress

      Marking the five year anniversary from its original vinyl release and following a mammoth Minecraft year, that saw the release of the global box-office-topping ‘A Minecraft Movie’ starring Jack Black and Jason Mamoa, Ghostly International are making an ultra-rare ‘Warp Speed’ vinyl variant of C418’s legendary video game soundtrack available for the first time at UK retail.

      Originally self-released in 2013, 'Minecraft Volume Beta' was C418’s longest batch of music to date at nearly 140 minutes. The collection features tracks that were “silently” added to Minecraft during its music updates and a few that never officially entered the game. The run time is now adapted to fit the double LP format, while digital downloads include the full set. Rosenfeld’s unmistakable abilities are on display; he creates a sweeping variety of musical ideas that mirror the limitless universe of Minecraft. Ghostly International is thrilled to give this unique collaboration its due treatment and hopes to see the creative inspiration which drives Minecraft and Rosenfeld continue to disperse by virtue of this unexpectedly universal music.

      TRACK LISTING

      1. Ki
      2. Alpha
      3. Blind Spots
      4. Mutation
      5. Biome Fest
      6. Aria Math
      7. Taswell
      8. Beginning 2
      9. Moog City 2
      10. The End
      11. Kyoto
      12. Chirp
      13. Mellohi
      14. Stal
      15. Eleven
      16. Far
      17. Intro

      Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

      Mars - Original Series Soundtrack - 2025 Reissue

        Nick Cave & Warren Ellis present a suitably epic, wondrous soundtrack suite for Mars, the National Geographic Channel's 6-part series. The fictional TV series tells the story of the first astronaut crew on a mission to Mars in 2033. Directed by Everardo Gout and produced by Ron Howard & Brian Grazer, the series aired in November 2016.

        TRACK LISTING

        SIDE A
        1. Mars Theme
        2. Mars
        3. Daedalus
        4. Earth
        5. Science
        6. Space X
        7. Space Station

        SIDE B
        1. Symphony Of The Dead
        2. Planetarium
        3. Towards Daedalus
        4. Life On Mars

        ‘Love it! Electronic wonkiness at its finest’ - Richard Norris (The Grid)

        TEA, CAKES AND THE (WO)MAN MACHINE

        Curtain Twitcher could only have emerged from Sheffield.
        A female electronic duo whose corrupted downtempo post Balearic chug pulses and wobbles, throbs and twitches - full of fat noises and bolshy Moogery.

        It's human and appealingly analogue. More Delia Derbyshire's Radiophonic Workshop than DAF, More Tangerine Dream than Depeche Mode. Not your average bloketronica.

        Frankly this music doesn't behave itself in any way you might expect. Plugged-in post-rave-pop can be far too orderly. Music should be messy. Even on occasion revealing a tune your mum could hum.

        “The Fourth Door” is an English electric meditation that feels organic and effortless. It pairs nicely with “The Perfect Light” - which suggests the dreaminess of early Kraftwerk, Krautrock and Cluster.

        “Migration” and lead track “Northern Flicker” are hazily nostalgic acidic squelchers, to summon the great dance music reviewer James Hamilton!

        Sophie Stone and Grace Griffin's creative and collaborative friendship goes back to the days of influential underground Sheffield venue, Club 60.
        In 2021 they released an album as Surreal Appeal called “Gently Deranged", described as ‘Northern Electro at its mesmerising best’ by Now Then Magazine...

        "Leap The Dips" emerged from machine jamming with a creative freedom that only comes from friendship. That friendship is a musical one but it's also real and genuine: ‘We’ll talk about pretty much owt if you provide the tea and cakes’. 


        STAFF COMMENTS

        Matt says: It's bonkers, it's batshit, it's BRILLIAANNNTT!! Mad cat electronix that should appeal to fans of both The Eccentronic Research Council and Moonlandingz. Full of contradictions, it's both jugular hitting yet psychedelic, proving instrumental electronica can be both fun and sophisticated at the same time; no beards were twiddled in the making of this record!!

        TRACK LISTING

        A1. Migration
        A2. Northern Flicker
        A3. Analogue Epilogue
        A4. The Perfect Light
        B1. Sonate
        B2. Inflight Entertainment
        B3. The Fourth Door

        In between the folds of ceremony and commonality lies a perennial spring of musical expression.

        A statement along the time continuum, or a testament to the resilient resourcefulness embedded in that truth, forms the philosophical approach of this album – the first outing of Dídac.
        Studying an extensive archive of instruments, artifacts, and field recordings at the Musée d’ethnographie de Genève—a space steeped in folkloric gesture – Dídac encountered a cosmos of liturgical music and folk song. Anchored in reverance for tradition and transformation alike, this album navigates the old-world Mediterranean lore through a post-modern ambient lens, threading drone, gentle rhythm, electroacoustic textures and the crude tactility of archival material into one woven tapestry.

        Under the guidance of Dr. Madeleine Leclair, Dídac was invited to work within one of the world’s most extensive ethno- musicological archives—L’AIMP. In the saturated basements and tape-lined backrooms of the museum, he submerged himself in the sounds of ritual and rural life: wax cylinders from the Eastern Mediterranean, tapes of liturgical hymn, the worn edges of communal song.
        In a makeshift studio on the fourth floor of the museum, he sifted through the hours of material he collected, gradually discovering that the archive was no static source – It did not dictate; rather, it served as a companion—offering not answers, but questions. Not a beaten track, but a cluster of sonic clues and riddles. Samples do appear occasionally, tenderly interwoven into the dialogue of the songs. In Dídac’s self-titled debut, the past is not worn as ornament or kitsch; it is listened to and responded to. The museum, its archives, and the visit to Geneva became a foundational culisse of sorts, igniting a myriad of rough cuts and improvisational outtakes.
        Dídac, or Diego Ocejo Muñoz, was born in Madrid in 1994 to a family of both Catalan and Castilian origin.

        Brought up in a religious household, the influence of the Catholic Church innately shaped the social fabric, schooling and daily life. This lingering dominance led the adolescent Diego into a path of rejection of everything sacramental, promptly resorting to subversion in the shape of grafitti, skateboarding and underground music. Only later in life, after a rigorous venture as an acid and electro producer, the Church re-emerged before him in new light, invoking a deep fascination for its mysticism, iconography and choral tradition.

        Spain in general and Catalonia in particular, has long served as a crossroads of the eastern–western Mediterranean continuum, with many of its cultures sharing aspects of way of life and ceremony. At the MEG, Diego found himself puzzled with this realization, resulting in a sonic amalgamation that reaches farther away from the rugged mountains of Catalonia than you might perceive at first encounter.

        The deeply embedded memory of rite and public ceremony, religious hymn and landscape—sieved through the undercurrent of personal re-emergence, forms the emotional topography of this album. The record does not trace this landscape; it inhabits it. Its repetitive mysticism and ambient, wide-eyed gaze could possibly evoke (perhaps redundant) comparisons to artists such as Dimitris Petsetakis, or Popol Vuh’s late 70’s cinema scores.
        The delicate lines between the sacred and the secular – between memory and re-invention – serve as a cipher to understanding this album in its entirety. Titles like Malpàs Mines or Pantocrator’s Portal Outro nudge toward a folkloric and devotional bedrock—places where labor and spirituality coexist, where names preserve both dust and veneration.

        Nevertheless, this is far from mere nostalgia. It is a reclamation — singing alongside the spirits of the past, nurturing what still hums beneath the soil. It is an intimate reflection on tradition, rebellion, adolescence, ceremony and fantasy – a pastoral contemplation on what once was and what is to be.

        TRACK LISTING

        Malpas Mines
        Magic Quest Across Taull
        Pont De Suert
        Mountain Mist
        Sant Quirc
        Eril La Vall
        Midnight Draft
        Pantocrator S Portal Outro

        Trevor Jones & Randy Edelman

        Last Of The Mohicans - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

          Rare is the soundtrack that as time passes overshadows the film of which it was a part, but that’s what has happened in the years since the 1992 release of The Last of the Mohicans. Not that the film is any slouch; Michael Mann’s epic retelling of James Fenimore Cooper’s frontier tale is a cable TV fixture and more evidence that Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the great actors of our time. But the film’s music has emerged as easily one of the most popular scores of ‘90s cinema, with the “Main Title” in particular having become a part of our popular culture the same way as, say, the signature themes from Titanic, Star Wars, and other blockbusters. What makes it even more extraordinary is that the movie’s score emerged from postproduction turmoil as the work of two different composers, Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. Jones’ work is more of the traditional orchestral soundtrack ilk, Edelman’s has a more contemporary feel, but somehow it all fits, with the closing credit song “I Will Find You” by Clannad an added bonus. Long a bestselling soundtrack CD, we at Real Gone Music are releasing this revered soundtrack on double LP peach vinyl, inside a gatefold festooned with production stills. Guaranteed to get your blood stirring!

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Main Title
          2. Elk Hunt
          3. The Kiss
          4. The Glade Part II
          5. Fort Battle
          6. Promentory
          7. Munro’s Office Stockade
          8. Massacre/Canoes
          9. Top Of The World
          10. The Courier
          11. Cora
          12. River Walk And Discovery
          13. Parlay
          14. The British Arrival
          15. Pieces Of A Story
          16. I Will Find You (Performed By Clannad)

          Lovelock

          Business And Pleasure - 2025 Reissue

            Steve Moore reprises his beloved Lovelock guise by presenting his unique riff on the library breaks genre. Business And Pleasure contains grimy groove and sleazy, funk-laden lounge music.

            This vinyl release is hyper-limited, with just 500 pressed for the world.

            The LP is ushered in by the spacey synth-funk of the sleazy, woozy title track. This is that serious slo-mo cosmic-balearic head-nod shit. Laidback bass, heavy funk with dreamy synth and electric guitars. An outstanding opener. Up next, the dynamic, swaggering "Last Call" is a sophisticated, elegant stroll - sweeping, mellow strings, a smooth bassline and gorgeous percussion with urgent keys and swelling synths.

            "Slinky Strut" is another spaced-out, sleazy funk groove with jazz rock by way of a heavy, heavy guitar riff, mellotron and bass breakdowns which build to brass crescendos. Gigantic. "First Class" closes out the side, and, like classic Hawkshaw / Bennett noir, it's got that mysterious and murky stretched out sleuth / detective soul with a great bassline and percussive elements, with swelling strings, ace synths and smooth Rhodes piano melodies entering the mix halfway through. Dramatic guitars and groovy percussion add extra intrigue. It's 7 minutes of funk!

            Side B opens with the stretched-out psychedelic funk and jazz groove of "Stank 49". It takes its sweet time to unfurl, creating enormous - almost sensual - anticipation for the ensuing beauty but, as it does, we're left beguiled and straight-up hypnotised. Heaven-sent synth flourishes and a laidback bassline over smooth drums cement its simple, vivacious grace. "Dangerous Man" is that creeping crime funk we all love; heavy bass and fuzzy guitar riffs, mellow strings and sumptuous piano/synths. It's irresistible, it's ominous and it's pretty gargantuan. It's basically like an El-P hip-hop instrumental. We need to get some rappers over this stuff, stat!

            "Stinkbug" is a dazzling and funky groove-fuelled jazz-rock workout with fizzing synth riffs joined by full percussion and drum breaks, building with strings to a strong swagger. Vigour! To close out this remarkable set, the breezy "Win Or Lose" is laidback soul-inflected funk, utilising urgent, skipping drums and galloping basslines. Just stunning.

            This collection was written and recorded in Spring and Summer of ’24. Everything was tracked at Steve's home studio in Albany, NY except the drums and percussion, which were recorded by Jeff Gretz at his space in NYC. The whole collection is basically a rhythm section feature, so Steve's Rickenbacker 4003 and Fender Jazz Bass play very prominently. The bass guitar serves as lead instrument in a lot of these tracks. Also, lots of Rhodes and stringers (Solina, Logan etc) and guitar (Strat and Les Paul). He even dusted off my sax for this one, which he doesn’t do as often as he’d like!

            This type of groove-oriented library music has been a steady part of Steve's diet since the late 90’s. In heavy rotation while writing this collection were the following classics: “Time Signals” by Klaus Weiss, “Tilsley Orchestral No. 10” by Reg Tilsley, and “Heavy Truckin’” by Simon Haseley. “Voyage” by Brian Bennett was also a big one.

            Lovelock started as a dedicated Italo-disco project, but over the years Steve expanded it to include anything directly informed by the commercial/pop side of the music of his childhood (70s/80s). Writing and recording this album was, like a lot of Steve's music these days, basically a test to see whether or not he could do it.

            The song titles, like the music, are meant to be evocative yet vague. But there is a bit of a travel theme. Steve imagined this record being the soundtrack to a sleazy salesman’s business trip. The kind of guy who, when asked if he’s traveling for business or pleasure, responds “both.” Beyond the traveling salesman comparison, the title directly relates to the creation of this album. This was something he wanted to do just for his own enjoyment. Yet, like our sleazy salesman, he still found a way to get paid.

            The album’s cover was designed by Chris Stevenson, with no little direction from Steve. He knew that he wanted to go with something photography-based for this cover so, in true DIY/cheapskate spirit, Steve started by looking through his own photos. He found the cover image on his phone, taken through an almost empty bottle of beer, and it clicked. The whole album has a very boozy vibe (especially with titles like “Last Call”) so this shot seemed appropriate. We, hic, agree.

            Mastering for this vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis, and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. 


            TRACK LISTING

            A1 Business & Pleasure 5:50
            A2 Last Call 6:57
            A3 Slinky Strut 4:37
            A4 First Class 6:59
            B1 Stank 49 6:26
            B2 Dangerous Man 4:15
            B3 Stinkbug 5:00
            B4 Win Or Lose 4:04

            Q Lazzarus

            Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives Of Q Lazzarus (Music From The Motion Picture)

              For almost everyone, the entry point for discovering the music of Q Lazzarus came via “Goodbye Horses.” The song first appeared in 1988, via Jonathan Demme’s Married to the Mob, but it would not become fully lodged into popular consciousness until it infamously materialized again in Demme’sThe Silence of the Lambs in 1991.“Goodbye Horses” felt like a self-contained universe – dreamlike and wholly unusual, an instant classic that left listeners captivated and curious about the mysterious voice behind it. That voice belonged to Diane Luckey, a uniquely talented artist whose music was ahead of its time and who would ultimately remain largely unrecognized in her lifetime. In conjunction with the release of Aridjis Fuentes’ documentary film Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus, Sacred Bonesis releasing a collection of songs that span the entirety of Q’s career, showcasing the different eras of her work and the full breadth of her personality.

              The first collection of music to be given the blessing of Q’s remaining family, Goodbye Horses has the distinction of being her first and only full-length release. Recorded between 1985 and 1995, this trove of previously unreleased music reflects some of the most interesting facets of pop music from the past four decades in away that feels both savvy and wildly eclectic. The titular “Goodbye Horses” remains a singular piece of spooky new wave perfection and one might imagine an entire Q Lazzarus album coiled around this aesthetic, but much like singers such as Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox, or Lisa Gerrard, Q’s chameleonic voice could lend itself perfectly to a variety of styles and settings. Her cover of Talking Heads’ “Heaven” transforms the song into a full-throated power ballad complete with tinkly piano flourishes, while her take on Gershwin’s “Summertime” sounds like the kind of dubby club redux that could have been a perfect companion to anything from Nightclubbing-era Grace Jones.

              Tracks like “My Mistake” and “Hellfire” flirt with house music and showcase just how brassy and belty Q’s voice could be when shere ally let loose, while “Don’t Let Go” sounds like the kind of bombastic radio single Cher might have released several decades ago. Elsewhere, songs like “Bang Bang” and “I See Your Eyes” espouse the kind of guitar-driven alt-rock sensibilities that, in a parallel universe, could have made them staples on 120 Minutes.

              TRACK LISTING

              LP TRACKLIST:
              1. Goodbye Horses (single Edit)
              2. Heaven
              3. I See Your Eyes
              4. A Fools Life
              5. Summertime
              6. My Mistake
              7. Hellfire
              8. Don’t Let Go
              9. Bang Bang
              10. Goodbye Horses (New Wave Version)

              CD TRACKLIST:
              1. Flesh For Sale
              2. I Don’t Want To Love You Anymore
              3. The Candle Goes Away
              4. Fathers, Mothers, And Children
              5. Dying In The Street
              6. Love Lust
              7. Home
              8. Momma Never Said
              9. The Time Is Right (Dare)
              10. Only You Can Light The Candle
              11. Love Dance
              12. Take The Time
              13. Be Mine
              14. It Don’t Mean Nothing

              The Saxophones

              No Time For Poetry

                Still rooted in their characteristic smoky, faded glamour, The Saxophones' 'No Time for Poetry' expands the natural breeziness of 2023’s 'To Be A Cloud' with a sense of angst and tension, to subtly question the current state of the world and their place within it.

                Husband-and-wife duo Alexi Erenkov and Alison Alderdice are augmented by their regular collaborator Richard Laws on bass, synthesizers and keyboards, as well as multi-instrumentalist Frank Maston who provided production support.

                Evocative imagery and themes define the album, whilst musically, the spectre of mid-period Leonard Cohen hangs over the songs. “That’s the biggest touchstone,” says Alexi, “the kind of dystopian songs he was writing with a satirical attitude helped set the darker political tone of this record.” 


                TRACK LISTING

                1. Too Big For California
                2. Winter Moon
                3. Mind Wander
                4. Burning With Desire
                5. Cypress Hill
                6. I Fought The War
                7. At Peace With Power
                8. America's The Victim
                9. Wayward Men (feat. Indigo Street)
                10. No Time For Poetry


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