2019 August 12 • Monday

Mario Nascimbene's score for Estate Violenta is our 582nd Soundtrack of the Week.

It starts with pounding percussion and blaring horns, very dramatic and heavy. Then strings come in with a thick but lyrical melody, also very dramatic and romantic-sounding.

Unsurprisingly, this melody gets played in lots of different ways. A lovely piano and classical guitar version with wonderful string backing is called "Primo Incontro".

There's also "Canzone di Rossana", a devastatingly sultry and smoky late-night jazz piece that uses the main title as a point of departure and is perhaps my favorite track on the CD.

"Tema di Maddalena" is also a lovely piece with a lot of space and an air of mystery, featuring the harpsichord.

"Scena d'Amore" is another nice take on the main theme, with classical guitar again.

There are numerous alternate takes and other arrangements of these cues as well as a selection of dramatic underscore pieces and source music.

2019 August 07 • Wednesday

Dark Phoenix beer and Dave Matthews Band wine.

2019 August 05 • Monday

The 581st Soundtrack of the Week is John Williams's music for The Cowboys.

The main theme, which is a rousing Americana uptempo sort of march-like piece, similar to one of the major cues Elmer Bernstein wrote for Stripes, gets a workout here, appearing in various arrangements and settings.

There are also some eerie and menacing cues that use dissonance and space very effectively, such as "Long Hair's Threat" and "Afraid of the Dark".

While there are some less typical Williams tones here and there, mostly it's of a piece with his other work, displaying the effortless-sounding lyricism and his fondness for certain orchestal colors.
2019 August 02 • Friday