Music Log

I have a on-again/off-again relationship with modular synth music. The majority of what’s out there is just arty-types feeling... more

El Perro Del Mar is the alter ego of Swedish singer/songwriter Sarah Assbring. Her style has covered a wide... more

This was Sparks riding fast and furious on the hype train. The Edgar Wright documentary was out, Annette was... more

After Exotic Creatures Sparks kinda disappeared into collaborations, Swedish operas, and Hollywood musicals. Six or seven years later they... more

This is an excellent and diverse compilation of music from various (mostly) 70s horror films and thrillers. There are... more

The band has certainly gotten much more proficient since those early Planet Pimp singles. The formula remains the same:... more

Wire has been on autopilot since their 2015 self-titled release. There’s nothing wrong with the records, just none of... more

A collection of 50s and 60s rock and roll instrumentals from Buffalo Bop. At times a little bit Link... more

The first Strummin’ Mental CD compiles thirty or so surfy guitar instrumentals from the early 60s. The aesthetic here is raw,... more

I bought this knowing neither the composer nor the movie. It was cheap and had an interesting cover… never... more

This is a double CD set of Mario Bava soundtracks. Cipriani’s work is a little corny at times. To... more

Bruno Nicolai is often cited as Ennio Morricone’s conductor for many of his soundtracks. I get the feeling that... more

I originally bought this dual soundtrack CD because I wanted the music from La Tarantola Dal Ventre Nero. That soundtrack is... more

There is a lot of variety on this soundtrack. It feels similar to the excellent Danger: Diabolik score. But, unlike that... more

Although it contains two fantastic easy-beat Edda Dell’Orso songs, most of this is standard giallo experimentation. I also have... more

Another solid giallo score from Morricone. There are three main themes here: “Bambole”, “Spasmo”, and “Stress Infinito”. The first... more

When not using the Sandoz moniker to make intense dub reggae albums, Richard H. Kirk’s side project sounds much... more

This is hardly the most memorable Morricone soundtrack. It’s a bit repetitive and lacking in hooks, but it provides... more

The opening title track is a dull, schmaltzy pop song, but once you’re past that it ramps up into... more

I know I say this about every Morricone record I own, but seriously, this is one of his absolute... more

In my mind, this ranks up there with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as one of Morricone’s most memorable... more

I forgot how much I liked this score. I tend to only remember the prog-rockish opening number because it... more

Morricone’s subsequent Giallo soundtracks would rely heavily on improvisational and experimental music. However, this one retains quite a bit... more

As far as easy-listening Morricone goes, this is one of his best. There are hints of bossa nova, echo-y... more

For a brief period, this CD was my holy grail of Morricone soundtracks. I took to eBay in search... more

I finally bought this CD after being nagged by my Discogs.com wishlist alert for months. I shouldn’t have waited... more

Don’t be dissuaded by the fact that all the tracks lest one are titled, “I Bambini Ci Chiedono Perche.”... more

Although this disc is part of the Crime box set, the music here is very much in the vein of Morricone’s... more

Gli Intoccabili opens with the tense and pounding, “Ballad of Hank McCain.” It’s reprised three more times on the record... more

One of three discs included on the Crime box set of Poliziotteschi soundtracks. The highlight of the soundtrack is the nine minute long “Revolver.”... more

The final CD from the Fear box set is pure experimental improvisation. There isn’t much method to this madness, just jazzy noise,... more

With the exception of the title song, “Ninna Nanna In Blu,” all of the tracks on this CD are... more

This was perhaps one of the first non-Spaghetti Western Morricone soundtrack that I discovered and it remains one of... more

I like this soundtrack well enough, but it doesn’t have any of the jazzy or avant-garde elements of my... more

Another great soundtrack from the Maestro box set. This one is a split between easy listening bossa numbers and avante garde... more

A very mellow, bossa nova tinged soundtrack from a film I’ve never seen. It includes the fantastic “La Moda” which... more

This compilation covers Italian films from the early Seventies all the way to 1991’s Hobgoblin and features compositions from a wide... more

This was a very important CD in the development of my musical tastes. It was the starting point of my love... more

Horribly boring acoustic guitar music that’s sure to appeal middle-aged mommy bloggers and other deranged psychopaths. For whatever reason,... more

Well, Gene Wilder died a this week so it’s fitting that the next CD in my queue would be... more

In my limited listening experience, all Bernard Hermann scores sound pretty much the same. I got this mostly based... more

Like any compilation, there will be a range of quality in the songs. Most of the tracks that I... more

Star Wars kinda soured on me in the early 00’s. Yeah, the prequels sucked, but even worse for me was... more

By 1994, having become bored with most of indie rock I had been listening to as a college student,... more

An absolutely fantastic collection of themes and incidental music from the sixties cult T.V. show, The Prisoner. I use this... more

There are lots of echoes and percussive bursts that elevate this mostly run-of-the-mill film score. It’s the appropriate music... more

I tried very hard to like the book Naked Lunch. All the cool kids thought it was just the bee’s... more

It’s hard to believe that this soundtrack won the Oscar for original score in 1979. Other than the disco... more

Although a couple of the pieces on this soundtrack recording sound like they came straight from The Donna Reed Show,... more

Although it contains two selections from Michael Kamen’s score, this is mostly a collection of songs featured in the... more

This is a weird album. It is considered to be one of, if the the first record comprised entirely... more

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the greatest musical about a statutory rapist since Subway! The Musical. I saw the off... more

I think I liked the “Batdance” video on MTV back when this came out. Maybe I was just caught... more

Not so much a soundtrack as it is an abridged version of the movie that you can listen along... more

Although technically speaking this is a soundtrack, I don’t think any of these songs made it into the film 1984.... more

Competent and straightforward surf music from this Portland group. This record isn’t the most exciting stuff this band has... more

Discogs.com has been nagging me for months that this was available for cheap from a number of resellers and... more

This is a limited issue, three track CD I picked up at a Zebras show. The songs are unlabeled... more

This is some nice Wisconsin spaz-rock that, with it’s Devo inspired hard-rock sound, fits in nicely alongside The Polysics.

Another great 60’s girl group compilation from Ace Records. I think I like the Italian girl singers CD a tad bit... more

The Back from the Grave series seeks to uncover raw sixties garage rock that has a punk-rock sensibility. It’s been well... more

I got this CD as a gift from my brother several years ago. I understand why he got it... more

A fantastic compilation 60’s girl-pop songs from Italy. The highlight of the CD is the opening track “Baluba Shake.”... more

Absolute Polysics is Polysics at their spazziest. It was pretty jarring a first but I have come to like this record quite... more

Polysics were another band (along with Lolita #18, Spoozys, Mummy the Peepshow, and Number Girl) that I saw at the excellent... more

This CD compiles Link’s early sixties recordings on Epic records. Half the tracks are unreleased versions of songs including... more

Rhino knows how to create an excellent compilation and they have done it again her with this Link Wray... more

Unlike Volume 1, which focused on a more rockabilly and countrified Link, this compilation of rarities is full on chains... more

Tribute/cover albums are a hit or miss. My liking of a track can unfairly depend on two things: first,... more

For this record the band finished recording songs that they had been writing back when they broke-up in the... more

I got this CD as a bonus from ordering Red Barked Tree directly from Wire mail order. The disc opens with... more

It took a while warm up to this record. Not nearly as aggressive sounding as the most of post-2000’s... more

While it starts out on a high note with “One of Us,” Object 47 doesn’t quite live up to the promise... more

The third Read & Burn EP is the best of the lot. The band has moved beyond simply revisiting their punk... more

Send compiles seven of its eleven tracks from the first two Read & Burn EPs. Of the remaining four new songs, only... more

The second in Wire’s 2000’s comeback EPs is slightly better than the first but generally it’s really just a... more

In 2002 Wire returned after over a decade of dormancy and once again they have changed their musical focus.... more

Coatings compiles outtakes and alternate mixes of songs from The Ideal Copy and A Bell Is a Cup… with a few Manscape outtakes. For the most... more

The final record of their mid-eighties incarnation has Wire drifting even closer to New Order territory. It’s taken me... more

This is a weird little release that contains alternative versions of many of the songs from A Bell Is a... more

Wire continues its slide towards mid-eighties dance music with this collection of songs. There’s a dreamy, goth-y quality to... more

After 154, Colin Newman picked up where 154 left off with A–Z and Graham Lewis went the experimental route and formed the almost unlistenable... more

Of all the Wire releases, this one is my favorite. The music ranges from dreamy (“French Film Blurred”) to punky... more

Wire’s first album is the one that all my punk rock friends consider their best. For me, it’s a... more

This is another one of those CDs in my collection that I bought because I wanted to buy something while I... more

This was my introduction to Ween. At the time I thought of them as They Might Be Giants with... more

The record is what happens when a band comprised of talented stoners is tasked with creating an LP’s worth... more

“I Know What Boys Like” was a personal new wave favorite for me as a kid. It was featured... more

I bought this from a bargain bin at either Best Buy or some other big box retailer thinking that... more

Another one of my wife’s CDs. I’ve never been much of a fan of this band but here, upon... more

This is basically a CD repackaging of New Clear Days with about a third of the songs from Magnets. The Vapors are... more

I remember being pretty excited when I bought this CD. I loved the earliest Vandals records and finally being... more

As a kid growing up in Central Illinois Peace Thru Vandalism was one the first “punk rock” records I ever heard.... more

This is a great collection of rarities from The Untamed Youth that I was hesitant to buy for a... more

This is far from the best starting point if you want to listen to The Untamed Youth. It’s a... more

Okay, I’ll give them credit for having the balls to misspell “labor” in their record title (USA! USA! USA!),... more

After having owned and loved The Pleasure Principle for years, I finally expanded my Gary Numan collection with this CD. Numan... more

What do you do when your guitarist/singer packs up and leaves town? You soldier on as an instrumental bass... more

This Champaign-Urbana trio was the first band with which Nonagon ever played a show. The songs are very much... more

This is a great compilation of mostly 60’s era spy movie theme songs (and a few T.V. series themes... more