• Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…’Severance’ Soundtrack Is Chock-Full of Lumon Goodies

    If you’re a fan of soundtracks and film scores, the team at Mondo has you covered. They take great pride in crafting physical media, they produce vinyl with audiophiles in mind, and they also care about the packaging. Like a lot! In fact, their slipcases have just as much detail as their amazing posters. Yet the cool thing about their albums is that the team gets to do way more than silk screen their work on foil variants. Albums give these artists/creatives a smaller yet more complex canvas than a poster and the team tries their darnedest to use ever square inch (inside and out) to tell their story. The…

  • Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…’The Batman’ Is A Ballet of Brooding, Brains and Brawn

    ​There’s a lot to love in the music of Michael Giacchino. He’s been to space, he’s been lost on an island, he’s been to the moon, far from home, he’s been up and inside out, and when it comes to modern composers, he’s the right one to let in if you want to get to the heart of the story. On that note, this film marks his fourth time collaborating with Matt Reeves, and what a team they have made over the years. The Batman finds him exploring new ground, well, for Reeves that is; Giacchino is all kinds of familiar with a superhero sound. But the world of dark…

  • Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…Mondo Brings ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ to the Real World

    Many years ago, while pondering his place in the world, a man once asked a very timeless question: “Why, oh why didn’t I take the blue pill?” Yes, the character of Cypher (played by the incomparable Joe Pantoliano) is very much like all of us. Life threw him a choice, and after choosing a path he’s not sure it’s the right one. Buyer’s remorse if ever there was a cinematic equivalent. And I’m sure we all feel that when a film just doesn’t move the mercury for us. Similarly, we probably wish we could take steps to remake our choice. Last year, we got to plug back into The Matrix…

  • Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…’Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Swings and Soars on Vinyl

    Erich Wolfgang Korngold once said that “music is music whether it’s for the movie theater or the concert hall or a video game.” We might have paraphrased a little at the end, but he’s right. Moreover, it’s long been understood that a good video game score can help make any game memorable. It can also have a wondrous life outside the pixelated adventure as well.  Today’s music review focuses on Mondo and Hollywood Records’ vinyl release of the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Miles Morales. However, before we dig in, here’s a sliver of transparency: this review was done as a stand-alone listening experience. I’ve not played a Spider-Man game since the…

  • Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…’Avengers: Infinity War + Endgame’ Behemoth Box Set

    Alan Silvestri is one of our very favorite composers, and his contributions to film are nearly unparalleled. When it was announced that Mondo and Hollywood Records would be releasing the complete scores to Infinity War and Endgame on vinyl, the only thing better than that would be to have the Time Stone so we could actually get it sooner – good news is that it was well worth the wait. We are thrilled to review this box set as Silvestri’s music spins on our turntable, and, trust me, these albums are not to be missed! One of the reasons we love Silvestri’s work is that he has an absolute knack…

  • Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…’Dolemite Is My Name’ is Positively Groovy

    Mondo is the premiere vinyl soundtrack record label and destination for all sorts of palette-expanding music. Pretty sure that no matter what your appetite is, they’ve got something to whet (and satisfy) it. Case in point. How many times have you asked yourself, “why aren’t there more blaxploitation revival albums out there?” The short answer is that there are. And thanks to these purveyors of acoustic awesomeness, you can easily get your hands on it. Luckily, they didn’t have to dig through obscure catalogs to unearth this glorious title; you can thank Eddie Murphy and Netflix for giving the gift of Dolemite Is My Name to the world just last year. A pet project…

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    Music Review…’Metal Gear Solid’ on Vinyl is Simply Solid

    ​​In 1998, Metal Gear Solid took the world by storm​ ​with its story, and genre-bending gameplay​. ​Even by today’s standards (standards it defined, let’s be honest), it is still tough to ​top​. Really, everything about MGS raised the bar for ​continuing entries in the series as well as video games across the board. One major component helping cement Metal Gear Solid as a modern classic was the music ​which gave the entire adventure a cinematic presence.​ It was persistent, driving,​​ ominous, and helped make it feel like the stakes were high, with danger literally around every ​corner. The music ​i​s a tapestry of bright and steely synths, complimented by a…

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    Music Review…Mondo’s Stellar Release of Justin Hurwitz’s ‘First Man’ Score

    In the span of just three scores, composer Justin Hurwitz has taken tremendous steps forward covering new ground in his musical career. The soundtrack to Damien Chazelle‘s First Man is tailored specifically to the film, but not necessarily the literal narrative beats. The film follows Neil Armstrong, and as such, it’s less about NASA as an organization and more about the titular “first man.” We get to witness all the mental, physical, psychological and spiritual tests that lead to his historic steps on the Moon.   The film opens on a period in Armstong’s life that doesn’t really define or explain his demeanor and drive, but it sure focuses it. Some of the…

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    Music Review…Death Waltz Recording Co.’s ‘Summer of 84′ by Le Matos

    For those of you new to modern electronic film scores, allow us to introduce you to Le Matos. A synthwave duo from Montreal, their musical style blends pop, dance, and melancholic melodies. Inspired by famous soundtrack composers of the ’80s (John Carpenter, Tangerine Dream, and Vangelis), Le Matos’ synth-heavy score for Summer of ’84 permeates throughout the film to transport audiences back to a timeless decade in cinema. They previously collaborated with RKSS on their Sundance breakout hit, Turbo Kid, and have acquired a massive following. In short, their music will change your life. Summer of ’84 itself is a throwback thriller, and one that stands out from the pack even if…

  • Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…Mondo Records’ Stunning ‘Big Trouble In Little China’ 2XLP

    For the first time in over 30 years, film fans around the globe are able to purchase the complete original soundtrack to John Carpenter’s ’80s classic Big Trouble In Little China on vinyl. If, like me, you’ve scoured Discogs and Ebay for a copy that A. doesn’t cost more than $100 and B. isn’t the Brazilian or German version, the news of this release is about as satisfying as finding a Chinese girl with green eyes. Yeah, it’s that big! Phantom City Creative has been very specific about the color palette of this release. Red is very important in Chinese culture, and so the packaging and vinyl prominently showcase it as…

  • Features,  Mondo,  Movies/Entertainment,  Music Review

    Music Review…Mondo Goes the Distance with Limited Edition ‘Creed’ 2XLP

    There is a well-known proverb that states, “In the warrior’s code, there’s no surrender.” Is that aged wisdom from hundreds of years ago? Not at all. That’s from Rocky IV, and it’s worth noting that film marked the first time in the Rocky saga that a torch was passed to a new composer. The film was an entirely macho and pugilistic allegory of Cold War tensions, sure, but it was also pretty awesome from a musical sense, both score and song. Picking up on that departure, Ryan Coogler’s Creed is a fantastic step forward in the saga while also serving as a quasi-remake of the iconic 1976 property. The series may…