Wherever something new comes out from an artist you admire, it’s always reason to celebrate. So whether it’s turning up the volume on a new album, grabbing the remote to binge the latest season, or cannonballing onto your sofa with a new book, finding time to enjoy the things you love is one of life’s true zen-like experiences. Today, we get to share an interview with an author whose work literally makes the hairs on our necks stand up. And even though we’re siting in our living rooms, we can easily imagine ourselves tethered to any of Thomas Ray‘s far-flung but eerily plausible situations. The man writes some magnetic narratives,…
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Exclusive First Listen: Ramin Djawadi’s Stunning Main Theme From ‘Mercy’
In a world where sci-fi tech is becoming science “faction,” it’s eerie how close to home some films and stories are starting to hit. New this week from Amazon MGM Studios is Mercy, which stars Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. While they have star-power, it is the film’s composer that’s really got us excited. As such, we get to premiere the title track taken from Mercy-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with an original score by two-time Emmy award-winning and three-time Grammy-nominated composer Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones, Pacific Rim, Iron Man, Fallout). Ramin’s intense score conjures a dark and unrelenting backdrop to the futuristic thriller starring Pratt and Ferguson. The film, directed by Timur Bekmambetov,…
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Interview…Composer Simon Franglen Goes Back to Pandora (Again) to Craft Lush Soundscapes for ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’
For most things, they say that the third time is the charm. While the latest installment of the Avatar series seems to be trailing the two previous installments by just a bit at the box office, one thing is clear: the music and emotions in this franchise have never run higher. And to that we’re giving hat tips, golf claps, and jumping high-fives to composer Simon Franklin. He’s a pillar in James Cameron’s acoustic armory and has been carrying the musical torch/thematic through-lines established by James Horner for that little blue mega blockbuster way back in 2009. We had the incredible opportunity to speak with Simon about his work on…
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Exclusive First Listen: Jung Jaeil’s Synth-tastic Main Theme to ‘Ponies’
Hey, score fans, have we got something special for you! This week is the premiere of a brand new series on Peacock, and the project secured once of the most unique voices in music to compose the soundtrack. Ponies sports an original score by Jung Jaeil (Parasite, Squid Game) whose exhilarating synth-based soundscape captures the tension of ‘70s Cold War espionage as well as the bond created by the main characters. The new show (headlined by Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson) gives the rising composer a lot of running room. The South Korean composer, music director, and multi-instrumentalist is recognized for his genre-crossing film scores and work across cinema, theater, and orchestral projects.…
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Interview…Composer Nicholas Pike on Finding the Fountain of Youth Through Music at Casa Verdi
Here we are with the first interview of 2026 and it already set the bar super high for the rest of the year. Our exceptionally insightful and entertaining session with multi-hyphenate Nicholas Pike has yielded stunning stories from his time in the music business. From playing flute and piano to writing and composing, Nicholas shared tales and takeaways about music direction, orchestration, working with the likes of Bill Frisell, Michael Jackson and Stan Winston. Those are just a few of the stops on the highway of his career. Like most musicians, Nicholas got his start at an early age, and his focus on jazz and unique playing styles helped him…
