CiTR -- Exploding Head Movies

As 2021 draws to a merciful close, we take stock of the music released this year and focus on Japanese Breakfast, who had a busy year, including the soundtrack to the video game Sable. We don't do "best of"'s here; we review the past 12 months and press forwards. 1. CFCF: welcome. WAV (Memoryland, 2021) BGM 2. DJ Harrison: 2021 Disco (Tales from the Old Dominion, 2021) Stones Throw 3. Floating Poi...

For our 14th annual holiday episode, Mr Kent of Toronto nobly volunteered to sift through hundreds of weird Christmas songs to come up with a joyful selection of atypical carols amidst the doom & continued gloom that is Covid Christmas II. Tweaks were made for airtime amongst other recently released tunes & other related updates as we profile Henry Mancini's & Leslie Bricusse's music from 1985 San...

Tonight, tonight, we pay tribute to the great American musical composer Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021), tackling only some of his notable pieces in his glorious songbook (since he wrote a lot of great pieces), leading up to the recent Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story. 1. David Bowie: New Angels of Promise [Omikron: The Nomad Soul version, remastered] (Brilliant Adventure 1992-2001, 2021) P...

In honour of Finnish Independence Day today, we celebrate one of my homeland's most wonderful exports: the Moomin! Tove Jansson's characters have been adapted into multiple television & film adaptations, so we'll sample many of the sounds found in that valley, along with the rest of Finland and some of its Canadian diaspora. All responsibilities are only a nuisance. YKSI/ The Tragically Hip: Montr...

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was primarily known as a painter but he also dabbled in film & music, which intersect in Downtown 81, originally released in 2000 after some rework. Along with the mutant disco & no wave sounds of the Lower East Side, we'll also mark Hanukkah, some recent deaths and events in Vancouvertown as 1st Advent has also passed. 01. Hiss Golden Messenger: Hanukkah Dance (O...

It's amazing to think that 50 years into their career, Sparks keep building up momentum. Your favourite band's favourite band are the subject of the 2020 documentary The Sparks Brothers along with providing the story and songs to Leos Carax's 2021 film Annette, so our profile focuses on Russell & Ron Mael. #1 The Books: We Bought the Flood (The Way Out, 2010) Temporary Residence #2 Jex Opolis: Sof...

gak walks without rhythm as to not attract the worm. With Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's scifi series Dune finally out in theatres (though just Part One for now), we'll profile Hans Zimmer's score from that film along with Toto's soundtrack to David Lynch's failed though charming 1984 version. 1. The Luvmenauts: Spice Always Flows (Extravehicular Activity EP, 2021) Do Right! Musi...

With the latest James Bond film No Time to Die finally screening in theatres after a pandemic delay, we profile Hans Zimmer's nostalgic score to 007's latest adventure. We also touch upon other spy themes as we catch up on non-horror news, paying tribute to Chicago house legend Paul Johnson, production music library maestro Alan Hawkshaw, lyricist Leslie Bricusse and one misunderstood shark. 001 T...

With Hallowe'en this Sunday, this episode truly brings the horror as we profile David Julyan's score to the 2011 film The Cabin in the Woods. This I offer in humility and fear. 01. Trailer: Last House on the Left (Exploitation Radio Spots, 1972) Funky Frolic 02. The Velvet Underground & Nico: All Tomorrow's Parties (The Velvet Underground: A Documentary Film by Todd Haynes OST, 2021) Republic 03....

October horrors continue in the lead up to Hallowe'en as we look into the mirror and call the Candyman, both the 2021 version scored by Robert AA Lowe and the 1992 original by Philip Glass. 1. Bob Stone: Sweet Talking Candyman [1st version] (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls OST, 2004) 20th Century Fox 2. Lyra Pramuk & Kara-Lis Coverdale: Returnless (Delta, 2021) Bedroom Community 3. Tirzah: Colourgr...

For your Canadian Thanksgiving enjoyment, this perfectly tailored episode will ease with the digestion of any meals whilst reminding of you others as we profile Ludwig Göransson & Nathan Matthew David's electro score to the 2018 horror comedy Slice. I. The Murk Family with Accompanist Betty Bowman: We Gather Together (Holiday Musicale, 196?) MFM II. Gordon Grdina's Nomad Trio: Thanksgiving (Nomad,...

As we kick off our annual Hallowe'en Horror Month for the first October episode of 2021, we profile Mark Korven's score from the 2016 film The VVitch. We also continue with our 40th Vancouver International Film Festival profiles and pay tribute to Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H Kirk (1956-2021). 1. Bijou Noir: Start a Revolution (Expatriarch, 2021) Give/Take 2. Ricardo Villalobos: Neunachi (Neunachi...

This jam-packed episode will attempt to recap the music category winners from the recent Emmy awards whilst standing by for a live announcement of the 2021 Polaris Music Prize winner. Our main profile will be on Montreal act Le Matos and their score to the web series Exode. Buckle it up; it'll be quite the rodeo. 1. Willie Dunn: School Days (Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie D...

We dip into the Ennio Morricone archives to bring you il Maestro's score to the bleak 1968 Western The Great Silence. We also pay tribute to actors Jean-Paul Belmondo & Nino Castelnuovo, composer R Murray Schafer and wrap up our 2021 Polaris Prize nominee profile on a mostly indifferent Canadian Election Day. 1. storc: Now (II, 2019) Birdface 2. The OBGMs: Cash (The Ends, 2020) Black Box 3. Do Mak...

As the Lower Mainland heads back to classes, we profile Arcade Fire's adjacent score work, tied to films like Her, The Box and The Nest. We also touch upon Z, Serpico, The Wire and Up tied to recent news whilst gak is as prepared as he was for the first day of school (ergo, barely). 1. Sam & Dave/Win Butler, Régine Chassagne & Owen Pallett: Stay in School/Opening (gak blend, 2021) self-released 2....

Flying Lotus does the score to LeSean Thomas' alternate history anime Yasuke. We also pay tribute to drummer Charlie Watts, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Parris Bowens and the band Chromatics. gak just moved houses this week and is likely making little sense. 1. The Rolling Stones: Undercover of the Night (Undercover, 1983) self-released 2. Dream Dolphin: Take No Michi (Heisei No Oto: Japanese Left-field P...

gak's back from a crazy long trip, helping with one move as he sorts his own. Amongst some catchup on news and road themes, we profile Natalie Holt's score from the Marvel TV series Loki. 1. Sparks & Jane Wiedlin: Cool Places (In Outer Space, 1983) Atlantic 2. Dogs versus Shadows: You are Here (You are Here/You are Not a Ghost/DVS, 2021) Submarine Broadcasting Company 3. Witch Camp (Ghana): I Must...

It's Pride Week again in Vancouver, so for this LGBTQ2SIA+ episode, we'll profile k.d. lang's score to the 1993 film Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. 1. The Gossip: Standing in the Way of Control [Soulwax Nite version] (Standing in the Way of Control, 2006) Kill Rock Stars/Back Yard 2. Coil: Alternative Theme from Gay Man's Guide to Safer Sex (The Gay Man's Guide to Safer Sex +2, 2019) Musique Pour La...

After sixteen long months, gak returns to live radio as CITR reopens to some programmers as BC's Covid-19 situation improves. We profile the director Richard Donner (1930-2021) and music from his 1978 superhero defining film Superman along with the duduk player Djivan Gasparyan (1928-2021) and some of his film score appearances. Mistakes will be made right next to history! 1. Hello: New York Groov...

Jon Hassell (1937-2021) was a trumpetter and composer of what he called "fourth world" music. Along with his own evocative pieces, we'll hear some of his contributions to scores by Ry Cooder and Peter Gabriel. 1. Talking Heads: Houses in Motion [edit] (Remain in Light, 1981) Sire 2. Kalte: Stenothermic (Morphology, 2020) self-released 3. Virginia Wing: Moon Turn Tides (private LIFE, 2021) Fire 4....

It's July and this week, we'll profile Gazelle Twin's score to the film Nocturne, part of the Amazon series Welcome to the Blumhouse. Most of the selected songs are odd and jolty. -01- KPT: Absolution (Obliterate, 2021) Give/Take -02- B.Michaael: A Part of Heat (A Part of Heat, 2021) self-released -03- Fleck E.S.C: Responsible Grown Up (Responsible Grown Up, 2021) Woodwork -04- Acid Youth: Citrus...

Good day, eh? With Canada Day this week, this episode's topic is the Great White North as we profile Bob & Doug McKenzie and the soundtrack to the 1983 SCTV offshoot film Strange Brew. Comedy abounds, both intentional and otherwise. 1A. Combustible Edison: Strange Brew (Four Rooms OST, 1995) WEA/Elektra 2A. Bob & Doug McKenzie: Welcome to Our Radio Show (Guest DJs, 1980) KZAP 3A. Eugene Mirman, Ho...

June 21 is Indigenous Peoples' Day, along with the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, we spend a good portion of this episode honour those who lived first on hallowed grounds, which has added relevance this year in light of the continued horrors that Canada's residential schools have wrought on countless generations. We profile BC Smith's soundtrack to the 1998 film Smoke Signals and prev...

The score to the 2018 British horror In Fabric was done by Cavern of Anti-Matter and it came out last year, so we'll finally do our overdue profile on that Stereolab-adjacent score amongst other odd tunes. We also talk about Vancouver's Music Waste Festival, the band Sparks, musician Joni Sadler, actor Charles Grodin and electronic pioneer Joel Chadabe. 1. The Chemical Brothers: The Darkness That...

The actor Dame Diana Rigg (1938-2020) was mostly known for her work in the British spy TV series The Avengers but she ruled the roost in George Lazenby's only film as James Bond as we profile Sir John Barry's score to the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Plenty of other secret agent film songs zip by in what likely sounds like the coolest party I'll never escape from. 001 Bell Orchestre:...