CiTR -- Exploding Head Movies

We mark the calendar year properly now as we profile Michael Small's soundtrack to the 1978 film The Driver in honour of the actor Ryan O'Neal (1941-2023). We also pay tribute to another Ryan (1976-2024) whilst recapping the recent Emmys in relation to music. 01. Novi Split: This Will Be Our Year (Covers Anthology, 2021) Cake Party 02. bvdub: Geometries of Water (Slowly Shifting Lakes, 2023) Past...

Before we charge into the new year properly, let's look back at the past 12 months as we try to make sense of 2023. Our soundtrack profile will be on the smash film Barbie in all the doll's many forms. 01. PJ Harvey: I Inside the Old Year Dying (I Inside the Old Year Dying, 2023) Partisan 02. Wata Igarashi: Floating Against Time (Agartha, 2023) Kompakt 03. Knower: Do Hot Girls Like Chords (Knower...

Christmas Day means the 1st true day of the 12 days of Christmas. It's also the morning when most open presents and then the afternoon of family visits. With all that in mind, this pre-recorded episode, marking the 16th annual alternate-Yuletide carol episode assembled in the central realms of Canada, profiles music from the 1989 holiday classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Podcast subsc...

From the Exploding Head Archives, this episode from 2013 celebrates the holidays in its own loopy fashion. This predates a single film theme, opting to hop around a fair bit. This includes the highly undocumented yet required December listening version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas that aired on CBC radio some 30 years ago. Merry Crimble one and dang y'all! 01! George Slater: The Wassail Song...

For the 5th night of Hanukkah, we pay tribute to the physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, the subject of the 2023 Christopher Nolan film about the creation of the atom bomb. The score by Ludwig Göransson is starting to receive acclaim, so amongst that profile, we'll ease into nuclear themes and recapping the year about to end. 001. Massive Attack: Angel (Mezzanine [20th Anniversary Remastered Edition],...

This episode crams a lot in: CITR's Shindig finales happen this week; some other recent deaths & Robbie Robertson's posthumous score to Martin Scorsese's 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon. 1. Monty Python: Henry Kissinger (Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album, 1980) Charisma/Arista 2. V Vecker Ensemble: Atonement (Acedia Phase, 2023) Hotham Sound 3. The Pogues: Whiskey You're the Devil (...

Hip hop music started in South Bronx, NYC back in August 1973 and in fifty years, it's become a dominant form in pop music. This episode brazenly tries to recap it all, though with highlights on recent acts, Vancouver performers and then multiple soundtracks, primarily from the early 1980s with films like Wild Style & Style Wars amidst others like Krush Groove & Deep Cover. This is the birthday me...

As 2023 draws to a close in just over a month, we look a hundred years hence to 1923. Amongst indicative recordings that have survived all that time, we profile Charlie Chaplin's score to one of his silent films of that era The Pilgrim (kinda redone in the 1950s). Hoopty-doo, let's blouse! 01. Roger Whittaker: Mammy Blue (Roma OST, 2018) Sony Masterworks 02. Bell Orchestre: Open Organ (As Seen Thr...

With both the actors' & writers' strikes over, we can play catch up on newish films as we dig into Wes Anderson's latest Asteroid City. High winds have messed with a bit the radio station's tech so behind the scenes, there's chicken wire & hay to prop things up and we sound great as always despite what the weather has wrought. 1. DJ Shadow: Ozone Scraper (Action Adventure, 2023) Mass Appeal 2. Tan...

gak's back after some food poisoning so with Hallowe'en done, it's time to harken back to recent travels with a show that explores Glasgow, Islay & Scotland, profiling John Barry's score to the 1971 film Mary, Queen of Scots. 1. Orange Juice: Rip It Up (Rip It Up, 1983) Polydor 2. Melanie de Biasio: Alba (Il Viaggio, 2023) PIAS 3. Choir of Young Believers: Patricia's Thirst (Rhine Gold, 2012) Ghos...

It's been a while since we've profiled the music of John Carpenter so as we count down to Hallowe'en, we'll listen to music from a recent compilation of reworked themes from his past films and then profile the score he did with Dave Davies for the 1995 adaptation of Village of the Damned. Sinister sons & deadly daughters abound. 01. Claudio Simonetti & Daemonia: Mater Lacrimarum [end titles w. Dan...

Hallowe'en Horror Month continues here as we get properly glammy and camp with Richard O'Brien's subversive music from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. 1. Castle If: Suspension (Drivin' Easy EP, 2023) self-released 2. Deek Watson & The Brown Dots: At Our Fireplace (Bow-Wow-Wow 10", 1949) Manor 3. Nadja: Funkspiel Pt I (Nalepa, 2022) Midira 4. The Black Angels: Firefly (Wilderness of Mirrors, 2022) P...

Canadian Thanksgiving is upon us all, so we go with a Canadian option here for this pre-recorded episode: Tim Hecker and his score to the 2023 Brandon Cronenberg scifi horror film Infinity Pool. Hallowe'en Horror Month continues. 1. Laurel Halo: Late Night Drive (Atlas, 2023) Awe 2. Waclaw Zimpel: Infinite Grey (Train Spotter, 2023) The State51 Conspiracy 3. Loscil & Lawrence English: Black (Colou...

October is nigh so our annual horror month beings in honour of Hallowe'en. Amidst more Vancouver International Film Festival previews, we'll profile Tangerine Dream's score to the 1987 vampire western Near Dark. 1. The Cramps: Fever (Near Dark OST, 1987) Varèse Sarabande 2. Redshift: Nails (Down Time, 1999) Champagne Lake 3. Aysanabee: We Were Here (Watin, 2022) Ishkodé 4. Cub: Someday [live] (Liv...

For our 666th episode under this show name -- we're actually 764 now in our total CITR history so we're safe for a wee while -- we'll dip a bit early into our usual October horror themes with selections from Marc Wilkinson's score to the 1971 British folk horror film Blood on Satan's Claw. Doom and/or gloom will ensue. 1. Delia Derbyshire & Brian Hodgson: A5 (The Legend of the Hell House OST 7", 1...

Our 13th all-ambient episode primarily profiles Brian McBride (1970-2023) and some of the music he made either solo or in Stars of the Lid. We also preview parts of the Vancouver New Music Vox Organi Festival next month. Pre-recorded for your end of summer salve. ONE. Ra/Sol: Artist's Meditation [w. EZ Naive] (2023) self-released TWO. Brian Eno: Floating on Sleep's Shore (Top Boy OST, 2023) Netfli...

It's Labour Day so as school comes to mind, as does fall so we'll hear selections from The Blasting Company's soundtrack to the sublimely autumnal animated miniseries Over the Garden Wall. We'll also touch upon the start to a lot of concerts in town, wrap up our 2023 Polaris Prize nominees profile a bit early and pay tribute to game show host Bob Barker through The Price is Right production librar...

gak's back from multiple locations so this week's profile previews the 2023 edition of the Victory Square Block Party in Vancouver before nestling into some of the soundtrack from the TV series Justified. 1. Public Service Broadcasting: People Will Always Need Coal (Every Valley, 2017) PIAS Recordings 2. Sarah Davachi: 1 for Harpsichord (For Harpsichord/For Pipe Organ & String Trio, 2020) Late Mus...

This pre-recorded episode pays tribute to two recently deceased artists: Paul Reuben (1952-2023) and the music associated with the films & TV shows associated with his character Pee-wee Herman, then Robbie Robertson (1943-2023), guitarist/songwriter for The Band -- subject of the Martin Scorsese 1976 documentary The Last Waltz -- and occasional film scorer. 1. Les Baxter: Quiet Village (Ritual of...

It was a Monday like any other. The clock on the wall read 7:00 as PI GAK surveyed the crime blotter for his next case... Nicely timed whilst the Vancouver Cinematheque is doing its annual film noir programming, this hard-boiled episode looks back at the dark jazzy vibes of those post-WWII movies. 1. Anita Kert Ellis: Put the Blame on Mame (Gilda OST, 1999) The Soundtrack Factory 2. Alex Lefaivre...

It's a Canadian holiday today. In honour of the Czech author Milan Kundera (1929-2023), we'll profile music from the 1988 film adaptation of The Unbearable Lightness of Being. 1. Grand Analog: Unbearable Lightness (Modern Thunder, 2014) Feel Up 2. The Allegorist: Whispers of the Wind [Die Wilde Jagd rework] (TEKHENU Retold, 2023) Awaken Chronicles 3. Sinéad O'Connor: I Want Your [Hands on Me] (The...

Vancouver's Pride week is upon us, so in honour of the Lower Mainland LGBTQ+ community, this pre-recorded episode dances around and profiles Don Davis' score from the 1996 Wachowskis' film Bound. 1. Janelle Monáe: Lipstick Lover (The Age of Pleasure, 2023) Atlantic 2. Patrick Cowley: Timelink (Muscle Up, 2015) Dark Entries 3. Peter Batah: Nobody's Stopping You [vocal version] (Nobody's Stopping Yo...

Unlike last episode, we won't fully throwback to the early eighties but we have two teen comedies on the docket this week: 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High and 1983's Valley Girl. 1. Russell Louder: Head Over Heels (Ever New, 2020) Ever New 2. Floating Points: Vocoder (Someone Close, 2022) Ninja Tune 3. Tears for Fears: Pale Shelter (The Hurting, 1983) Mercury/Phonogram 4. Tears for Fears: The...

In a belated station anniversary angle, this episode plays with a concept I've thought of before and that's looking back at a year in time. I opted for 2007 as a sorta proto-radio free gak episode where I try to tackle the year in song and recap the Oscar nominees and winner for film score. 00. Kay Starr: Station Anniversary (Programming Aids 7", 1964) Capitol 01. Jane Birkin: Jane B (Jane Birkin/...

Along with a preview of the return of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, we profile Mellow's soundtrack to the 2001 film CQ and get some lighter summer fare into your ears. This episode operated at half capacity in light of channel locks but hey, campus radio rolls on. gak sits down for the 1st time in almost a decade. Da da da. 1. PJ Harvey: A Child's Question, July (I Inside the Old Year Dying,...