CiTR -- Exploding Head Movies

Part 12 of our all-ambient series goes under the water and through the desert with a mix of ethereal sounds to evoke the ocean and Americana amidst some tributes to Roger Payne, Manuel Göttsching & Robert Black. 1. Kilometre Club: Quiet Summer (Lake Dream, 2023) Slow Echo 2. Takashi Kokubo & Andrea Esperti: Whales of Sirius (Music for a Cosmic Garden, 2023) WRWTFWW 3. Frank Watlington, Roger Payne...

One sign of summer in Vancouver is the International Jazz Festival, so this dense episode will profile some of the jazzy and non-jazzy acts playing in town this week. We also preview another local event, the Khatsahlano Street Party, and profile Barry White's soundtrack to the 1974 blaxploitation film Together Brothers. 1. Jonathan Richman: SA [w. Kelly Houston] (SA!, 2018) Blue Arrow 2. Bob James...

Kia ora! Though midsummer and National Indigenous Peoples Day loom in Canadians' minds, this episode extends towards the southern hemisphere as we also celebrate the Maori. Amongst music from Turtle Island to Aotearoa, we profile Lisa Gerrard's music from the 2002 film Whale Rider. 1. Yamantaka/Sonic Titan: Whalesong (Uzu, 2013) Suicide Squeeze/Paper Bag 2. Area 3: Whale (Amb, 2021) Khotin Industr...

With the recent deaths of singer Tina Turner (1957-2023) & composer Bill Lee (1928-2023), we'll profile both powerhouse artists, including a focus on Lee's scores for the early films of his son Spike Lee. 1. Wallgrin: Every Fall, I Fall in Love (Yet Again the Wheel Turns, 2022) self-released 2. Matthew Tavares & Leland Whitty: Living Water Assembly (Visions, 2020) Mr Bongo 3. Ike & Tina Turner: Cu...

For CITR's 85th anniversary, as I have taken up 18% of your Monday early evenings over that lifespan, this episode is an awkward Venn diagram of two episodes (2008 & 2013) that attempted profiles on one of my favourite film scores -- 1973's Black Belt Jones -- as both times, you can witness that raw campus radio vibe as inexperience battles then subsequent technical flaws. One day, I will do Jones...

This encore presentation of what originally aired 2013 April 1st attempted a ruse whereby per a new mandate, no music after 1950 could be played. This fell apart quickly for most fools but the overall vibe felt apt, especially as this May marks CITR's 85th anniversary so I've become a historic moment, or belong in a museum. Maybe both or perhaps a sick ward since I have a non-Covid summer cold; 23...

It's Victoria Day up Canada Way so we'll kinda continue with an Ennio Morricone thread but veer away from westerns and into crime, mostly focusing his Oscar-nominated score to the 1991 film Bugsy. 1. Thundercat & Tame Impala: No More Lies (2023) Brainfeeder 2. Talk West: Willow and the Dogwood (Black Coral Sprig, 2023) Scissor Tail 3. Savages: Sad Person (Adore Life, 2016) Matador 4. Dilly Dally:...

It's been a while since we've heard some Ennio Morricone, so we'll dig up selections from the score to the 1966 spaghetti western The Big Gundown. We present the settling of scores and the wisdom of faith amidst a big old heat wave, so ride on, little ponies. Fun fact: The soundtrack to The Big Gundown didn't come out until 1968 because the soundtrack to another 1966 film, The Good, The Bad & The...

Nostalgia sets in for a moody episode as we pay tribute to Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023) and Harry Belafonte (1927-2023). The focus will be more on the latter as we listen to some calypso, mento and other Caribbean genres and of course, some of his songs from the 1988 comedy Beetlejuice. We also touch upon Vancouver's Verboden Festival this week along with other concerts in town when not running of...

Part 11 of our all-ambient series focuses on two longform pieces by Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023) from art installations. 1, Kilometre Club: Lake Dream (Lake Dream, 2023) Slow Echo 2, Marta Salogni & Tom Relleen: Internal Logic II (Music for Open Spaces, 2023) Hands in the Dark 3, Rose Bolton: Nine Kinds of Joy (Slow, Quiet Music in Search of Electric Happiness, 2022) Redshift 4, Patricia Wolf: Spr...

We had been awaiting the sad inevitability of the death of Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023), so though the way was prepared, it took some time to prepare a profile the long career of the legendary Japanese composer. From Yellow Magic Orchestra to many a score to other side projects, we do our best in his honour. 1. All Hands Make Light: Waiting for the Light to Quit (Darling the Dawn, 2023) Constellat...

Composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter (1933-2023) led a long life in jazz but he touched at least upon one film score: 1992's Glengarry Glen Ross. Amidst some sax, we run amok across various genres, like we normally do. 1. Funkadelic: I Wanna Know if It's Good to You? (Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow, 1970) Westbound 2. Booker T & the MGs: Melting Pot (Melting Pot, 1971) Stax 3. The Ex...

Composer Gerald Fried (1928-2023) had a long, diverse career in music; tackling both film & television. In his honour, we'll tackle as much as we can with a focus mostly on his soundtrack to the 1977 miniseries Roots. Beware the Pon Farr. 1. Operating Theatre: Spring is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth (Spring is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth/Rapid Eye Movements, 2023) Allchival 2. Sq...

Spring in North America means baseball! As the major league season starts and the minor leagues do so later this week, we'll look at music from the various adaptations of A League of Our Own: the 1992 film and the 2022 series. The Exploding Head Sports Desk interrupted a few times amidst other sports talk. 1. Yellow Magic Orchestra: Taiso (Technodelic, 2019) Alfa 2. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Participation...

In light of radio station business happening at the same time as airtime, we'll have a pre-recorded episode that marks Part 10 of our all-ambient series, featuring recent ambient works and rereleases. 1. Sontag Shogun x Lau Nau: Dusk Bells (Valo Siroutuu, 2022) Beacon Sound 2. Roman Angelos: Foghorns (Music for Underwater Supermarkets, 2022) Happy Robot/Cargo 3. Bryozone: Ambiency (Eye of Deliriou...

As noted earlier, the songwriter Burt Bachrach (1928-2023) passed away, so we'll dip our toes in some of his famous songs from films such as Casino Royale, Arthur and others, ranging from covers to Broadway bits. This show becomes more easy listening as it goes; this is not by design. 01. Chaim Topol & John Williams: If I Were a Rich Man (Fiddler on the Roof OST: 50th Anniversary Remastered Editio...

Oscar season is over, so as we pay tribute to the big winners from the 95th Academy Awards handed out last night, we profile some of Hildur Guðnadóttir's ineligible yet impressive music from the 2022 film Tár. Here are the winners for Best Original Playlist: 1. John Williams: Timpani Fanfare (Fiddler on the Roof OST: 50th Anniversary Remastered Edition, 2021) La-La Land 2. Rahul Sipligunj & Kaala...

For Week 6 of our annual Oscars profile, this pre-recorded episode focuses on the nominees for Best Original Song. We'll hear songs from the films Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Tell It Like a Woman, Top Gun: Maverick, RRR and Everything Everywhere All at Once. We'll also hear some songs that missed the cut whilst gak celebrates some birthday or other from far away. 1. Cristobal Tapia de Veer: Ha...

Oscar season continues with the 5th and final of the best original score nominees: Volker Bertelmann's music from All Quiet on the Western Front. 1. The Zombies: Butcher's Tale [Western Front 1914] (Odessey and Oracle, 1968) CBS/Date 2. In Mirrors: An Introduction (Only Time Will Tell: Leopard B-sides, 2022) self-released 3. Big Thief: Time Escaping (Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, 2022...

It's Week 4 of our annual Oscars profile so for your Family Day programming, we'll hear cues from John Williams' nominated score from Steven Spielberg's pseudo-autobiographical film The Fabelmans. We also embrace Carnaval, Mardi Gras and the start to Lent as we acknowledge the recently deceased, one year of Ukraine's invasion and other news. 1. Desi Arnaz & His Orchestra: Carnival in Rio [w. Lucil...

Our Oscars profile continue with Justin Hurwitz's nominated original score from Babylon. We also talk about earthquakes, many a live event in Vancouver this week -- including Hotham Sound's Drop Cities 2-day hoedown -- and a weird blend of jazz age remixes and what Babylon is. Thanks to everyone who donated to Fundrive 2023! 1. Altin Gün: Yali Yali (Âlem, 2021) self-released 2. Ted Quinlan: Babylo...

We press on in the multiverse of Oscar nominees for the 95th Academy Awards with a redux on Son Lux's nominated score to Everything Everywhere All at Once along with a nominated song featuring Mitski & David Byrne. Fundrive 2023 is on! Visit http://citr.ca/donate to help CITR upgrade its transmission tower and FM antenna. 1. Shakespears Sister: Hello [Turn Your Radio On] (Hormonally Yours [remaste...

The nominees for the 95th Academy Awards were announced last week so it's the start to our annual Oscars profile! We'll kick off with Carter Burwell's nominated score to the film The Banshees of Inisherin as we mix the usual tributes and newish songs, though there'll be a spot of vintage Irish folk to further confuse the fields. CITR Fundrive 2023 starts this week! Go to www.citr.ca/donate already...

The Year of the Rabbit is upon us, so amongst some bunny related songs, we'll have tributes to guitarist Jeff Beck, singer David Crosby and Hong Kong composer Joseph Koo (1931-2023) as we profile some of his action film soundtracks. 1. Cristobal Tapia de Veer: Mr Rabbit It Is (Utopia OST, 2013) Silva Screen/Kudos 2. Phil Western: Rabbits (Laborandum, 2012) Rustblade 3. Bad Waitress: Rabbit Hole (N...

gak is back for another two hours of radio art, though he had plans for eight hours, so prepare for four separate layers of sonic mayhem, mixing spoken word, field recordings, soothing drone and not-so-soothing noise, highlighting the creative minds that inspire us all. there are eulogies for some brilliant souls who left us in 2022: vangelis, george crumb, mira calix, norm chambers, klaus schulze...