This episode is part of a series I’m doing over the next few months, highlighting film music that I think could and should be considered for an Oscar. These awards episodes are presented in partnership with New York Magazine’s site Vulture. For more, go to vulture.com/awards.

In the film Arrival, Amy Adams plays a linguist trying to decode an alien language. The score was composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson, his third film collaborating with director Denis Villeneuve. In this episode, Johann breaks down a piece from the score called “Heptapod B,” and how, like the film, it revolves around the concept of language.

You can buy “Heptabod B”, or the entire official soundtrack on iTunes.

Arrival trailer

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Joan La Barbara – “Erin”
György Ligeti – “Requiem” (as used in 2001: A Space Odyssey)

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Flatbush Zombies are a hip hop trio from Brooklyn that formed in 2010. Their album 3001: A Laced Odyssey came out in 2016, and debuted in the top ten on the Billboard charts. Erick the Architect is one of the three MCs in the band, and he’s also the group’s producer. In this episode, Erick breaks down how their song “Bounce” was made.

You can buy “Bounce”on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Bibio – “The Palm of Your Wave (Bibio Remix)”

“Bounce” music video

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The band Oathbreaker formed in 2008 in Belgium. In this episode, Caro and Gilles from the band break down the two-part song that opens their third album, Rheia. These two tracks, “10:56” and “Second Son of R.,” were written and performed as one song. They talk about how and why their sound transformed from a pure hardcore band to something amalgamated with shoegaze, and Caro talks about her own evolution as a vocalist and a lyricist, writing candidly about her own past.

You can buy “10:56” and “Second Son of R.”on iTunes.

“10:56 / Second Son of R.” music video

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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