This week we are proud to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of one of our favorite films of all time, Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, with the premiere vinyl pressing of Clint Mansell's incredible score. This pressing is the product of a collaboration between Mondo, Clint Mansell and NoneSuch records, who have all worked diligently to produce an LP that satisfies the decade long wait.
To celebrate Halloween today, we have an hour long mixtape for your listening pleasure featuring a bunch of past, present and future tracks. Enjoy!
As always, new releases go on sale on Wednesday at NOON (CST).
MONDO
The Fountain - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack LP. Composed by Clint Mansell. Performed by Kronos Quartet and Mogwai. Web exclusive pressing on 180 Gram Xibalba Vinyl (Gold and Yellow Swirl with Black & White and Amber Splatter). Artwork by Nicole Gustafsson. Featuring liner notes and interview with Clint Mansell. $25
A longtime collaborator with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, Clint Mansell has produced some of the century’s most iconic scores for movies like Aronfsky’s Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, The Wrestler and Duncan Jones’ Moon. The score for The Fountain is an absolute modern day masterpiece.
The score is the result of a composer firing on all cylinders, collaborating with both the Kronos Quartet and Scottish post rock band Mogwai. It’s assured, mournful, desolate, yet strikingly beautiful and offers a real warmth and depth not many composers can achieve. The penultimate track “Death is the Road to Awe” displays just how well The Kronos Quartet and Mogwai work together under the watchful eye of Mansell. It’s a staggering piece of chamber music ramped up due to the power of Mogwai that is as intense as it is spectacular. When it finally dissipates after its 9-minute runtime, there is no doubt that Mansell has earned his right to sit next to masters such as Ennio Morricone, Bernard Herrmann and Phillip Glass.
The score for The Fountain was remastered for vinyl at AIR Studios London and features all new liner notes and an interview with composer Clint Mansell. The collectible packaging features mind meltingly gorgeous artwork from Nicole Gustafsson.
DISTRIBUTED TITLES
Shovel Knight - The Definitive Soundtrack 2XLP. Music by Jake Kaufman and Manami Matsumae. Pre-Order. Ships at the end of November. $35
Our friends at Brave Wave have partnered with the visionary team at Capcom for the second Generation Series release, Shovel Knight: The Definitive Soundtrack.
Shovel Knight began as a modest, yet highly promising Kickstarter project in March 2013. Billed as “a groundbreaking love letter to 8 bits!” by Indie developer Yacht Club Games, this 2D side-scrolling platform game released in June 2014 to universal praise and accolades. Fans and industry professionals praised Shovel Knight for its charming retro-2D visuals, humorous story, fun characters and strong gameplay design, which all came together to offer a game that is nostalgic yet very modern. The efforts of Yacht Club Games paid off when Shovel Knight was won the prestigious “Best Independent Game” award at The Game Awards 2014.
The game’s chiptune soundtrack, composed by Jake Kaufman and Manami Matsumae, is integral to the game’s modern-retro identity and has been similarly praised for its outstanding arrangements, memorable melodies and strong technical composition. This definitive soundtrack contains all music from the original Shovel Knight game released in June 2014, with a vinyl tracklist crafted by Jake Kaufman himself. The package cover and inner-gatefold have been designed exclusively for the soundtrack by Hitoshi Ariga; an interview with co-composer Manami Matsumae; and character artwork from the game.
