London and Soloman Vandy by James Newton Howard (Blood Diamond Soundtrack) (Bonus+ Music)

Why hello there! Where have you been Israel? you ask, well I've been preoccupied with work, life, girls, and all sorts of other nonsense. Its been a time of growth, change, and awkward conversations to say the least, and I am once again willing to lavish all my great stories upon you, my dear readers. This week is a double feature of sorts. If any of you have ever seen the movie Blood Diamond, then you know exactly where this is headed (or maybe you don't.. it depends.. did you attend college?). The movie is one of my favorite movies of all time (up there with Hotel Rwanda, Sin Nombre, and O Brother Where Art Thou?)and the story is one of redemption and survival among utmost chaos. So it should come as no surprise that the score for such a movie would be spectacular. As previously mentioned, I'm not crazy about listening to movie and video games scores like some of my friends (see: Simeon Snow), but there are some scores that stand out so well that you can't help but notice them outside of the schematic of the movie/scene itself. These two scores are exactly that. When you listen to London and Solomon Vandy by James Newton Howard, you quickly realize that on their own, these songs are magnificent; they make you feel as if you were a character in the movie. When I listen to Soloman Vandy, I feel like I AM Solomon as he carries Archer up the mountain to his death, i feel his pain as he watches Archer die, and I feel his joy as he witnesses his son's redemption from a life of murder and violence. People, that is what a good soundtrack does, and Mr. James Newton Howard has definitely outdone himself with this one. Listen, enjoy, and tell me what you think in comments below. P.s. Here are a few of my other favorite movie scores for you to enjoy! Let me know what some of your favorites are!  
Now We Are Free from Gladiator Healing Katniss from The Hunger Games Halo 4.. Nough said Hace Tuto Guagua from Argo

Jesus for the Jugular by The Veils

This is the closest to metal/screamo you will ever find on my iPod. I am not crazy about that genre of music but while this song definitely has elements of screamo, it still manages to keep that rhythmic melody that I love in music. I happened upon this song by chance while watching a movie called "The Devil's Double." It was a Netflix insta-watch film about one of saddam's hussein's sons and his body double. The movie was very realistic (as real as these things can be to someone who's been raised in suburban America) in its portrayal of the every day life of a sadistic dictator's son and i truly enjoyed it. I think this song is a great representation of the movie because like the song, the main character is supposed to be the son of an army dictator and so he has to present himself as someone who cares about the people and his country, but inside of him is complete chaos. He is constantly doing drugs, bedding women, killing people, and there is even one scene where he rapes a woman on her wedding day and then becomes very nonchalant when she commits suicide due to the shame. I liken the main character to this song (in instrumentation, not lyrics) because the song is also very structured (especially in the beginning), but as it progresses, you start hearing a lot of crazy guitar thrown in that represent chaos but yet is still musical in nature, just as Saddam's son's psychotic nature is chaotic yet wholly human. All in all, i really enjoyed the film and now love this song. Listen, enjoy, and let me know what you think in comments below.