Songs of 2019
July 6, 2019
Pampa by Gustavo Santaolalla
I watch Jane the Virgin a lot--it is one of my most favorite television shows of all time. The way the story is told is dynamic and engaging; the characters are multi-layered and real; the plot is just dramatic enough without making me feel overwhelmed. And at it's heart, it is a story about love and family--two things I am a sucker for.
But it is also filled to the brim with beautiful details that make it so much more than it appears on the surface--and one of those things is the score. It adds such a sense of place, tells you so much about who these characters are and what they are feeling in an exact moment. I fell in love with the soft guitar sounds bringing this world to life, so I got to googling.
I discovered that Gustavo Santaolalla--the same man behind the score for the game The Last Of Us--was responsible for this musical magic. And then I went in search of his compositions.
Pampa is a melody I very much enjoy. It is sad and bittersweet in a way I can't quite explain. There are tinges of happiness threaded through with a distinct melancholic tone that keeps you hooked. And it is all done--mostly--through the beautiful sound of an acoustic guitar. It sounds so simple (though I'm sure, technically, it is anything but) and yet carries so much weight.
It builds a world and a scenario and then gives your mind the leeway to explore the possibilities that might stem from it. It leaves the ending up to you--and I adore every single second of it.
