GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA
Babel
Concord
*****

Oscar-winning Argentinian composer Santaolalla pushes the musical envelope for Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel. He weaves Iñárritu's globetrotting narrative threads together with his sinuous score, which combines long melodic lines and abrupt polyrhythms with warm electronica and exquisite instrumental colours - predominantly the Arabic oud, the Argentinian runroco and the Mexican charango, particularly on Tazarine, Deportation, Hiding It and The Master. Santaolalla creates a dense and expressive sound world by seamlessly mixing ethnic idioms with an eclectic array of songs by David Sylvian, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Chavela Vargas (among others). www.concordmusicgroup.com