After deconstructing the classic American Western by way of and , director distilled his intentions with 1968's , arguably a milestone for both and his musical cohort, . For his part, framed 's meditative camera work and mythic narrative with a mix of hauntingly spacious pieces and reconfigured snatches of tunes. Just within the stretch of the first four pieces here, evokes the endless expanse of the West with a aria (the main title theme), weaves some twisted grit into the showdown theme with loads of guitar fuzz ( ), ingeniously combines whistling and a clippity-clop rhythm for a respite piece ( ), and conjures the surreal end of the cowboy mythos via a wonderfully disjointed serial-style number ( ). And whether sounding upbeat or stark, informs it all with the dry and windswept vacancy of the West. Beautiful and stunning. ~ Stephen Cook