I can point to a handful of filmmakers who use music in their movies better than the rest. They’ll all show up on this list, some more than once.

I definitely count the Coen Brothers among that group, though in their case it’s more about how they use sound of all kinds — music, score, ambient effects — to create their worlds. Whether it’s Beethoven on a banjo in Raising Arizona, the orgy of violence set to a soaring ‘Danny Boy’ in Miller’s Crossing or the ghostly echoing of the halls in Barton Fink, the Coens’ films are a feast for both the eyes and ears.

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