And Here Time Forked

“Oh dear… what have we here? Are you a new...

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:24:50 -0700

“Oh dear… what have we here? Are you a new servant?”

Music for the Daughters of Chaos, one of the groups with whom the player may form a covenant in Dark Souls. The sad story is only hinted at in the course of a normal playthrough, but the music by Motoi Sakuraba gives full vent to the sisters’ tragic history.

“Beautiful Area” by Akihisa Yamaguchi– certainly not...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:47:03 -0700

“Beautiful Area” by Akihisa Yamaguchi– certainly not the first, or second, or even the third thing would have come to mind if given only the name of the game soundtrack it comes from: Gran Turismo 5.

“Brain Wash (Stage 4-1)” is a somewhat arresting...

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:58:45 -0800

“Brain Wash (Stage 4-1)” is a somewhat arresting track by Junichi Masuda for the Mega Drive game Pulseman. The developer, Game Freak, subsequently created Pokémon, for which Masuda wrote much of the initial music. Today, Masuda is on the board of directors of Game Freak and one of the leaders of the Pokémon franchise.

It’s not every day that the modern working composer gets a...

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 18:09:19 -0800

It’s not every day that the modern working composer gets a chance to quote the likes of Chopin and Rachmaninoff piano concertos at their most bombastic, which is why Chris Velasco must have had fun with this track, the appropriately floridly named “Blood Thirst Concerto” from Soul Calibur V.

In Heian-era Japan, the imperial court magician Abe no Seimei...

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:19:49 -0800

In Heian-era Japan, the imperial court magician Abe no Seimei explains certain fundamentals of spellcraft to the good-hearted but buffoonish young noble Minamoto no Hiromasa as they stroll through town.

I like the way there is no wonder or fear attempted in this piece even though the topic of conversation is about curses leveled by vengeful spirits. Such topics, of course, were part of everyday life at this point in history, and this cue captures the curious but familiar presence of such forces, while underscoring the rhythm of their unhurried walk.

From the soundtrack to the 2001 film Onmyōji (陰陽師), composed by Shigeru Umebayashi.

Even if you aren’t a fan of chiptunes, this jazzy...

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:17:30 -0800

Even if you aren’t a fan of chiptunes, this jazzy interpretation of Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy series theme (with a little Bach detour) by the band YMCK is remarkable solely on the basis of its playful, virtuoso musicality.

This is “The Beginning,” my favorite cue...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:20:00 -0800

This is “The Beginning,” my favorite cue from Demon’s Souls, in which the fall of a kingdom is recounted not with “epic” horns and choir but an intimate string arrangement. Instead of focusing on the scale of the disaster, we are taken inside of King Allant XII’s head as he weakly makes the decisions that lead to catastrophe. Music by Shunsuke Kida.

“You fool. Don’t you understand? No one wishes to go on.”

Among Yasunori Mitsuda’s lesser known works is the score...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:43:00 -0700

Among Yasunori Mitsuda’s lesser known works is the score for the obscure and poorly reviewed 2001 PS2 game Tsugunai: Atonement*. Neither the game nor the score really stood out, but Mitsuda’s hallmark sounds and rhythms can be clearly heard in this track, “Departure,” which evokes some of the work he did for Xenogears (prior) and Xenosaga (after).

*tsugunai means “atonement”, so the fully translated English name of this game could be said to be Atonement: Atonement.

This is Yoshimitsu’s theme from Tekken Tag Tournament by...

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 17:58:49 -0700

This is Yoshimitsu’s theme from Tekken Tag Tournament by sanodg (Nobuyoshi Sano). The voice can be heard saying: “no eye, no ear, no nose, no mouth, no body, no mind, no shape, no shape.” It seems to be an adapted translation of a part of the Heart Sutra of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Nothing I have read (which is, admittedly, little) suggests that Yoshimitsu, the character, is a of a fanatical Buddhist bent, but that suggestion in the music is interesting.

Accoring to Wikipedia, the story of El Shaddai: Ascention of the...

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:29:00 -0700

Accoring to Wikipedia, the story of El Shaddai: Ascention of the Metatron “is inspired by the apocryphal Book of Enoch, and follows Enoch, a priest seeking seven fallen angels to prevent a great flood from destroying mankind. He is helped in his quest by Lucifel, a guardian angel in charge of the protection of the world who exists outside of the flow of time, and four Archangels.”

One might be forgiven for not immediately making the connection upon hearing A Mirror Reflecting Images, by Kazuhiko Sawaguchi, from the game’s soundtrack.

Your first mission. Destroy all enemy mechs in the city near the...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 18:38:00 -0700

Your first mission. Destroy all enemy mechs in the city near the border. Remember to take them all out.

“Briefing” by Teruhiko Nakagawa for Metal Head on the Sega 32X.

“Drive by Wire” from the soundtrack to the Mamoru...

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:34:48 -0700

“Drive by Wire” from the soundtrack to the Mamoru Oshii film The Sky Crawlers, by Kenji Kawai.

This is the flying carpet theme from Dragon Warrior VII...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 00:02:17 -0700

This is the flying carpet theme from Dragon Warrior VII performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This piece, by series composer Koichi Sugiyama, feels gamey and flat in its synthesized form, but it brims with life when performed on real instruments.

This is “Ancient Dolphin” from Seiken Densetsu 3 by...

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:07:10 -0700

This is “Ancient Dolphin” from Seiken Densetsu 3 by Hiroki Kikuta (菊田裕樹).

Many people mention Spacechem’s difficulty and unique...

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:04:00 -0700

Many people mention Spacechem’s difficulty and unique gameplay, but few talk about its music or story. Both deserve more attention. The surprisingly expansive and emotional soundtrack by French composer Evan Le Ny seems to spring fully-formed from nowhere. It feels logical and calculated, yet also purposeful and, ultimately, heroic. His music echoes and reinforces the game’s theme: how the power of science can cast light upon the darkness of ignorance and superstition, and elevate our species.

Moonquake / Ceadeus from Monster Hunter 3 (tri–) by Yoko...

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:42:00 -0800

Moonquake / Ceadeus from Monster Hunter 3 (tri–) by Yoko Komiyama (小見山優子). Powerful and purposeful vocals propel this piece past most of your typical “boss fight” tracks.

“Limitless” by Nobuko Toda (戸田信子), for Sentritsu no...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:04:16 -0800

“Limitless” by Nobuko Toda (戸田信子), for Sentritsu no Stratus, an anime-styled PSP game unreleased in the West. Previously, Toda was one of the composers for Metal Gear Solid 4 and other Metal Gear titles.

This is the start of a mini-series highlighting aggressive,...

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:58 -0800

This is the start of a mini-series highlighting aggressive, militant cues by female composers.

First up is a track by Erina Niwa (丹羽映理納) called “North Airport ~ Argus 2 Battle” for PlatinumGames’ Vanquish. It takes a little while to develop and open up, but around the 2:30 - 3:00 mark it turns into something beyond just the usual full-spectrum background beat.

The true range of the human voice is underused in almost every...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:44:00 -0800

The true range of the human voice is underused in almost every type of modern music. Film and game soundtracks in particular so often resort to generic sample library “hooh, hah” and Latin phrases in tedious attempts make things feel “epic.” Why don’t we ignore those and listen to this: David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir, in Trio Meditation Three, pointing towards the sublime potential hidden in our very own vocal chords.

Would you believe that the same composer who wrote the subdued,...

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 20:07:00 -0700

Would you believe that the same composer who wrote the subdued, atmospheric music for the PlayStation 2 classic ICO also wrote this old-school monster movie theme for 2002’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla? The professional chameleon in this case is film and video game composer Michiru Ōshima (大島ミチル).

Update! Thanks to James McCawley for pointing out that while the main themes of ICO were composer by Ōshima, the ambient pieces were actually created by Koichi Yamazaki (山崎耕一), also known as pentagon.