Archive for January, 2009
{ January 29, 2009 @ 8:17 pm }
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{ behind the music, internet radio, music, news, podcast, review, singer songwriter, Site News, VGM }
{ Tags: Daisuke Nagata, Kou Hayashi, Lisa Miskovsky, Masaya Matsuura, Nobuo Uematsu, Rikki, Sitorimon, Teddybear, winifred phillips, Yae } · { }
DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE
Welcome to the first ever Higher Plain Music podcast! This focuses entirely on video game music and talks about the soundtracks reviewed this month and has special features on Final Fantasy X songstress Rikki & Final Fantasy CC siren Yae – featuring clips from their own albums works.
This is very much a work in progress test and for the future I’d like to include interviews and guests to come along and have a chat with me. It’s going to be very open to whoever wants to come along and talk. If you want to come join in the fun, just give me a post on here, on twitter (Sitorimon) or via email!
Please leave your comments (and the answers to the 3 name the song clips) so it can improve for the next edition!
{ January 29, 2009 @ 12:10 pm }
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{ alternative, ambient, composer, DJ, indie, low fi, music, review, trance, VGM }
{ Tags: Baiyon } · { }
PixelJunk Eden is a beautiful game on the PlayStation Network, which is also where you can download the soundtrack from (much much cheaper than getting the CD version imported from Japan). Baiyon is the composer of this 12 track abstract danceathon.
The soundtrack opens with the short ambient drones of “Become Part of This” like a group of chords that have been slowed down on vinyl. From there we enter into the low-fi world of Eden. “637 Volpe” sets up the overall tone for the soundtrack nicely with pulsating beats and abstract and anti-melodic riffs. The song, as with the whole soundtrack, is all about slowly layering and evolving – each 4 or 8 bars of music something alters. Sometimes its the bass, the percussion or the melodies – sometimes it’s a new instrument added. “637 Volpe” is one of the more melodic songs of the soundtrack.
“Bord de Lac” is one of the shorter tracks (still 4 minutes mind) and is all about bending notes and siren bass lines which doesn’t evolve quite as much as the previous track but doesn’t outstay its welcome. “They Said” is even more subtle with its low-fi approach and tiny changes as it goes along. At 7 minutes too it either gets hypnotic or tedious depending on your standpoint. However the random effects squishing around are good fun.
“Summer in Winter” has a tripped up beat to it and some interesting bass lines as it gradually unfolds into a much more livelier track the the previous two however “Flat Frog” goes one better with its flanging synthesisers working to great effect.
“Swept the Rain” is the equivalent of a low-fi freakout. It’s got a maddening bass with sounds like a muffled car engine but it really pumps out the grisliness in the second half of the song where the track really stretches its legs. “Wheel Window” is in the same vein as 637 Volpe with its plinky tunes that are a-tonal and don’t really go anywhere but keep you listening anyway. “Hand Wash” is nearly 10 minutes in length and sounds like someone trying to dial on a phone or text someone with their key pad noises still on. Again dependant on mood its either irritating or hypnotic.
“Druck der Farben” is a bit more celestial with its weird space noises flowing throughout and this gives it a free-falling feel which is really easy on the ear. “Return” deals with backward noises whooshing through the speakers to a beat but again at nearly 10 minutes it doesn’t evolve quickly enough to justify its length. The soundtrack closes with “3 Across 4″ which sounds like the CD has got a bit stuck in places. It’s quite abstract and an interesting way to end the soundtrack.
It’s just a shame that the rest of it isn’t as interesting. PixelJunk Eden has a non-melodic approach which while works excellently with the game, doesn’t stand up quite so well out of it. It’s too up-tempo for ambient music but too washout out for pure melodies. Kudos must be given to Baiyon for creating a soundtrack that seems to avoid any melody at all and it still be perfectly listenable.
PixelJunk Eden is entirely dependant on your musical taste. It’s a very hard soundtrack to judge. Maybe it’d have been more interesting with shorter tracks but as it is its a nice selection of background beats that never threaten to take over your world but will never assault it either.
{ January 29, 2009 @ 12:12 am }
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{ charts, dance, DJ, electro pop, music, producer, remix, review, singer songwriter, techno, trance, VGM }
{ Tags: Armand Van Helden, Benny Benassi, Junkie XL, Lisa Miskovsky, Paul Van Dyk, Teddybear } · { }
Go back to when the original trailers of Mirror’s Edge were released and the first thing I wanted to know about the game was what was that main theme song! The hook grabbed me and infected my musical brain until I couldn’t get it out of my head. Now finally we have a soundtrack of sorts, in a 7 track CD single of various remixes of the song “Still Alive”.
Lisa Miskovsky has a strong vocal that lends well to this pop/alt-pop genre of music. Her voice cuts through the main keyboard tune that hooks you in and gives you a chorus to remember. The single kicks off with the original version and as a stand alone track it looses none of its potency. It still goes onto repeat and I still find myself singing along to it. A great vocal song.
The additional remixes aren’t so bad either! Starting off with “Benny Benassi Remix” (which has a radio edit and a full 8 minute version) we’re treated to a real guttural but euphoric synth led version of the song with a completely different hook but with a great ear for sampling Lisa’s vocals. It’s a completely different entity but its just as infectious and is definitely one for the dance floor. The 8 minute version is probably my preference of the two.
“Paul Van Dyk Remix” is more of a standard trance/dance remix which goes more etheral-esque for the chorus and then leaves the verses for the big bass beats. I’d imagine this’ll be the clubbers choice. “Armand Van Helden Remix” is a bit more dirtier in its sound and much more abstract. This is the only remix I didn’t really understand as its like Helden chopped out Lisa’s vocals and the small piano riff and then left them completely separate to the rest of his remix. It’s not until the final two minutes that it falls together in a more cohesive way but I was left a bit flat by it all.
“Junkie XL Mix” however is completely different altogether. Coming across like a space odyssey with fluffy bell keyboards and distorted siren vocals, it sheds new light on the piece. The way how the chorus’ are remade with all kinds of organic instruments makes me yearn for an acoustic guitar, piano and bell version of the song! Finally “Teddybears Mix” is a very tight remix, taking the main song and giving it a funky beat that makes you want to swing your hips and bounce in the chair – no bad thing then!
Overall I’m very impressed by the collection. Only one remix didn’t really do it for me and it surprising how familiar yet different all the other mixes are. If you love the theme song then you’ll rave over this CD single. HPM has been eagerly snapping up a few of Lisa’s solo albums so expect reviews of them soon too as this is highly recommended.
{ January 26, 2009 @ 9:53 pm }
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{ ambient, classical, composer, music, orchestral, review, VGM }
{ Tags: Wojciech Golczewski } · { }
A man in desperate need of an easier name to spell, Golczewski has been scoring soundtracks for a while but recently popped up on the PlayStation Network with a free soundtrack from the game Linger in the Shadows, a kind of graphical demo that you control.
“Main Theme” is the bulk of this three track collection. It is a seven minute piece that begins ethereally and carefully meanders without really taking over. It sounds like an Enya song without the songstress herself singing. Otherworldly. This then suddenly breaks into a tense string section where you are anything but settled. The chords are dramatic and so is the playing.
The juxtaposition is great and the way how the two form into each other is clever. Then suddenly it changes pace for a climactic finale section. All this in one song? Oh yes!
“Menu” is a short but intelligent piece with two string pieces shifting in volume to make you take more of one or the other in at one time as it builds. “Credits” rounds off with an eerie piano led track that sounds more like a death screen piece more than anything else.
This soundtrack is for free. It is defiantly worth the download time if just for the Main Theme alone. There is a taste of heavy weight across these three pieces and it really sets a mood. It’s a great mini soundtrack and HPM recommends it heartily.
{ January 26, 2009 @ 9:29 pm }
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{ classical, composer, gigs, live music, music, orchestral, review, VGM }
{ Tags: Katsuhisa Hattori, Nobuo Uematsu, Takayuki Hattori } · { }
Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite is a fully orchestrated album, showcasing songs from Final Fantasy I-III. Epic is the name of the game here, as everything gets for the first time, an arranged album! For an arranged album from 1989, it hasnt dated a day and stands up strong today. The tracks were arranged by Katsuhisa Hattori / 服部克久 and Takayuki Hattori and the album was performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.
Scene I (FFII’s main theme) features a choir and a string arrangement powerfully pounding out the main tune, with a little help from some brass and percussion arrangements. It is a beautiful rendition and an excellent opener as it’s very familiar.
Scene II (FFII’s Battle Scene 2) has a very strange drumbeat to accompany the song, which aside from that is a very accomplished piece, with as much drama as you can handle. The drumbeat doesn’t really detract from the song; it just seems a little out of place although over time I have gotten used to its quirk.
Scene III is a medley of FFI’s Opening, the town theme and Matoya’s cave! Each segment is excellently transposed. The Opening part’s majestic ways must have been what earned it such high occult to be included somewhere in every Final Fantasy! The town theme is much more quieter, effortlessly rolling into Matoya’s Cave which is where the choir join the string and brass instruments for what is a very relaxing piece before building up for a crescendo of the opening theme again. Fantastic stuff!
Scene IV (FFII’s Finale) starts off with a picturesque harp and xylophone piece that grabs your heart. Then a heart wrenching string piece is played, almost like a royal anthem. From here it gradually adds layers of instrumentation to a big finale! This is classic Final Fantasy music.
Scene V (FFI and II’s Preludes) showcases various instruments for a military induced fun tune, that instead of being majestic is more happy and outgoing. Soon this stops and the traditional Prelude begins, complete with a harp. It is very cutely done. Wind instruments add a vocalised tune over the top and it forms a delicate song, which shines amongst so many big battle tracks.
Scene VI (FF1′s Kuluku’s Volcano) is a playful song, with pizzicato strings making the tune at the beginning sound like a clumsy, happy one. Soon other instruments enter the fray and it turns a little more mystical and dangerous and the pace quickens and it turns into a dramatic piece.
The final piece, Scene VII (FF1′s Main Theme) rounds off the album in typical style, with a majestically big piece, almost like a swan song. Everyone gets in on the act, and a full orchestra and choir pound out the ending to an ovation at the ending!
After listening to a blinding CD and clapping along with the crowd at the end, you’ll find this CD treasured as one of your favourites, especially if you’re a fan of the older games melodies. Technically accomplished and on scale that was rarely done at the time of making, buy this piece of history and you wont be disappointed.
{ January 26, 2009 @ 9:00 pm }
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{ ambient, composer, music, remix, unreleased songs, VGM }
{ Tags: Nobuo Uematsu } · { }
F.F. Mix is a bizarre CD, full of unreleased material and some remixes of the classic FF songs. Great debate lies in the integrity of the remixes as the opinion is very divided. I will warn in advance you will either grow to love them or hate them and never play them again! However those of you not put off with that task may find solace in the unreleased material here.
Opening the CD is “Tina” which has been remixed by Snow Productions. Now it’s a house remix, and you would have no idea it was actually Tina for the first 2 minutes, before you actually hear the tune. To be honest, the song sounds a little dated and too repetitive and the Tina parts sound tacked on, but its still worth a listen to hear what they’ve done.
“Friends Beats” is a Dear Friends remix, in a hip-hop way. This song is much better and actually incorporates the song a little more, but although its merry enough to plod along, it just doesn’t cut it as a great song. It’s a shame as now Square Dance is around; we can get better dance songs! “Main Theme From Final Fantasy IV” is another remix and sounds very dated and very wrong. A Reggae beat splattered over the top of the OSV version does not make a good song. No ifs or buts. These remixes are all inferior to the excellent works we can get at OverClocked Remix – they simply have not aged well at all. Still, now we have those out of they, along comes sound synth arranged versions of the older songs.
“Prologue” is a fully arranged version of Final Fantasy, which is nice, but compared to say FFVI it just doesn’t cut it as well at would have done 8 or 9 years ago. The tunes still great, but it’s not as impressive. “Theme Of Love” suffers the same problem, but as it’s a one off song it cannot be overlooked as much. It’s a much clearer and better version than the OSV and congratulations must go to Uematsu for breathing new life into a well-used song. Maybe this was the ground workings for the ensemble release on the piano collections!
“The Origin” is an unreleased track and although it really does nothing new the tune meanders decently enough but it will only appeal to die-hard fans. I am one of those, and I was not immediately impressed with this song. “Restless Moments” on the other hand is a true synth song and is welcome entry here. Full of panic, it struts its stuff well. “Sea of Silence” is a sombre song but really does nothing new again. It’s nice, but not enough to stand out for you to buy the CD.
“Matoya” on the other hand is a remix version done well. Using new drum technology and new synths it brings the original into a new world and depth and shows that this album could have been so very much more if others were done like this… “Mount Of The Sky” is a quirky track and one that gives a great character and I have no idea why it wasn’t released or used before.
“Opening Idea Version 2″ is a nice little track and its nice to see what other music could have been put to certain pieces of games. The same can be said for “Flying Ship Version 2″. Both are good songs and are worthy of being released.
“Mambo de Chocobo” gives us one of the best arrangements of the Chocobo theme, complete with real instrumentation. You’ll want tequila when the songs finished. It’s a classy number indeed.
“The Prelude Crystal Remix” sounds like a redundant early 1990′s Madonna song, and although it’s not dreadful by any means, it’s definitely an acquired taste just like the final track – “Final Fantasy Megamix” which is a fun way to finish off the album, if not entirely successful. It is very interesting to see what they’ve done, and how it could have been better, but that doesn’t constitute making it either a good CD, or one worth paying out for.
F.F. Mix is one of those for hardcore fans. Essentially, this is a bungled mix of wannabe tracks. Some are great, but those are tarnished by the lacklustre pieces surrounding them. This is not a worthy buy unless you see it in a bargain sale. Sorry Nobuo! (HPM loves almost everything else you’ve done!)
{ January 26, 2009 @ 2:31 pm }
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{ composer, concert, music, news, release dates, VGM }
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There’s been a lot of problems with the release date of PLAY! A Video Game Symphony and a lot of complaints have been made. I received confirmation that my copy had shipped today so I don’t see many people having to wait for much longer. A full review will arrive when it arrives here.
{ January 26, 2009 @ 10:59 am }
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{ dance, DJ, electro pop, music, music video, pop, singer songwriter, techno, trance, video vault }
{ Tags: GMT, Imogen Heap } · { }
While we all wait for her follow up to Speak For Yourself, take a trip back to a little known music video for Imogen Heap & GMT’s “Meantime” which is a fantastic song that was done during the iMegaphone days.
{ January 26, 2009 @ 10:50 am }
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{ alternative, band, dance, folk, goth, indie, live music, live vault, music, world music }
{ Tags: Qntal } · { }
Qntal are this weeks live vault band! Their latest album Qntal VI: Translucida arrived in the post this morning and shall be reviewed in the coming week. Until then, enjoy “Flamma” from their fourth album. Fantastic track and a perfect performance.
{ January 24, 2009 @ 2:22 pm }
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{ alternative, DJ, electro pop, indie, music, news, release dates, remix, singer songwriter }
{ Tags: Son Lux } · { }
Son Lux is having a busy period. Firstly a free track entitled “Throw” has been released for download. Jump onto his myspace blog to get it. It’s unclear as to the tracks origins but I’d imagine judging by its sweeping orchestral sounds that was written close in time to At War With Walls & Mazes. It’s a lovely song and a definate win for download.
Also released is a 4 track EP on iTunes entitled “The Shark Remixes” where Son Lux has remixed tracks from My Brightest Diamond, an artist that Son Lux openly appreciates. The tracks are:
1. Apples
2. The Diamond
3. Inside A Boy
4. To Pluto’s Moon
This is available to download now and we will be reviewing it this coming week.
{ January 23, 2009 @ 10:25 pm }
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{ behind the music, competition, cover version, DJ, gaming, music, news, producer, remix, VGM }
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The guys at trackitdown.com has organised a Street Fighter IV Remix competition. All you have to do is go here, sign up and download the sample pack of FX and music and then you can remix and produce to your hearts content! The top four winners get an Xbox 360 and a copy of the game while runners up get the game. Sounds like a great way to spend an evening.
So once you’ve got your entry submitted, why not post your remix here as replies to this entry so we can all hear eachothers. It should be good fun to hear what everyone has done.
Good luck to everyone whom enters
{ January 23, 2009 @ 2:54 pm }
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{ classical, composer, concert, live music, music, news, release dates, VGM }
{ Tags: Taro Hakase } · { }
Taro Hakase, FFXII’s Orchestral composer, will have a 3 DVD boxset released containing 4 concerts. The concerts were recorded in 2007 and 2008 from the NHK Hall, London Cadagan Hall & a live special performance at Jonetsu Tairkiru. It will be released on March the 18th.
{ January 23, 2009 @ 12:18 am }
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{ composer, j-pop, music, pop, review, VGM }
{ Tags: Masaya Matsuura } · { }
Parappa The Rapper is already established as an icon for the rhythm action genre of the gaming industry. It was this game that really woke the world outside Japan to the rhythm games. Parappa and the sequels “Um Jammer Lammy” band “Milkcan” team up for a completely new album, well 6 tracks at least. Before I go any further, I must tell you a few things about the album.
Firstly, “I Scream” is hip-hop music and if that doesn’t appeal to you (as it does not to me), then you may be at a disadvantage. The same can also be said if you don’t like rhythm games either.
Secondly, the album takes some of the main songs from Um Jammer Lammy and then rearranges them for Parappa The Rapper – which is cheating in a sense, but at least if you’ve played the game it’ll be warmly familiar to you.
Thirdly, the whole album is full of childish moral banter, using the “cool” Parappa to give the listeners (aimed at the Secondary school range) messages such as “don’t do drugs”. You can either scoff at the attempts, or appreciate what has been done. Also, the lyrics, if you have an adult mind, can prove rather humorous too. Bearing that in mind, read on.
The album opener is called “All We Need Is Music”, which is supposedly sung by Katy Kat, with the main rapping by Parappa. Immediately, you’ll be greeted with happy, funk guitar riffs, and you’ll notice exactly what I said about the lyrics, especially the closing line “Keep my head high, never do drugs, never tell lies and check to make sure I zipped up my fly!” The song is catchy and harmless and sets the scene for the rest to come.
“The New Plan” starts off badly, plugging the PlayStation, but once it gets going, the catchy song manages to grab you by the shoulders and shakes you around, despite Parappa’s poor singing. If you’re into the song, you won’t notice, but if you’re not into the songs at all, it will grate.
“Life Is Like A Sky” is my personal favourite. Its extremely catchy, has some of the best lines, and the best “singing” that Parappa does on the album. “Chop! Chop!” could have been a perfect song along with “Life Is Like A Sky”, but for a bizarre beat problem in the chorus, which tries to spoil everything the song builds up as much as possible. It’s a dreadful shame.
“Why?” is either the worst or the best song on the album, depending on the stance you stand from. It’s a dreadful song, that’s almost laughable. Parappa does his best to sing out of tune too. What makes it so good though, is the lyrics. The song asks lots of questions, but as soon as it stops rhyming, it says something that innocently questions the ways of the world in a simple and very effective manner. You’d only wish that Parappa could sing though. “No Cuttin’ Corners!” is the closing track, which is much like the opening track. Its extremely happy and gives every moral under the sun and rounds off the album nicely.
“I Scream” is extremely hard to rate. You’ll love it, hate it, or appreciate what has tried to do but steer clear none-the-less. Fans of the series should snap it up straight away but everyone else should proceed with extreme caution.
{ January 22, 2009 @ 9:35 pm }
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{ charts, last.fm, most viewed, music, news, Site News }
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A new feature for 2009 is the HPM Charts. This is going to be calculated from a Last.fm account for HPM. If you’ve already got an account there, you can simply join the group. If not, you just sign up for free, download the plugin for your media player and then join the group.
The group link is here – and will be displayed in the side-bar at all times.
Every month we will have a chart round-up telling you who’s where on the list of the most listened artist in the last 31 days! So have some fun, join up and lets get playing!
{ January 22, 2009 @ 8:21 pm }
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{ acoustic, alternative, concert, duet, gigs, indie, live music, music, news, release dates, rock, singer songwriter, tour }
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PJ Harvey & John Parish have announced their European tour dates for their second collaboration album entitled “A Woman A Man Walked By”. The dates are below:
UK TOUR DATES: Wednesday April 15th – Corn Exchange, Brighton www.gigsandtours.com & 01273 709 709
Thursday April 16th – Regal, Oxford www.gigsandtours.com & 0871 2200 260
Saturday April 18th – Anson Rooms, Bristol www.gigsandtours.com & 0844 444 4400
Monday April 20th – Shepherds Bush Empire, London www.gigsandtours.com & 0844 477 2000
Wednesday April 22nd – Town Hall, Birmingham www.gigsandtours.com & 0121 780 3333
Friday April 24th – Ritz, Manchester www.gigsandtours.com & 0161 832 1111
Sunday April 26th – Queens Hall, Edinburgh www.gigsandtours.com & 0871 220 0260
EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:
Saturday May 2nd – Portugal, Porto – Casa Da Musica www.casadamusica.com & +351 220120200
Monday May 4th – Italy, Milan – Auditorium www.ticketone.it
Wednesday May 6th – Germany, Stuttgart – Theaterhaus www.tickets.de & +49 (0)69 – 944 36 60
Thursday May 7th – Germany, Berlin – Passionskirche www.tickets.de & +49 (0)69 – 944 36 60
Saturday May 9th – Sweden, Stockholm – Nalen www.nalen.com & 0771-47 70 70
Sunday May 10th – Norway, Oslo – Rockefeller www.rockefeller.no & +47 815 33 133
Monday May 11th – Denmark, Copenhagen Vega www.billetlugen.dk & +45 70 263 267
Wednesday May 13th – Holland, Amsterdam – Paradiso www.ticketservice.nl & + 31 20 6211288
Thursday May 14th – Belgium, Brussels – Ancienne Belgique www.abconcerts.be & +32 2 548 24 24
Sunday May 17th – France, Paris – Bataclan www.fnac.com & +33 1 41 57 32 28 www.ticketnet.fr & +33 1 46 91 57 57
The album itself will be out on the 30th of March!
{ January 20, 2009 @ 11:24 am }
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{ alternative, ambient, composer, gaming, interview, music, VGM, whispers of the plains }
{ Tags: winifred phillips } · { }
Last week we bought you a review of Winifred Phillips’ latest fantastic soundtrack “SimAnimals” which was released yesterday. This week we have an interview with the siren of song herself! So without further ado, I bring you Winifred Phillips:
What were the highlights for you when writing for SimAnimals?
Meeting with the development team at EA was a real highlight. My music producer Winnie Waldron and I visited the team early in the project, and they demonstrated gameplay for us and talked to us in great depth about what they were trying to achieve, and how the music should contribute to the overall experience. It was very inspiring!
When you listen to the soundtrack there is always an overall feeling of warmth and almost a motherly-love to it. Was that something you had tried to factor in or did it just happen?
I think it just happened on its own. The game SimAnimals encourages the player to shape the environment according to his or her wishes, and there is the potential to form very warm and friendly bonds with the animals, and to become quite attached to the ever-evolving environment. I think that potential relationship was always in the back of my mind when I was working on the music. Of course, its also possible to wreak havoc and cause trouble for the animals, and some of the music in the game expresses that sentiment, too.
You said originally that you were excited to have free reign from the start over the sound. Did anything in particular inspire you to get the tone you finished with?
I took a slightly experimental approach with the music – not that the resulting score comes across as all that experimental! But when Winnie and I were watching the early gameplay videos and deciding what music would best enhance the experience, it seemed that a sense of perpetual motion was permeating the game at all times. This perpetual motion needed to be mirrored in the texture of the music, and that suggested an experimental approach. The world of SimAnimals is constantly changing and evolving as you experiment with it, adding elements to it and encouraging various interactions within it. This ebb and flow of activity forms the core momentum of the game, and it was very important for us to reflect that in the music.
Your producer Winnie Waldron is a bit of an unsung hero as the producer is never given the same spotlight. How does her input help your work?
Winnie Waldron is a great creative partner. We brainstorm, evaluate various musical concepts and develop strategies together. During the music creation and production process, Winnie offers advice and encouragement, keeping things on track and on schedule, and up to the high quality that the game needs. Her input is invaluable to me, and I’m very fortunate to work with her on all my projects.
How does writing music for computer games differ from writing for TV or radio?
Video games are interactive by nature, so the music requirements are fundamentally different. To create music for television or radio is to craft a linear experience in which events happen in a certain order, without changing. But events in a video game are constantly in a state of flux and change, so the music needs to be created in such a way that it supports the unpredictable nature of the gameplay. It’s always an interesting challenge.
Your God of War compositions won you an award. Tell us how that feels…
I was incredibly honored that Winnie and I were recognized as part of the God of War music team with an Interactive Achievement Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Is there any projects you’d like to tackle or new things you’d like to learn?
I would love to create the music for a fantasy roleplaying game. It’s one of my favorite types of games to play, and a genre that I haven’t had the opportunity to work on yet. Any game set in a serious fantasy world would be appealing to me, but an RPG would be an especially enjoyable project.
What’s next in store for Winifred?
At the moment I’m working on the music for another title at EA. Also, I’ll soon be working on a highly-anticipated mature game with another developer, but I’m not allowed to say anything about that yet.
{ January 20, 2009 @ 10:43 am }
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{ acoustic, ballad, composer, folk, music, review, singer songwriter, VGM }
{ Tags: Joanne Hogg, Yasunori Mitsuda } · { }
“Kokoro” is the vocal track single from the Xenosaga soundtrack, and is sung by Joanne Hogg in English. Interestingly, the single doesn’t begin with the song, but with another vocal theme called “Pain”.
“Pain” has a quiet verse and a huge stomping chorus. The piano is present throughout and holds the main tune, while Joanne’s voice soars especially in the chorus’ and they really show off her tremendous vocal talent. The song has an epic feel to it, that’s very present in the instrumental verse played by a solitary whistle. It’s a complex but very satisfying listen.
“Kokoro”, the ending theme for Xenosaga is the second vocal track on the single. Opening in acoustic guitar arpeggios, instruments are layered constantly on top of each other to make listening out for them so enjoyable. Upon each listen, you’ll find a new part of the song that you hadn’t noticed last time. The way in which the different duel vocal arrangements (as in “Pain” too) are done sets Joanne Hogg’s vocals apart from the crowd. The whole song is a classic from start to finish, and I guarantee that you’ll be pressing the repeat button when it’s done.
Track 3 is a piano version of Kokoro. The version is slow and heartfelt, preferring to use sparse arrangement to make more emphasis on the emotions than make a powerful finger-numbing piece. It works very well indeed. Tracks 4 and 5 are instrumental versions of “Pain” and “Kokoro” which are faultless and have lyrics provided to sing along with too!
Unless you are after the Karaoke versions of the songs, the single is kind of redundant as there’s nothing new from the full soundtrack however these songs are particularly great so I wanted to give special attention to them.
{ January 19, 2009 @ 9:07 pm }
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{ concert, electro pop, gigs, j-pop, j-rock, live music, live vault, music, music dvd, singer songwriter, world music }
{ Tags: Ayumi Hamasaki } · { }
Celebrating from her 10th Anniversary DVD of her Asia Tour, this week’s live Vault comes from Ayumi Hamasaki. Extra special this video is, as its got the full length version of the fantastic “Mirrorcle World” performed live. See the fun unfold here.
« Previous entries
This week’s video vault comes from Celtic/Christian group Iona, fronted by Xenogears/saga vocalist Joanne Hogg. The video isn’t anything particularly special but its quite rare to find on the internet, 
