Archive for December, 2011

HPM’s Top 10 Albums of 2011

{ December 24, 2011 @ 2:01 pm } · { music, review, top 10 }
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It’s that time of year again – a wrap up of the top 10 albums I have had the pleasure of buying. This list is for musical artist album releases only. A separate one will be done for game soundtracks. Here goes:

10) Zola Jesus – Vessel

A fantastic culmination and one of my most recent new discoveries, it just edges into the top 10 by providing me with one of the few dark and damp albums of 2011. Her voice harks back to generations of old and the electronics and dramatic song structures make it a treat to visit the darkness every time.

09) Faun – Eden

Band members have left and been replaced and while you can tell that Faun’s sound has changed forever. It still sits firmly in the Pagan Folk genre they’ve helped create but the vocals are more hymn like, English is introduced and the overall sound is one more of a forest pixie raging war on humanity. Either way, it’s still utterly superb.

08) St Vincent – Strange Mercy

St Vincent makes the most clumsy, sloppy and seemingly out of control music seem to still have order, beauty and integrity. Her third studio album is full of all the quirks, embellishments and random freak outs we’ve come to expect but in a more assured manner and with more layers than ever before!

07) Gregory Douglass – Lucid

Having watched Gregory over various live net shows introduce, change, develop and grow Lucid from a concept into a fully evolved being, it’s a fantastic dream concept album that works from start to finish. Showcasing some great technical wizardry, it features some of the most catchy numbers and some of the most heartbreaking from his career to date.

06) Amiina – Puzzle

From what I thought was a lovely, quaint but slightly one-sided debut, Puzzle lifts Amiina into a new level. The quartet have perfected their craft of weaving the most unlikely of instruments together into lullabies but now also into powerful epic seven minute masterpieces.

05) Bjork – Biophilia

Never one to sit still, Biophilia is a career spanning genre bending full flow freak out. Never compromising, always challenging – it contains highlights of Bjork’s most beautiful, most powerful and most scary moments of her musical career.

04) Tori Amos – Night of Hunters

Tori Amos remains my favourite musical artist of all time. The reason this hasn’t reached the top spot is purely because it’s an album that requires a lot of time and effort to digest and I’m not really there yet. The string arrangements are beautiful and the songs are fantastic. Many have called it a return to form but I never saw her falter. A bold new direction and one that pays off.

03) Lamb – 5

The return of Lamb was unexpected but much appreciated with the perfect blend of Lou’s own solo styles and Andy’s more electronic edges. The album is much more direct and approachable with instant hooks throughout, making it by far my favourite Lamb album to date and hopefully will give them confidence to continue  on.

02) tUne-YaRdS – W H O K I L L

Only discovering the sheer genius of this lady last year, being able to enjoy the growth from début to album number 2 was phenomenal. All the funky vocal collages are still here, as is the home ramshackle production but this time fused with brass and some more tip-top production too. It just seems like such a natural bloom. Magical.

01) Charlotte Martin – Dancing on Needles

The album that keeps giving with all the b-sides being released online, it’s a perfect merger of all Charlotte’s previous works of piano, guitar, keyboard and pounding drums. Her voice is an absolute marvel and every song is as achingly beautiful and painful as the last. Without doubt my album of the year.

Narrowly missing out were PJ Harvey, Kate Bush, Sarah Slean, The Go Team and Omodaka.

Game / Perpherial Review – uDraw Artist Studio (PS3)

{ December 21, 2011 @ 2:12 am } · { game review, games, gaming, playstation 3, wii, xbox 360 }
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uDraw is the latest peripheral that’s hit the gaming world – firstly for the Wii and now for Xbox360 and PS3. It comes bundled with Artist Studio – a full on sandbox studio kit. So with a few games dripping onto the market – does the uDraw work?

In a word – No.

The first design problem is the fact it uses 3 AA batteries. In the age where we’re used to chargeable controllers this is sad to see. Secondly the stylus pen that is attached, is attached by a very short rope – a bit like a bank pen that doesn’t quite give you enough room to go freely across your cheque book. It gets caught on the edges and generally gets in the way.

However all these could be overlooked if the actual tablet worked. It appears to be very hit and miss. The stylus needs to be absolutely vertical for it to register and I found I had to be pressing down quite hard on the screen itself. Within about three minutes I thought I was actually going to break the thing in half because of the sheer pressure I needed to use to get the pen to register. From there I read that you could use your fingers. Suddenly things seemed a lot smoother and I recommend people going straight for the finger option.

This then led to one further problem which then turned what was starting to become quite an interesting experience into a nightmare. Basically, Artist Studio did not seem to notice when I removed my finger from the canvas. This then causes lots of annoying problems of then getting the drawings to stop drawing after spending so long trying to get the thing to register you! Admittedly you can undo the last ten actions by pressing select but it suddenly gets infuriating when for the fifth time a giant red line is spray painted across your work of art.

Of the Artist Studio itself, there’s a range of features and effects – most of which work really well and it has a lot of effects stolen from adobe. There is potential for some great art but it takes a lot of dedication. There are a few tutorials and challenges thrown in for good measure too. The only down side is that by using your fingers and not the “is it working?!” stylus, the menu system is too small to navigate easily and it takes a long time to get spacial awareness around the tablet to vaguely select the right thing.

Positives

~When it works, it’s actually quite a revelation and a unique console experience

~Fingers make great art tools

Negatives

~The stylus doesn’t work and I wouldn’t trust it to not damage the screen

~Uses AA batteries

~Fiddly menu systems

~Frustrating touch sensitivity bugs make things feel laborious

~Lead me to think the whole game would work so much better with a Move controller instead

Conclusion

Out of all the add-on controllers and spins off’s I’ve bought – this is the worst. Not because it’s a bad idea – it’s a great one. It just plain and simply doesn’t work half the time and that leads to utter frustration. If this application came out with the Move controller (like a much beefier Beat Sketcher) then I’d be raving. It’s the tablet itself that ruins it and therefore will ruin any game it graces until its core issues are resolved.

Game Review: PachiPara 16 Gingira Paradise 2 (PS3)

{ December 16, 2011 @ 6:43 pm } · { game review, Japanese Import, playstation 3 }
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Pachinko has a long history in Japan and the Pachi Para series is currently in its 17th installment making it one of the longest-serving franchises in gaming today, yet its been Japan only. That is until the PS3 arrived making the region free blu-ray discs available for import. Well, after a long time with the game I finally feel I’m able to give a verdict.

Pachinko for those who are unfamiliar with the game, is a form of gambling in Japan where literally hundreds of pinballs are flipped into a machine and trickle down lots of pins bouncing off them as they go. Should you get some into the centre area a slot machine spins and if you match three in the slot machine you win.

The PS3 version of course is just for points, not prizes (although the trophies are rewards to get). You can choose from 20 tables and have AI battles against opponents or going online against other players although you never see them. All you get their sound effects and scores on the right hand side of the screen. The only real input you have is the power dial to determine how powerful the initial shot of the pinball is. Everything else is pure blind luck. It will make you think that by hammering buttons, flicking backgrounds and having lucky tables will play a part but it really doesn’t. In some ways this makes the thing charming, in others it completely removes any game element you think you actually have.

With Pachi Para 16 its all about collecting and seeing. You can collect various trophies for scores and matches, the songs that play and little mini movies when you do well can all be fun to look for. It says a lot that sometimes you’re prepared to sit and wait for quarter of an hour just to see if the mermaid pops up again! The way the fish wink at you when you line up two together and thirds just a slot away – it’s teasing you. It’s this that makes Pachi Para succeed in being an utter time-wasting addiction. It’s one however I keep coming back to and is perfect for just leaving on while you’re doing the dishes or cooking the dinner as when someone screams “SUPER LUCKY!!!” you can quickly run in and see what you’ve won.

Positives

~Completely unique to the western world
~Ultra cute graphics and music
~Painfully addictive

Negatives

~Not really any input from player means you can feel removed from the game
~Infuriatingly random

Conclusion

Pachi Para 16 is my first foray into Pachinko. I’ve enjoyed the experience but in order to go for other Pachinko games I’d want to go for something completely different machine wise. For me, it’s about collecting and seeing the strange movies that appear and if they stay the same in different machines in the series, then there’s not much for me to look out for elsewhere.

Game Review: Blokus (PSN / XBL)

{ December 16, 2011 @ 6:30 pm } · { blocks, game review, party games, playstation 3, playstation network, xbox 360 }
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Blokus – Gameloft’s version of the board game is a great little addition to any family gamers collection and a simple game for strategists.

Blokus is played as a 2 or 4 player game where everyone has to get rid of all their strange shaped block pieces of their colour. These come in shapes of 1,2,3,4 and 5 blocks. The two big crux of the game is that your pieces must touch diagonally with each other (so no sides of the some colour touch) and the game board is not begin enough for everyone. This then leads to the method of blocking. Blocking is placing your blocks around others so they can no longer proceed onwards in certain directions. Within three or four moves everyone is busy crossing over each other and causing havoc.

With the main game is sound, there’s a small single player tournament where the AI is competitive. You can play online although the community is small and the PlayStation version is move compatible and this does work as a good alternative to the controller. I believe the electronic version is better than the real game because it can tell you if you’ve still got moves available or not when sometimes you’ve missed a small one block opportunity somewhere.

Positives

~Great, clean adaptation of the board game version
~Nice Move support
~Genuinely fun for all the family

Negatives

~No one seems to play online

Conclusion

It won’t take the world by storm but it’s solid five-minute gameplay makes it good for quick-fire strategy and plenty of one more go opportunities. A hidden gem amongst the downloadable titles.

Game Review: Funky Lab Rat (PSN)

{ December 16, 2011 @ 6:22 pm } · { game review, Move, platformer, playstation 3, playstation network, puzzle }
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One of the few early Move titles that really had me coming back for more was Funky Lab Rat. A simple but deceptive platform / puzzle game, it’s a cheap but devilish treat.

The twist for Funky Lab Rat is that you can pause the game and then rearrange the level with limited moves. The opening levels revolve around just moving platforms however that leads way to pausing during each jump to shuffle things along and then once the lava gets in the loop, the difficulty increases. There’s 100 stages and some extra stages for DLC should the rat get into you.

The game can be controlled with the normal PS3 controller but the Move controller works equally well which is surprising given the precision needed for each level is a testament to character physics. While the graphics are simple they more than do the job.

Positives

~Precise platforming techniques
~Sometimes multiple ways to complete a level
~A game with character
~Steady learning curve

Negatives

~Nope… I’m struggling!

Conclusion

Funky Lab Rat is a fantastic game. It does everything it sets out to do without any downfalls and while I’m sure it could have had more special effects and a sweeping music score, the appearance it has suits its almost indie like quality. Perfectly judged – a fine piece of gaming.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 OST Mitsuto Suzuki Balearic Mix

{ December 16, 2011 @ 6:09 pm } · { composer, game music, remix, VGM }
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Check out this 40 minute remix of the FF13-2 soundtrack from Mitsuto Suzuki. A fantastic feature – reminds me or Hiroki Kikuta’s Secret of Mana+ but… Balearic!

Kara McGraw – A Christmas Song for Hurricane Irene Recoveree’s

{ December 16, 2011 @ 2:07 am } · { charity, indie, music, piano, singer songwriter }
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Kara McGraw is a lovely singer / songwriter from Berlin, Vermont, USA and she has penned and released a beautiful track for the farmers recovering from Hurricane Irene. The song is available to download and keep on bandcamp’s wonderful name your price and that money will then go towards their recovery.

The song is available to listen to below.

“Nier Tribute Album -echo-” Review

{ December 16, 2011 @ 1:28 am } · { alternative, ambient, arrangements, game music, indie, music, neo-folk, review, VGM }
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Nier, the PS3 RPG has one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard all generation. Now there’s been a tribute album released so I can’t be the only one thinking the same thing!

“Repose” opens remixed by Sexy-Synthesizer which is weaves the beautiful angelic vocal samples and acoustic guitar samples of a shimmering mirage of technical wizardry. It’s like the keyboard just showers all kinds of arpeggios of greatness upon your ears – it’s really beautifully put together. Matryoshka’s version of “Kaine / Salvation ~ Kaines Escape” is a hushed version of the vocal theme with lots of static noise purring through the arrangement. It reminds me very much of the original Shadow Hearts vocal theme.

“Temples of Drifting Sands” but millstones is a real drum n bass affair moulding the original vocals that are heavily processed around a quickly paced beat. There’s plenty of bright piano added in to keep you amused too. “Emil / Sacrifice” from Ametsub starts off like a fluffy Cocteau Twins track and spins itself into a whirlwind of clicks and real moogy keyboard samples. It’s nothing like the original and the track really flips its character over the five minutes it runs. Superbly diverse and genre hopping, it’s a great display of technical talent.

“Suite of Nier” from arranger Go-qualia however is a tour de force. Taking four tracks and fusing them together in a Gothic beauty. Complete with sharp, buzzing complex drum structures, industrialised keyboard synths and disquieting vocal performances – the whole thing works an absolute treat. “Shadowlord’s Castle / Roar” from Rafven is a great little polka number. Accordion, brass and whimsy guitar make it great fun and when it suddenly kicks into the full speed version, you won’t be able to keep still!

Nobu44 turns to a new genre with “The Incomplete Stone” which is neo-jazz with its slinky organs and low fi chords being lazily played underneath. Then give the monk style vocal some vocoder and you have another surprisingly awesome track on your hands. sasakure.UK’s version of “Song of the Ancients / Devola / Popula” is a hi energy affair with a rocking beat and some hugely complex noise riffs rolling constantly around the speakers. Add in some fantastic piano and string work over the vocals and you have a great mix.

KanouKaoru’s “The Wretched Automatons” is a sublime echo filled dreamscape of underwater currents, string arrangements and soft percussion. It’s a hard one to classify because its soft and dreamy but actually very densely produced. It works very well though, making a soft song have underlying tension. “Grandma” from Schroeder-Headz is an interesting take on the song which starts off very similar to the original and then grows into something more orchestral and grand. No-No2′s track “The Lost Forest” is a typical remake using woodwind, plenty of piano and soft tuned percussive elements giving a warm if mystical rendition. The closer is “Snow in Summer – The Dark Colossus Destroys All” from World’s End Girlfriend is a song that decides to throw in every type of tempo change effect possible, even making me think my speakers had gone wrong. It’s very much of the nature of Nier, Shadow Hearts, End of Eternity etc in its style and its a great dramatic end to a fantastic album.

As a tribute album, Echo is at the top of its game – so much so I’d recommend it as a must have accompaniment to the original soundtrack the expansions soundtrack. Gothic, haunting, slightly nuts but eerily beautiful from start to finish – I have not enough thumbs to up to Echo!

Whispers of the Plains: – 12 Followers / Meteo Xavier

{ December 15, 2011 @ 1:47 am } · { behind the music, behind the scenes, composer, game music, interview, music, VGM, whispers of the plains }
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Having released his first full album Metrocrity Vol.1, we speak to 12 Followers / Meteo Xavier about putting out his new baby.

So tell the readers little about 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier and how you came into being?

Well, the real origin here is so ridiculous I almost feel like it should be something I’m ashamed to admit, but the real start was about 10 years ago when I graduated from high school. I wanted to get into major serious acting and my thinking at the time was if I started a rock band, that would be my in. Oh yeah, and this is before I knew jack squat about music. I actually thought that would work. :P

Well, 10 years of reality later and an attempt to do a Christian Rock band with a friend later and slowly piecing equipment, software and knowledge together is where I land now. Over the last several years I’ve been doing “on-the-job” learning which I wanted to develop as a foundation to build and improve off of – this is 2 albums, about half-a-dozen commissioned game work, Ocremixes, what have you. I hate being limited and I enjoy being realistic (as opposed to yesteryears) so I’m interested in any music work I can get – albums, games, projects, etc.
What inspired you to take the route of a game music style approach with Meteocrity Vol.1?

Meteocrity Vol. 1 IS game music I had been commissioned to do that has yet to be published. The bitter reality of starting out in the indies is that 8 out of 10 projects never see the light of day. Game development is a time crushing activity that most people do in their spare time and life just gets in the way and I had a bunch of tracks sitting on my computer that weren’t going anywhere, so I fixed up the ones that were worth fixing, mixed them better and hired German game composer and audio producer Daniel Lippert to master and the album was finished.
When you listen to Meteocrity Vol.1, it sounds like there’s a narrative that runs throughout the album. Did you plan one and if so what was it about?

Actually, that quite surprises me. My last album had a sort-of narrative and this one did not. The only real structure to it was I had some tracks that sounded like beginning tracks and a couple that sounded like ending tracks and put them at bookends and then tried to arrange the rest of them in the smoothest progression possible, but now I’m really interested in this idea because I had no deliberate narrative going on.
There’s a real collection of different genres and it even sounds like some tracks come from different era’s of technology (8bit / 16bit). What are all the different challenges of having to compose for such a vast selection of different styles? Do you have any favourite styles?

My favorite style is the hyper-melodic prog-rock sound that Motoi Sakuraba and Hiroki Kikuta patented for their games and compositional formulas. This one has a lot of different sounding tracks because they all come from different projects and different setups I used to have. Most of these tracks reflect me being inexperienced and eager, so I pretty much gave in to the strict commissioners’ wishes and did them exactly as they wanted (I now command much more creative and quality control).

I’m not so sure I had much trouble in learning different styles. A rock track for a platformer or SHMUP can easily become a puzzle track if you slow down the tempo and make it less dynamic. I asked for audio examples, they sent me what they wanted and I did my best to learn and recreate (copy) what they wanted. This is not really the way I like to do things but sometimes it’s what’s called for in the job.
How do you start off composing a track. Do melodies come before the beats or does it change from song to song? Did some tracks come to you quicker than others?

A lot of my tracks come from an earlier exercise in something that I kept, but when I’m started from square one, I always start with drums and bass, I build some chords and fills and get a general atmosphere and direction going. After that I either develop the melody or further accompaniment (whichever works first). I discourage starting with chords and melody first and then building everything around it – that’s like building a house around your furniture out in a field somewhere. I start from the ground up, get my direction and accompaniment going and then put the melody in. The melody’s the easiest to write because you’re just writing on top of everything else.

Some tracks are definitely easier than others. Some of the tracks here on Meteocrity took like an hour – others took days. It’s just the luck of the draw when you’re making something from nothing, you build what you can build, take a look at it and go from there until it sounds like a song.
Although you have composed for a variety of other projects, this is your first commercial release. How does it feel to finally have something that is entirely your baby with name on out there?

Spiritually orgasmic. I always encourage people to finish their stuff for any reason just because it feels as good as sex and lasts a lot longer. Even if what you do sucks, you get SOMETHING from it and you can do SOMETHING with it. An unfinished track – all you’ve got is raw material to mine from. It can’t do anything by itself. Completing a project is pretty addicting, but it might be a good addiction.
You’re always busy with new projects – is there anything you can let slip for us that’s coming up in the near future?

Oh, my plate is super full and might take me more than a full year from now to work on and complete. I have a chiptune album I meant to start back in the fall but hadn’t gotten to it other than some track demos to work on. I’m the Assistant Director and Manager of the Seiken Densetsu 3 project on Ocremix and that’s going to kick some ass. I did a MIDI soundtrack for a Tower Defense game and we’re mostly done with that.

I will, sometime in the near future, be working on a new commercial album with piano maestro Ghetto Lee Lewis from OCR for the record label that’s solo piano and I can’t wait to do that because then I’ll finally get to release a “12 Followers” record and not “12 Followers/Meteo Xavier”. It will be an actual album-long collaboration.

On the flip side of things, I’m also an author under the name J.S. Lawhead and I’m going to be working on a new novel soon for Hellfire Publishing once I make some more headway in marketing my current novel, Vulgarity For the Masses.

So I have my work cut out for me, but I ain’t complaining. It’s good to have real work to do for people these days. Thank you for asking, Simon!

…and thank you so much for talking to Higher Plain Music!

Crazy Chocobo?! – Your Opinions

{ December 14, 2011 @ 1:35 am } · { opinions, VGM }
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Possibly the most controversial rendition of the Chocobo theme ever? As ever with the internet, hardly anyone will sit on the fence. I think its a bold attempt and it doesn’t sound that awful at all. I doubt it’ll be the sole chocobo song and I’ve sure there was similar drama when FFX’s Otherworld was used as a track.

Where do you clock in?

Mushu – “Traps” Review

{ December 14, 2011 @ 12:38 am } · { band, indie, music, rock }
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We here at HPM do like an indie band and Mushu fit that bill nicely. Recording and releasing their new single “Traps” is a step away from their previous efforts with a more grandeur approach.  From the echoing spacious beginning the track gradually adds layers of vocals and instruments to a beautiful climax that feels really fluid and very psychedelic / hippy styled. Like if Ladytron dropped all electrics and went on a pure 4 piece venture.

Here’s to hoping Mushu get their first full release out soon.

OverClocked Remix Releases: BadAss: Boss Themes

{ December 14, 2011 @ 12:23 am } · { arrangements, composer, free download, music, VGM }
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Gotta love the OCR crew! Grab it for free now :)

Amos Releases “Sin Palabras”

{ December 14, 2011 @ 12:17 am } · { classical, news, piano, singer songwriter, strings }
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In a lovely twist, Tori Amos has released in digital format only an instrumental version of “Night of Hunters”. Removing all the voice, all that’s left is piano and orchestration. It was released without fanfare today in America but strangely holds an April 2012 release for us in the UK. I think that may jump forward however. Samples are available on amazon and iTunes.

“Deepak Chopra’s Leela” Soundtrack Review

{ December 11, 2011 @ 2:27 am } · { ambient, composer, game music, music, review, VGM, world music }
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I’ve put his picture here, and it is a game that carries his name but Deepak Chopra’s Leela carries a soundtrack without his music on. Instead eight wonderful artists converge for two discs of beautiful relaxation music.

Brent Arnold opens Disc 1 which is entitled “Play Mixes” with “Origin” which is a warm river of bending string arrangements across the lightest of percussion. It’s so hypnotic and soothing, like taking a velvet bubble-bath. “Life” by Garth Stevenson sounds like something Sigur Ros would compose without the vocals. A slow mellow blend of electric guitar plucks and swirling keyboards eventually come into a brief ascension with bass and light drums of a ticking clock. It’s minimal nature is laboured upon because there are a lot of layers going on, it’s just you won’t detect them all straight away.

“Power” from Karim So is more grizzly with its offbeat tuned percussion and sharper electric gubbins. It’s the least soothing track so far but one of the most immediate because the riffs are more apparent. “Love” from East Forest is a sublime track that combines piano, electric piano and a simple backdrop beat to make a flowing chill out track. It’s the rolling piano that makes it as the two different types interact with each other.

phowa continues the flow with the ethereal “Harmony” which is just bleeding  bells and twisted masses of metal slowly pulsating over and over. It works well as a mood piece. “Intuition” by Daniel Perlin is a wannabe techno track in waiting but take away the stomping beat and replace it with a tabla and you’re almost all the way there! Good fun. Disc 1 ends with Keith Fullerton Whittman’s “Unity” which is a shimmering electrosphere of meditation and sorenity. It sounds like something that would be in a film like Koyannisqatsi – or like an electrical version of an early morning Raj. Simple, beautiful, warming.

Disc 2 presents the “Reflect Mixes”. These are more traditional Raj -esque numbers and blend perfectly from one to the other. Some have more electronic elements in them, others are warmer, some of more cyclic. All of them are long in length and all are able to slip you into a state of hypnosis at a drop of a hat. The most traditional is phowa’s “Vishuddha” which is a real Raj in waiting. The sole additional composer here is a wonderful singing bowl trac “Sahaswara” from Phillippe Pascal Garnier which ends the album like a rising dawn.

I fell in love with this double album on first listen. Disc 2 is a very traditional and has a great flow to it. Disc 1 showcases the game’s music itself and really intrigues me with its rhythmic pulsating low fi moves. A unique delight in-game music. For those looking to relax, this should be top of your list.

Video Vault – Genki Rockets

{ December 10, 2011 @ 6:04 pm } · { dance, music, music video, pop, Pop Rock, power pop, VGM, video vault }
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Whilst lapping up every second of Child of Eden, I have fallen head over heels for this song to the point where I’ve now bought their albums.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Soundtrack Trailer

{ December 9, 2011 @ 10:08 pm } · { interview, preview, VGM }
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Video Vault – Secret Skwirl

{ December 6, 2011 @ 1:58 am } · { band, indie, music, music video, psychadelic, rock, video vault }
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A rather funktastic psychedelic rock band with an awesome name if ever there was one!

 

Atra Aeterna – “November” Review

{ December 6, 2011 @ 1:33 am } · { abstract, ambient, composer, indie, music, piano, review }
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Sometimes ad’s on facebook do work! I came across Atra Aeterna by clicking on something that told me it was right up my musical alley and by Jove they were right! “November” is not Atra Aeterna’s most recent piece but it the first I’d like to review because as a whole piece of music its utter beautiful.

Each of the nine tracks on the album are named their numbers in order and each is piano based. A thick, syrupy piano that is heavy in a subtle but thick haze that gives a feel of morning fog or a new dusk. Each track starts off with a simple piano riff that is then build upon with an underscoring of keyboard synths. Those synths stay very ethereal throughout and veer towards mimicking string arrangements. Sometimes they sound like water string arrangements for real, but others are more plucky and rely on ambient decay to swirl around you.

As for the tunes themselves, they are all melodic yet not entirely something you’d call a hook. Instead they become a hypnotic texture palette that swirls and dips colours of echoing piano shrills or soothing keyboard samples. Placed over melodies that are dark, full of minor notes and an underlying tension in the beauty and you have something artistic yet wholesome.

That’s as far as I’ll take you as I don’t want to spoil the rest. It reminds me of a Frou Frou lyric: “beauty in the breakdown”. The piano melodies are downtrodden but wise beyond their years. Dilapidated but with clear grandeur about them. It’s a work of art and has immediately become one of my favourite discoveries of 2011.

Game Music Composers Unite for Musician’s Benefit Album “Novum Infinitum”

{ December 6, 2011 @ 12:54 am } · { charity, composer, music, VGM }
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Everyone know’s I have a soft spot for Benefit albums and good causes so I was delighted to find this press release sent to me below. A hearty shout out to all involved!

Many of the video game industry’s leading music composers, producers and songwriters have joined forces to create “Novum Initium” (New Beginning), a benefit album dedicated to supporting working musicians in need of financial assistance. Partnering with the music industry charitable organization Sweet Relief, all proceeds from the album will be donated to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund which provides financial assistance to career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems. “Novum Initium” will be available for digital download via Bandcamp, CDBaby.com, Amazon MP3, iTunes and 7digital on December 6th.

Featuring all-new original music by composers of such blockbuster titles as Call of Duty®, Dead Space™, Dragon Age™, God of War®, Mass Effect™, Medal of Honor™, Prince of Persia®, World of Warcraft®, with cover art by illustrator Aurelien Police commissioned especially for the project; twenty limited edition CDs of the album will also be signed by the composers and auctioned for sale on eBay here: http://xfer.me/nieb.

Composer Sam Hulick, co-producer of the “Novum Initium” album project, commented: “There are many musicians who struggle with medical bills and making ends meet during tough times after dealing with unexpected health issues. We wanted to put together a special project to help our peers who are on that stressful road after recovery.”

“We reached out to our friends in the video game industry and were overwhelmed with the response,” explains composer and album co-producer Jason Graves. “This is obviously something everyone can relate to. As full-time composers, we are self-employed contractors and there’s no such thing as ‘time off’ or ‘paid vacation.’ If we don’t work, we don’t get paid. Medical bills can add up quickly. That’s the whole impetus behind the album.”

Tracklisting with Artists’ Previous Credits:

“Lionheart” – Sam Hulick (Mass Effect™)
“Adagio Coda” – Brian Tyler (Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3)
“Adrenaline” – Jason Graves (Dead Space™)
“Awakened” – Otto Cate (MAG) & Aubrey Ashburn (Dragon Age™)
“Underwood” – Inon Zur (The Lord of the Rings: War In The North)
“The Maelstrom” – Singlefrequency & Chad Seiter (Legend of Zelda™ 25th Anniversary Symphony)
“Shadows And Light” – Trevor Morris (Army of Two™)
“Chrysalis” – Neal Acree (World of Warcraft®)
“Trouble In Chinatown” – Tom Salta (Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands™)
“Dancing Outtakes” – Garry Schyman (BioShock®)
“Versailles” – Ed Lima (Doom® 3)
“Consequence” – Neil Goldberg (Shift 2: Unleashed™)
“Lacus Turbatus” – Gerard Marino (God of War®)
“Espionage” – Mark Griskey (Star Wars™: The Old Republic™)
“House Of The Vine” – Mick Gordon (Shift 2: Unleashed™)
“The Left-Hand Path” – Cris Velasco & Sascha Dikiciyan (Warhammer® 40,000®: Space Marine®)
“Bullseye” – Christopher Lennertz (Medal of Honor: European Assault™) & Timothy Wynn (Red Faction®: Guerrilla™)
“I’m With You” – Jack Wall (Mass Effect™) & Cindy Shapiro (Myst® III: Exile™)

All proceeds from “Novum Initium” will be donated to career musicians in need. For more information on Sweet Relief please visit www.sweetrelief.org.

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