We here at Higher Plain Music love ourselves some indie games and as an avid game music collector, this latest indie game music bundle is an absolute steal!
For just $10 minimum you can purchase 15(!)game soundtracks including Plants Vs Zombies, Terraria, GunGirl 2 and NoituLove!
Click here for audio heaven – it’s only available for 12 days!
Jesper’s always busy – this time with the highly anticipated Darksiders II game. I loved the soundtrack to the first game and will be hotly anticipating the second – although I really must finish the actual first game first!
All the samples, of which there are four, are available from Jesper Kyd’s YouTube Channel.
Having already raved about the game, the soundtrack is equally fantastic. Austin Wintory’s exquisite soundtrack is a wonderful collection of strings, Eastern wind instruments and some wonderfully emotive motifs. The 18 tracks give you an hour of audio heaven and a sense of a Journey in itself.
The soundtrack, as most game soundtracks do, runs the game from start to finish. “Nascence” is the main theme from the XMB menu with its beautifully haunting string arrangement before “The Call” enacts the ensemble starting to rumble forward for the Journey itself. Various motif’s that occur throughout appear here and are then stamped upon with “First Confluence” and “Second Confluence” as the music meanders and envelopes you before “Threshold” jigs things up with a more pacey number. “Third Confluence” builds on previous tracks before the dramatic “The Road of Trials” sets you off with a bump and progressively builds and adds lots of percussive orchestration. It’s difficult to describe but it’s very symphonic and yet it still always feels intimate and personal. The line between the two is walked perfectly.
“Fourth Confluence” then takes things into a darker and subdued level as we go underground which is built on with excellent use of harp in “Temptations” and lots of atmospheric electronic flourishes and glass warping on “Descent”. There’s a seldom used tom drum that rumbles throughout and the mood by now has shifted to dangerous and unnerving.
After a dramatic flourish the music shifts to a more Eastern vibe which carries on into “Atonement” where things start to get epic where some wonderfully tuned bells, thick string arrangements and sturdy drums wash over some delicate strumming of an ancient guitar which I can’t quite place. It sounds like a Raun but I’m not sure. The end result is one absolutely beautiful piece and worth the admission price alone. It rolls easily into the ambience of “Final Confluence” which blossoms into an adorable and emotive climactic version of the main motif – like a culmination of all we’ve listened to so far.
“The Crossing” is almost like a breaking down of what we’ve built up to as different instruments seem to spiral off and fall out of earshot before the slow and cautious “Reclamation” with its extra high-pitched string arrangement that is slightly discordant floats by. “Nadir” certainly doesn’t float by, it is a dramatic burst of tense strings unlike anything else on the soundtrack – like a last-minute gasp for fresh air or a ledge to cling to.
“Apotheosis” comes across as the ultimate culmination of everything we’ve listened to. From its huge tom drums, soaring string sections, dramatic scope and the way the returning motif’s just drip atmosphere, emotion and a certain rebirth depth. The whole soundtrack has a sympathetic higher string note going on that utterly defeats me and nowhere is it more prominent than here. Memorizing. The album closes with a beautiful vocal track “I Was Born for This” with vocals from Lisbeth Scott which reminds me of a more Westernised Lisa Gerrard with her non-English words. It’s perfectly pitched to bring you to tears.
Austin Wintory has made one of the most definitive game soundtracks of all time. As with the game, I simply cannot put it into words how beautifully sculptured this soundtrack is. I’m positive that having played the game several times over, I have a large bias steer because I’m already emotionally attached to the music but simply but, without the music Journey as a game would not have nearly impacted as much on me as it did. The fact it’s just as staggering beautiful as a standalone product is testament to its nigh on perfection.
SoulEye, the man who got every one of his tracks from VVVVVV stuck in my head returned with a new album entitled Adventure. It’s more of the same awesome stuff and here’s a full on trailer for it!
Kingdoms of Amular: Reckoning has been a game on many people’s radar for a while and now its out, one thing many will agree on is that it has a good soundtrack – one that’s now being released! Grant Kirkhope has a long legacy of memorable soundtracks but in the world of orchestrated soundtracks is this one of them?
“Reckoning Main Theme” reminds me of the Medievil games music with its slightly quirky/creepy b-movie vibe to it. Jots of jingling, cymbal rolls and some wonderful orchestration that is fast, flowing and proud to be bursting onto your ear drums. Tim Burton take one. “The Age of Arcana” takes the main motifs from the theme and subdues them to a mood piece, one that is built upon with “Dead’s Dead”. ”Well of Souls” concludes the opening set.
“Troll” is the first big dramatic theme with thumping strings providing the tense beat as the brass bleeds across the speakers and some fantastic wind instruments flourish in some really complex melodies. “Dalentarth” is a tribute to the xylophone to woodwind for the main motif before “House of Ballads” provides a nice regal theme to the mix. “Warsworn” is a brass heavy fanfare. “Mines and Caves” is more a background drone and ambience piece than anything else, more akin to a haunted house feel. ”Gardens of Ysa” brings its own motif and melody which steers close to the main one but has some interesting chord choices, while “Niskaru” feels like Troll evolved.
“The Plains of Erathell” uses broad string sweeps to convey its grand scale while “Titarion” is almost claustrophobic in its production. “Scholia Arcana” returns to Danny Elfman like charms to give a quirky feel to every note and scale. “Rathir” is cinematic but too short.
It’s at this half way point that you’ll wonder where things are going. Much in the way of a film soundtrack and many of the orchestral game soundtracks, it feels like a cut-scene and battles only soundtrack and with 35 tracks, all of which using a few motifs to keep a pattern and story flowing. Its going to divide people. “Fight!” continues the Elfman charms with some real 1950′s alien horror classical music. Its one of the best tracks on the soundtrack and that’s because its given time to develop and be a full track. Instead “Adessa”, which has a lovely motif to it, is over too quickly because it doesn’t linger and manifest itself long enough.
This problem plagues the soundtrack and I have always struggled with soundtrack’s that pile in the music without giving it time to develop. Its compounded here because while the music is very cinematic, it’s not immediately accessible. “The Erathi Ruins” is one that works well because it again is given room to breathe. “Conflict” shows Kirkhope’s excellent battle music nouse once again with a track both kooky and full of tension and terror. “To War” is another good short piece as is the closing track “Tirnoch” but by the time I’d hit the end I just hadn’t connected.
There is some excellent music here buried in among a lot of short cinematic pieces and they weigh down the other pieces. I personally would have preferred more of the locale musics or even a looped version of some tracks. Here Grant Kirkhope’s music feels a little pressurised and while it does feel like a great tribute to Danny Elfman, it’s not a soundtrack I plan to return to time and time again – until I at least get to play the game and associate the music clips with something tangible. Fans only need apply.
With new downloadable title I Am Alive about to burst onto our consoles, composer of the game Jeff Broadbent took a few minutes to chat to HPM about exactly what to aim for when creating a rich atmosphere for a game where tension is key.
I Am Alive has been a game that has been on many gamers radar for a very long time under its various guises. Now it’s nearing release it appears to have quite a lot of people talking about its unique atmosphere which of course, a lot of it is down to the sound design and the music scoring. Tell us how the project come about for yourself?
I first got involved in the pitch for the game in Winter of 2011, after contacting the audio director and learning about the project. I created a custom demo showing different approaches for the gameplay music, as well as a couple of main theme concepts, and based on those samples I was selected to score the project.
In such a taut and tense game that relies on its atmosphere, the scoring is paramount. How do you try to tap into the game world you are scoring for?
Taking the time before any composing begins to understand the game, the back-story, and the emotional content is very important. For I Am Alive, I learned as much as possible from the developers, looked at concept art, and was even reading Cormac McCarthy’s book The Road at the time. I try to immerse myself in the concept of the game in many different ways. One can draw inspiration from all different sources, and I find that in addition to visual concept art and learning about the game, reading related literature can really put you in the mind frame of the characters and their situations.
In the game a lot of ambience is used which fit the desolate landscapes perfectly. How did you find the type of sounds you were looking and what did you use to get there?
I started by envisioning the environment the main character finds himself him. The audio director Zhang Lei had the idea that the music could represent the materials and environments of the game. A musical example he shared with me was Ingram Marshall’s composition Fog Tropes, which incorporates the tones of a fog horn into the ambient musical soundscape. In I Am Alive, we used a similar approach for certain parts of the game. For example, in one section of the game you find yourself in an abandoned and crumbling pier park. For this music I used materials such as large bell tones, creaking ambiences, and bowed metals, which are elements associated with that environment. By using reverbs, distortion, delays, pitch shifting, and other manipulations, the audio was transformed in various ways. In addition to these natural/organic elements, a variety of synthetic tones and electronics were also used for variety and more foreboding colors.
Is it much harder to create an ambience that doesn’t completely take over the experience, but actually contributes to it without the player knowing, than writing straight motifs that stand out? Is there an art to ambience?
I wouldn’t say that either is harder, as they each have their challenges. In more traditional, motif-driven music, you are working to craft tuneful, memorable themes, using more typical instrumentation and harmonic approaches. When creating ambient music, the character of the sounds themselves is essential, so great care must go into sound creation and combinations. There certainly is an art to ambience – a lot of great modern music by composers such as John Luther Adams, Brian Eno, and Morton Feldman is very ambient. It is like impressionist and abstract visual art, where the beauty lies in the combination of color, shape, and texture. With music, you are using aural colors to paint the soundscape.
For the motifs themselves, and the more dramatic compositions and themes, did you have ideas for particular instruments to take the lead from the start or did it develop organically?
While I had ideas of the emotions I wanted to convey, I didn’t start with particular instruments in mind. We experimented with different approaches to get the appropriate instrumentation. For the main theme of the game, solo piano presenting an unsettling motif proved to be effective. For the music representing the man’s longing for his lost family, and his interactions with the child Mei, a combination of solo oboe, strings, gentle ambience, and piano were used. We found that these instruments could present emotional, yet simple and not excessively dramatic musical expression.
You’ve stated before that the project allowed for you to have a lot of creative freedom. Is there anything in particular you’re especially proud of or something that we can keep an ear out for that’s unusual?
I personally enjoy how a unique approach to both ambience and rhythm was achieved. For example, when the player is climbing and becomes fatigued, an interesting combination of aleatoric string techniques and sound design elements was used. For the tension music throughout the game, unique rhythmic elements fade in as the player approaches a dangerous situation. To sum up, I’m fond of the unique sonic elements in the game, and how the score conveys a sense of danger in a post-apocalyptic world, as well as the human emotions of hope and connection.
After I Am Alive, do you have any other works in the pipeline? Also, are there plans for a soundtrack release?
I’m currently preparing to score a big game in a couple of months, and am also working on some trailer and action music for a couple of production companies. As for a soundtrack release, I hope that we will see the music released via soundtrack, but at this time I can’t say for certain.
Finally, in the event of a world ending disaster, where would we find you and what would you be up to?
I’d probably be stocking piling food, water, and ammunition, while playing I Am Alive in a fortified bunker at an undisclosed location =)
Higher Plain Music would like to thank Jeff for taking the time to talk to us and wish him best of luck with the game and his musical future. We say the location would be his recording studio!
“Kid Iracus (Partena No Kagami) & Metroid” is a very old and rare cassette from back in the 80′s taking just 6 tracks and about 14 minutes of music from the two games. Yet the last time I saw it auctioned on e-bay it was sold at a shockingly high price! Was the music worth it?
The opening song “Theme (Partena’s Mirror)” is a beautiful and regal synth piece that layers some lovely ethereal chords over the classic old school blips and drum loops of the original and it works to great effect – very uplifting. Track 2 is a medley of the music from Partena’s Mirror using the same style as before. Each segment of the piece has a very specific scene setting. It stars of regal before taking on a middle eastern feel and becoming more and more complex like a battle theme. The different tunes are sown together perfectly in a way that many other medleys really fail to achieve. The final track from Partena’s Mirror is fittingly “Ending” which is dramatic, fast paced and enjoyable.
The Metroid songs now take to the stage with “Title” which is very futuristic at the start, with a military drum beat and the beautiful original synth melodies ringing throughout. The Metroid BGM medley follows and this too flows just as well as the previous medley but is a little darker in tone and plays a lot like a synth stadium rock band. The final track is of course “Ending” which playfully skips along without offence.
For many this wont appeal unless you enjoy going back to VGM’s roots. The songs while catchy in places and have nice hooks, are not exactly earth shattering but they do show the gap between classic and arranged VGM being merged which is very interesting to listen to from both an educational and from a listener’s point of view. This is a purists purchase only.
HAL Game Music is an old soundtrack from 1988 featuring mainly arrangements from the game series – a series I have no knowledge of at all! The composers are Hiroaki Suga & Hideki Kanazashi but the first eight tracks are arranged by Masao Hiruma. Suga & Hiruma only have one other game music credit to their name and judging by this piece – that is a shame as HAL has an interesting set of ideas, just not perfectly executed.
“Yogen” opens the soundtrack with a synth arrangement of a pretty Japanese styled tune which actually sounds like it belongs to something from Shenmue! It’s followed by “Ihen” which sounds more like a random Mega Drive/SNES era dungeon battle song. It has quite a bit of character which is slightly confused by all the random warning sirens and sound effects which come across to me like spaceship noises thrown in almost at random. “Muma” is up next – another slightly confusing track with a time-stepped background snyth with detuned harp samples playing. It’s eerie and detuned but still trying to be elegant at the same time. This causes friction between the two sides of the song but it definitely doesn’t make it unlistenable – it’s just very interesting!
“Kyoko” ups the ante with a dramatic Mega-Drive style battle track which redeems the quality of the soundtrack somewhat indeed. “Haikyo” is only a minute long breezy and slightly dysfunctional interlude once again giving a very oriental disorientated feel before “Fukkatsu” gives us an uplifting tune of military standards. It’s very well done but once again you have to remember although these are arrangements – they are old arrangements so sound like a 16-bit sound chip and at times early PS1 music. Depending on your view of music at that time will clarify whether you’ll enjoy these tracks or not. “Shintaku” is a fun and fast paced ditty showing a more lighthearted side to the soundtrack ending the arrangements.
“Eggerland” gives us a wonderful ten minute piece of original music sounding like classic gameboy music to me. The bleeps and blips are spot on, clear and crisp. “Interlude” is just a small chirpy piece before “Fire Bam” gives us an eight minute rendition of original music. These two big tracks loops themes quickly before the next theme comes in – Eggerland seamlessly moving between tracks while Fire Bam fades out and restarts. Both tracks are superb however.
HAL Game Music is old so you wont find too many of them about. The arrangements aren’t bad but the strength comes from the original soundtrack included – a surprise for me to say these days. I had no previous connection to the music but quite happily bounced along to the original soundtracks without a care – that’s good music. Not classic. Good.
GotzenDiener OGM is a quirky little album that is half arranged and acoustic guitar for a more laid back piece of music in places.
“Main theme” however has a very oriental flavour for it in terms of percussion, instrumentation and tune. It has some excellent little stand out touches and has beautiful streaming drum loops throughout and is a different but very pleasant experience. ”Princess Sorceress” starts off the guitar section. The tune and playing are very laid back, like a Sunday morning stroll. It’s very chilled although the tune isn’t shockingly strong during the first half of the song, it does grow on you quickly and the middle section is funky.
“Sword of Fate” didnt grab me as a song at all. It uses a string synth from a keyboard in short stabs throughout the song (like a horror movie) and its awful! The song could have been twice as good without that, but the tune lacks stability and hook. ”Graveyard Labrynth” is a downbeat and darkened song that is thoughtfully played and slightly eerie because of its haunting use of a guitar in the background supporting the main tune. The other end of eerie is more manic and that’s where “Rim~Goddess of Persistence” takes us for a screechy violin piece on top of eastern pop music madness with an organ going metal at every opportunity. Each contrast the other but both are superb songs.
“Crystal Reef” returns to the guitar but with a sitar setting out the main tune in another dark and damp tune of moody excellence which reminds me of a separated twin of Final Fantasy 8′s “Find Your Way”! “Rebirth” starts off with a heartbeat before the song starts. A contrast of angelic harps and flutes set of against harsh synth noises to make a mean with a twist song before it builds up to a lovely climax like an orchestra. That build up leads us to “Devil Temple” which is demonic enough with some mental freak out use of sound effects to twist and compact the instruments at points in the song to send the listener into a frenzy. It’s very unique and it works very well in between all different climaxes that make this a real stand out piece! The closing track “Misa” is returns to the oriental flavour set on the first song with a catchy number that wouldn’t be out-of-place in something like Shenmue or Suikoden!
GotzenDiener is an album that branches out in all different areas of music during its 9 songs. Almost all of them successfully capture what’s great about video game music and so I must recommend this to everyone. Give it three listens and I’m sure you’ll share my sentiments!
Utada Hikaru, queen of the vocal tracks due to the general success of Hikari / Simple & Clean returned to the Kingdom Hearts and VGM fray with a brand new song to tantalize us for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts II soundtrack. The offering is a 2 track single entitled “Passion” which is available with just the tracks or with an additional DVD containing the music video.
“Passion” is frankly one of the most captivating vocal songs I have heard in an extremely long time. Starting with soft backing vocals and electronic pulses the song rip roars into a mass drum fest – almost verging on pop tribal and it beats out a stomping stadium anthem chorus to Utada’s sublime vocals which are in both Japanese, and if you reverse it, you’ll catch many lines of English too. The verses are equally rocky and edgy and the whole sound is a much more mature and darker mood which seems to suit the overall look and feel of the Kingdom Hearts game too. The song then finally reaches up a notch for a climax of guitars, drums, electronics and bleeding vocals to return to its very soft beginnings. Amazing. While I must admit I am a huge follower of Utada Hikaru’s previous works since hearing Hikari and going onto hearing Colors – I must state that I have rarely had my breath taken away by a song so easily.
That’s the single version which also appears on the album Ultra Blue. Also on the single we have “Passion ~after the Battle~” which takes away every element of the single version except the vocals and then adds a soft and simplistic piano backing. Beautiful, although the warped vocals can distract at times, it really takes the same song and adds a completely different spin. Once the song has gone through its paces it then strikes up the guitar and carefully goes through a karaoke version of half the song again to finish off which I believe is quite unique – almost like the tune you’d get after you hear the victory fanfare in a game and you’re adding up your exp. points! Clever stuff if you look at the title me thinks!
Now if you have bought the CD+DVD version (as I did) you’ll also get a separate DVD with the music video on which involves anime Utada, lots of drum banging, even more horses and even more dancing kachinas! A visual spectacular but those of you after Kingdom Hearts footage will be left disappointed.
I’d recommend this single to absolutely anyone without hesitation, a masterpiece!
“Dear Friends” is the arranged FFV album, selecting 14 songs and transforming them into real instrumentation.
“Ahead On Our Way” starts off with a nice chant, before using keyboards and drum loops to re-produce the song in a way that sounds like an 80′s synthesizer song. It is very faithful to the original and is a lovely start to the album. ”Lenna’s Theme” is given a beautiful rendition on the softest of guitars, flutes and pads ever, to give a soothing lullaby that is so very easy on the ears.
“Pirates Ahoy” is a magnificently dark and devious song, using a guitar and keyboards to re-do the song to great success. Then suddenly, the song changes into chanting and wild animals. It blends well and gives a sense of a hard journey. “Critter Tripper Fritter” is a great comical song, using every bizarre instrument it can possibly use to make it sound like a circus gone mad! The result is three minutes of pure lunacy and one that is very welcome in this diverse album.
“Intention Of The Earth” is the most dramatic piece so far, with soaring keyboards, bass filled drums and gongs. This song comes to life with the improved instruments, as do they all, as you can get the real mysterious feel with all the true zest of the instruments. ”My Home, Sweet Home” is a vocal song, which is sweetening and charming. Using both English and Finnish, the song emphasises the importance of your real home and your mother tongue. It’s a great piece of insight and one I have a special spot for. ”The Land Unknown” is done in the same way as the opening track, staying very faithful to the original and reacting it with real instruments.
“Tenderness In The Air” is done almost completely on harpsichord that makes for an unusual diversion from the usual piano and it is played very well indeed while “Waltz Suomi” is done in a typical French manner and keeps nicely in time, doing the main theme in various different off-key and off beat styles before having a graceful finish.
“Fate In Haze” makes itself nicely mysterious with its slow tune but that fades away to become a beautiful tune for the choruses and a good build up for a nice finish again. “As I Feel, You Feel” is the first piano based song on the album, and they’ve given it to the right song. Also, there is a narration read over the top of the piece. The music with starts to sound a little lost, suddenly finds its place in accompaniment. The narration is heartfelt, and the singing in the background along with it makes it sound very isolated and cold. Strange, an acquired taste, but well done.
“Musica Machina” gives us a dramatic piece, that will have you stomping your feet to the big beat and heavy synth strings. “Music Box” does exactly what is says on the tin, but how so! It’s an adorable tune, no one can listen to this song and not think “Aww!” The closing track is fittingly “Dear Friends” which is played to precision on a guitar, and before long other instruments fit into the song making it a lovely warming away to end an extremely varied album.
“Final Fantasy V Dear Friends” is a rare treat. It does a bit of everything and does it all extremely well, with no reason to fault it at all. If you loved the game’s music, you’ll adore this. There’s always that extra pinch of excitement seeing how synth music turns out on the real instruments and this is a lesson on how it should be done.
OverClocked Remix kicks off 2012 with a new compilation of songs from RPG’s than are given less love from the community such as Lufia, Breath of Fire II and Secret of Evermore. Below is a trailer and HPM will be having a big Overclocked review in early February!
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!
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!
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. 
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!
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.
Composer 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier released a fantastic album called “Meteocrity Vol.1″ which follows the traits of a classic video game soundtrack right down to the core.
Opener “Tempest Rush” is like an J-RPG opening FMV sequence full to bursting of energy and enthusiasm in a 16/32 bit Gust Team type way. It paves for pseudo menu screen “Caveat Emptor” which mysteriously meanders its charms through your ears. Sounding all the 16bit battle rage, “Bitter End to a Thatched Ray of Light” is an uprising storm the castle type track. A harpsichord synth leads the main melody with a complex percussive track going nuts in the background – it really is a celebration of classic old skool battle themes.
“Five is Average” seems to step back a generation to real 8-bits and less. It’s perfectly laid out across the speakers to avoid any hiss and the melody is complete with a synth solo and real charm. A favourite definitely. “Bright Dreams of an Empty Vessel” reminds me of the classic days of MIDI when vgmidi used to rule my days of listening. The fun harp MIDI and no thrills approach is endearing and it focuses you on just enjoying the melody. “Wealth of Knowledge” is a cute twee track with woodwinds and harpsichords chirping away. It’s as bouncy as it is sweet and strikes a perfect balance between a wall of sound and emoting a feeling.
“Asymmetrical Conflict” reminds me of Grandia. It’s the harmonic guitar lead and the organs over such a big stomping beat that really drives this track forward. “Lofty Goals for a Forest Epitaph” has a fantastic free-flowing guitar riff and an upbeat tempo which is unusual for a track that has all the hallmarks of a forest theme. As a result it’s another favourite from the album.
“Colosses of Eygpt” is an interesting track in that it almost tries to avoid making a catchy melody and chords in favour of more obscure chord progressions and offbeat percussion. “Need Insurance? Get a Bullet” aside from having an awesome title is a more straightforward 16bit techno rock battle track and is a riot. “Red Dim Lights and Old Stories” is panpipe led but also heavily drum blasted and the result is an unusual blend of the ancient pipes and an over powering drumbeat which don’t sit well together but still stands out as a viable concept. “Lunar Eclipse Millenium” is another slightly abstract track with lots of tuned percussion playing out the main theme of the piece.
“Isolate the Variable” is a great understated track akin to a profile overview piece or a mission quest music piece. I really like its futuristic/retro juxtaposition with the synths used. “Vestigial Dance of Blades” is another battle-type track but this time peeling off the rockier edges and veering more to dance side, this works much better as a more accessible piece to the masses. “Exploring the Temporal Lobe With a Bomb in my Mouth” is another fine title but is actually one of the shortest tracks on the album and more a mood piece with a banjo playing a little tune over moody keyboard pads. It’s actually a very tightly woven tune and quite enjoyable.
“It Was Written on Your Tombstone” is one of your typical two chord tension pieces but with fun orchestral hits, bells and neat tricks floating all over the place to keep you amused. “The Heavenly Integer” is a lovely warm track of soft pads, synths and melodic harps wrapped up in a beautiful chord progression and an appreciation for letting everything breathe. I have listened to this song on repeat as part of a mood relaxation track – it’s just sublime. The album closes with the upbeat “Starry Knights” which is a sweet track that reminds me of something Hiroki Kikuta would have written. It’s euphoric and celebratory while feeling final and reminiscent at the same time – a great job with limited technology.
Meteocrity Vol.1 is a real bolt out the blue. With no game to place the tunes against I always find composers who write in the game music style particularly interesting as they have to create a mood based purely on melody alone. As a whole 12 Followers/Meteo Xavier does just that with some outstanding tracks that take form a real journey. I felt like I’d levelled up by the time the music stopped.
Whoever said gaming doesn’t pay once again loses today as Activision and CoD MW3 composer Brian Tyler will be giving all proceeds to a non-profit public fund entitled The Call of Duty Endowment.
The Call of Duty Endowment has been set up to help war veterans return back to normal life once they return home, getting back to work and helping set up their lives again. Having a friend that has not long returned home himself from Iraq, it’s fantastic to know that such a cause is out there and since they’ve provided such an excellent service to lay their lives on the line, gamers are giving back in a small way.
Brian Tyler himself has composed for films such as The Expendables and the 20 track soundtrack is available to buy now online.
Sumthing Else will be distributing soundtracks for both Deux Ex Human Revolution and LOTR: War of the North.
Deux Ex is composed by Michael McCann from Splinter Cell Double Agent fame and the soundtracks been weaved from combining fifty of the musical compositions he’s created into 25 tracks. A lot of people will remember the trailers impact and so this will be an anticipated release both on CD and digital format on 15th November.
Inon Zur returns from his Dragon Age soundtracks for another sweeping soundscape for Lord of the Rings War of the North. With the London Philharmonic Orchestra he’ll be weaving his usual magic for the soundtrack which comes out on 1st November.
