Game music that is good
I have long ben a fan of motion picture scores. My first score/soundtrack was Star Wars, which I received for Christmas in a double record set back in around 1977.
Movie scores fill a substantial portion of my CD and MP3 collections and there are a lot of good ones out there, from good and bad movies alike. But, before I go down that path, I want to talk about a growing genre of music that owes a greats deal of to movie music, but which is coming more and more into its own.
Video game music owes a great deal to movie score music, much as many of the graphic adventures owe a cinematic sensibility derived from movies. It could then be seen as a sub-genre of movie scores, but others might argue that it is its own thing. I don't care to weigh in on that debate, but rather simply to opine on a number of game music scores that have impressed me.
The top of the list is the score from "Lair" by John Debney and Kevin Kaska. This score is simply superb.
Track Title
1 Lair Main Titles 2:15
2 Lair Main Menu 2:23
3 Diviner Battle 4:17
4 Funeral Pyre 0:53
5 Civilization Theme 4:00
6 Blood River 3:34
7 Rohn's Theme 2:06
8 Serpent Strait 2:24
9 Darkness Theme 4:03
10 Firestorm 3:56
11 Elegy 3:27
12 Diviner's Theme 2:08
13 The Last Straw 2:40
14 Lost 2:12
15 Breaking the Ice 1:32
16 Deadman's Basin 2:58
17 Mokai Theme 2:17
18 Return to Mokai City, Pt. 1 1:51
19 Return to Mokai City, Pt. 2 3:36
20 Runs of Mokai 1:04
21 Bridge of the Ancients 1:32
22 Loden 1:52
23 Battle for Asylia 4:10
24 Epilogue 3:21
25 Bridge Battle 3:34
26 Bridge Attack 2:06
I have seen a lot of critical reviews of the game, but frankly, I will likely never have time to play the games behind most of these scores. I evaluate them as I experience them purely as a listener. Of course that does rob this review of the dimension of review of how the music makes (or fails to make) an emotional connection with a player as he experiences the game. However, I think the music is best reviewed on how it stands up out of context. So, for example, though I have heard that the music for "Mass Effect" worked as a great compliment to the game play, but when I listened to it as a score apart, I found it fell flat, with little to recommend it beyond being atmospheric audio wall paper. So, it does not otherwise make my discussion of music I like.
But I digress (aren't blogs grand?).
"Lair" is an exciting, dark, powerful score that skillfully weaves a strong theme ("Rohn's Theme") through most of its run. While the recurrance of a theme could feel like being hit again and again with a single idea, in this case, I find that the theme, as it is musically explored through different instruments, voices, rythms and timing serves to bind the score together into a great whole. In the few pieces where the theme is not strongly evident, they stand out for stark and equally powerful statements in the score. Top among these is the "Darkness Theme" which is creepy, soulful and tragic. That theme, and many other pieces, skillfully uses one of the most powerful musical instruments in a composer's repetoire, the human voice. Gorgeous use of solo and choral voices, often singing without words, adds a depth and resonance to the emotional dimension of the score that is hard to quantify other than to say it is very great.
On the strength of this score, I would buy whatever else Mssrs Debney and Kaska are selling.
Next comes a score by a very familiar name: Howard Shore. The brilliant composer of the Lord of the Rings scores fails to knock this one out of the park, but certainly hits a solid triple with his score for "SUN: Soul of the Ultimate Nation," a Korean MMORPG with a fantasy theme.
Track Title
1 Sanctuary of Ether 2:35
2 A Prelude to Revolt 6:47
3 Tides of Hope 3:19
4 Helron's Castle 2:10
5 The Triumph 2:08
6 The Valley of Dragons 2:18
7 Forest of the Beasts 4:03
8 Empire Geist 3:23
9 The Epitaph 3:05
10 Night of the Crescent Moon 1:35
11 Hymns of Battlefields 2:14
12 Immortal Emporer 2:44
13 March to Victory 2:10
14 A Poem for Nemesis 2:20
15 Soul of the Ultimate Nation 3:13
16 Requiem for the Dead 4:35
17 Ethereal Life 2:53
18 A Pernicious Plot 2:12
19 Graveyard of Aiort 2:43
20 Menace of the Army Wings 7:54
The strength and weakness of the score is that you say to yourself "is this Lord of the Rings Music?". It has sounds and themes in many places that clearly benefit from Shore's great work for the Rings movies. There are also some tracks that stand clear on their own. The problem is that, while everything is expertly done and enjoyable, there is not the sense of unity of theme and purpose that I found iin Lair. Nonetheless, "SUN" is a very worthy score, especially for its similar brilliant use of choral voice. I especially admire "March to Victory" and "The Valley of Dragons"). This is a worthy addition to anyone's collection.
The next composer is Academy Award nominee Michael Giacchino. He has composed music for most, though not all, of the "Medal of Honor" series, including "Medal of Honor," "Frontline," "Underground," and "Allied Assault."
I have heard samples from each of these games collected in, apparently a bootleg, a single set of files called The Best of Medal of Honor Soundtracks. The music is top knotch. Giacchino channels "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" on overdrive. The music is exciting, moving, sometimes very clever and playful, and just spot on for what I imagine as WWII action. Although I have not heard each of Giacchino's full albums for Medal of Honor, I would say on the sample I have heard, that every Medal of Honor album he has composed belongs in a soundtrack lovers collection.
I have a few more to discuss, but I am going to have to add a new entry later.
Movie scores fill a substantial portion of my CD and MP3 collections and there are a lot of good ones out there, from good and bad movies alike. But, before I go down that path, I want to talk about a growing genre of music that owes a greats deal of to movie music, but which is coming more and more into its own.
Video game music owes a great deal to movie score music, much as many of the graphic adventures owe a cinematic sensibility derived from movies. It could then be seen as a sub-genre of movie scores, but others might argue that it is its own thing. I don't care to weigh in on that debate, but rather simply to opine on a number of game music scores that have impressed me.
The top of the list is the score from "Lair" by John Debney and Kevin Kaska. This score is simply superb.
Track Title
1 Lair Main Titles 2:15
2 Lair Main Menu 2:23
3 Diviner Battle 4:17
4 Funeral Pyre 0:53
5 Civilization Theme 4:00
6 Blood River 3:34
7 Rohn's Theme 2:06
8 Serpent Strait 2:24
9 Darkness Theme 4:03
10 Firestorm 3:56
11 Elegy 3:27
12 Diviner's Theme 2:08
13 The Last Straw 2:40
14 Lost 2:12
15 Breaking the Ice 1:32
16 Deadman's Basin 2:58
17 Mokai Theme 2:17
18 Return to Mokai City, Pt. 1 1:51
19 Return to Mokai City, Pt. 2 3:36
20 Runs of Mokai 1:04
21 Bridge of the Ancients 1:32
22 Loden 1:52
23 Battle for Asylia 4:10
24 Epilogue 3:21
25 Bridge Battle 3:34
26 Bridge Attack 2:06
I have seen a lot of critical reviews of the game, but frankly, I will likely never have time to play the games behind most of these scores. I evaluate them as I experience them purely as a listener. Of course that does rob this review of the dimension of review of how the music makes (or fails to make) an emotional connection with a player as he experiences the game. However, I think the music is best reviewed on how it stands up out of context. So, for example, though I have heard that the music for "Mass Effect" worked as a great compliment to the game play, but when I listened to it as a score apart, I found it fell flat, with little to recommend it beyond being atmospheric audio wall paper. So, it does not otherwise make my discussion of music I like.
But I digress (aren't blogs grand?).
"Lair" is an exciting, dark, powerful score that skillfully weaves a strong theme ("Rohn's Theme") through most of its run. While the recurrance of a theme could feel like being hit again and again with a single idea, in this case, I find that the theme, as it is musically explored through different instruments, voices, rythms and timing serves to bind the score together into a great whole. In the few pieces where the theme is not strongly evident, they stand out for stark and equally powerful statements in the score. Top among these is the "Darkness Theme" which is creepy, soulful and tragic. That theme, and many other pieces, skillfully uses one of the most powerful musical instruments in a composer's repetoire, the human voice. Gorgeous use of solo and choral voices, often singing without words, adds a depth and resonance to the emotional dimension of the score that is hard to quantify other than to say it is very great.
On the strength of this score, I would buy whatever else Mssrs Debney and Kaska are selling.
Next comes a score by a very familiar name: Howard Shore. The brilliant composer of the Lord of the Rings scores fails to knock this one out of the park, but certainly hits a solid triple with his score for "SUN: Soul of the Ultimate Nation," a Korean MMORPG with a fantasy theme.
Track Title
1 Sanctuary of Ether 2:35
2 A Prelude to Revolt 6:47
3 Tides of Hope 3:19
4 Helron's Castle 2:10
5 The Triumph 2:08
6 The Valley of Dragons 2:18
7 Forest of the Beasts 4:03
8 Empire Geist 3:23
9 The Epitaph 3:05
10 Night of the Crescent Moon 1:35
11 Hymns of Battlefields 2:14
12 Immortal Emporer 2:44
13 March to Victory 2:10
14 A Poem for Nemesis 2:20
15 Soul of the Ultimate Nation 3:13
16 Requiem for the Dead 4:35
17 Ethereal Life 2:53
18 A Pernicious Plot 2:12
19 Graveyard of Aiort 2:43
20 Menace of the Army Wings 7:54
The strength and weakness of the score is that you say to yourself "is this Lord of the Rings Music?". It has sounds and themes in many places that clearly benefit from Shore's great work for the Rings movies. There are also some tracks that stand clear on their own. The problem is that, while everything is expertly done and enjoyable, there is not the sense of unity of theme and purpose that I found iin Lair. Nonetheless, "SUN" is a very worthy score, especially for its similar brilliant use of choral voice. I especially admire "March to Victory" and "The Valley of Dragons"). This is a worthy addition to anyone's collection.
The next composer is Academy Award nominee Michael Giacchino. He has composed music for most, though not all, of the "Medal of Honor" series, including "Medal of Honor," "Frontline," "Underground," and "Allied Assault."
I have heard samples from each of these games collected in, apparently a bootleg, a single set of files called The Best of Medal of Honor Soundtracks. The music is top knotch. Giacchino channels "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" on overdrive. The music is exciting, moving, sometimes very clever and playful, and just spot on for what I imagine as WWII action. Although I have not heard each of Giacchino's full albums for Medal of Honor, I would say on the sample I have heard, that every Medal of Honor album he has composed belongs in a soundtrack lovers collection.
I have a few more to discuss, but I am going to have to add a new entry later.