Indie Music
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Experimental, Indie Music
Switched on SNES: A Link to the Past Cassettes & New Album Announced
August 30, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Switched on SNES: A Link to the Past Cassettes & New Album Announced Share this
Back in late Spring the initial run of Switched on SNES: A Link to the Past on cassette sold out pretty quickly. The selection of classic Zelda themes rearranged for analog synthesizers is still available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and YouTube but for those who missed the physical offering there is once again hope.
Pre-orders are up now for the second, limited edition run of 300 cassette tapes to be shipped out this Fall. The $10 purchase gets you the gold label cassette with a uniquely colored liner as well as a digital copy of the next Switched on SNES release featuring Secret of Mana.
Surprise, the next Switched on SNES release is Secret of Mana! We’ll be sure to let you know when that new release is out.
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Experimental, Indie Music
An Original Album stitched out of Animal Crossing’s parts
August 25, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on An Original Album stitched out of Animal Crossing’s parts Share this
Animal Crossing games come few and far between. Since 2001 they’ve been released every three to five years and right now we’re four years into the wait for a new mainline entry. So what’s a fan, hungry for more of that sweet and wistful music to do? Fortunately, Belfast-based artist, Ry, has stepped in with a unique new alternative.
The fittingly titled album SOFT TOWN is a collection of 20 original songs “made from samples ripped from Animal Crossing”. It’s fascinating to hear the familiar instruments and sounds I’ve become so fond of over the last 15 years playing someone else’s music. Ry has even gone as far as remixing their own themes and adding layers of environmental sounds to create “Inside” and “Outside” versions of each track.
The album’s release has been a good fit this month as the hot summer vibes here in the midwest U.S. are slowly cooling into the first hints of autumn. A little whimsy, a little melancholy; it really captures the feel of Animal Crossing without being a direct remix. Give SOFT TOWN a listen if you’re an anxious Animal Crossing fan or if you just need some chill sounds to get you through the day. The album is available from Bandcamp now for name-your-price.
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Game Music, Indie Music
World of Tanks gets music update from Akira Yamaoka and Sabaton
August 18, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on World of Tanks gets music update from Akira Yamaoka and Sabaton Share this
I’ve always found World of Tanks to be a fascinating diversion of the typical online multiplayer action game even if I have yet to dive into it myself. One thing I can report on though is the latest, possibly most fascinating news from the game as it revolves around music.
Wargaming has enlisted the help of two very different musical personalities who are known to be frequent “Tankers”: famed Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka and Swedish power metal band Sabaton. Yamaoka has created a unique track for the game that will be added soon while Sabaton and Wargaming collaborated on a music video for their song “Primo Victoria”. Sabaton has also been incorporated into the game as the first “music-inspired tank” complete with likenesses of the band members serving as the tank crew.
“We are just as thrilled as Wargaming to release a World of Tanks-style music video for one of our most famous songs—Primo Victoria. The shooting took place at Arsenalen Tank Museum in Sweden, and not far from Minsk. It was a true experience for us to ride real tanks and even crash one through a wall. Being involved in the creation of the music video and in-game content for the game is an honor for us. We put our heart and soul into it and are excited to present the results of our collaboration to the global community of tankers that we’re a part of.” – Pär Sundström, Sabaton bass player
You can check out the “Tank Metal” video here and if you’d like to hear what World of Tanks actually sounds like you can grab the current soundtrack for free from their site. Wargaming is also bringing both Yamaoka and Sabaton to gamescom next week for a live performance so if you happen to be attending you shouldn’t have to look (or listen) hard to find them.
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Featured, Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews
Steel Samurai’s self-titled Second EP (Review)
August 17, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Steel Samurai’s self-titled Second EP (Review) Share this
Steel Samurai has been kicking around the Baltimore, Maryland scene since late 2013, making appearances at MAGFest and Bit Gen while contributing their brand of rock to an array of game music compilations. They specialize in power-rocking “the most ancient, unused and obscure video game compositions” and their second, self-titled EP definitely holds true to that mission statement.
Released on July 29th, Steel Samurai is a short EP but it rocks all the way through and covers a lot of rarely-revisited source material. The theme of the band’s namesake — the fictional TV hero from the also-fictional world of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — opens things up with a powerful rendition of the traditional Japanese-style tune from the DS game. But track two is what really pulled me into this album.
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Game Music, Indie Music
The Inner World OSTs are coming to vinyl via BLACK SCREEN RECORDS
August 7, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on The Inner World OSTs are coming to vinyl via BLACK SCREEN RECORDS Share this
The soundtracks for Headup Games, The Inner World and it’s sequel, The Inner World: The Last Wind Monk are being released to LP vinyl in time for the latter’s release next month.
Released in 2013, the original game is a 2D Point ‘n Click adventure where you control the main protagonist as he explores the world and solves puzzles in an attempt to find the source of the wind’s disappearance in his world. A small indie game that received generally favorable reviews, the music for The Inner World was composed by Christian Barth, with Barth now heading up the soundtrack for the game’s sequel, The Last Wind Monk.
The music features atmospheric orchestration that remains subtle in both games and plays to the simplistic yet still engaging tone and gameplay. Subtle string and chime melodies create a charming musical backdrop for the journey of Robert the flute-nose.
The vinyl soundtracks come on audiophile 180g vinyl in gatefold sleeve with original artwork by developer Studio Fizbin and with an unique download code for both digital soundtracks as MP3s or WAVs. You can pre-order the black or purple & green variants of the LP release on the Black Screen Records website, or listen to the soundtrack for both game’s music streaming on Spotify, iTunes or on Bandcamp.
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Game Music, Indie Music
Tobey Evans’ “Behold The Kickmen” OST Now Available
August 2, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Tobey Evans’ “Behold The Kickmen” OST Now Available Share this
Fans of fun sports-related ridiculousness along the lines of Rocket League can probably appreciate the silly semi-competitive nature of a game like Behold the Kickmen. Released last month to Steam, the game is a soccer (ie. football) simulation game that in no way takes itself seriously and allows the character to enjoy the game more casually with it’s goofy charm.
The game’s soundtrack is equally as goofy, though in a way that works with the game. Composer by Tobey Evans (The Swindle), the music for Behold the Kickmen features fast-paced and trippy combinations between dubstep, techno and chiptune mashups that help reinforce the game’s departure from traditional soccer/football games.
“The game is not a serious depiction of the sport. Similarly, the music is a silly (and sometimes wonky) take on some fairly established Electronic genres. It’s been a really fun project to be involved with.” – Tobey Evans, Composer
The album features 14 tracks and is currently available on Evans’ Bandcamp for about $4 American.
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Game Music, Indie Music
Surreal and Experimental Sounds in GoNNER Soundtrack
If you’re looking for a little bit of strangeness in your gaming and music experience, GoNNER: Press Jump to Die might be the indie game soundtrack you’re looking for.
GoNNER is a tough as hell procedurally-generated 2D platformer with roguelike elements, following the largely misunderstood and altruistic Ikk on a journey to cheer up his only friend in this world – a giant landbound whale named Sally – by searching for just the right trinket in the deep and dark places nearby.– Steam
Composed by Norwegian musician Joar Renolen and sound design by Martin Kvale, GoNNER‘s soundtrack features pop-like electronica and synth ambiance which pairs with the oddness of the game’s visuals and platforming gameplay in a interesting way. An almost ethnic quality pervades the game’s music, which compliments the stylistic art design of the game.
A little surreal, a little weird, and a little unique, GoNNER: Press Jump to Die is available on Bandcamp for a $3.99 purchase as a standalone soundtrack. The game, which has mostly positive reviews, plus it’s OST is also available to nab on Steam as a full bundle.
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