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Doujin, Game Music

Whip Me Silly Mr. Morse: Sonata of The Damned Review

October 30, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 2 Comments Share this

Ah, Halloween, such a good time of year. Throughout my life, that day always had a significance to me. Not only is it my dear mother’s birthday, it’s also a time to dress up in tight-fitting clothes and flashy colors that attract the attention of every old man on the street. Halloween as a celebration was actually imported to Northern Europe quite late, as we only recently started seeing a huge marketing angle with costumes and such from stores. I still fondly remember the day me and my best friend went to a Halloween party as Lucha Stockman and Banker Ackbar, me in a Hayabusa wrestling mask, suit and tie, and my friend in vest, suspenders and a rubber Ackbar mask from Star Wars. Good times. But this year, I’m not gonna dress up and spread my colorful fairy wings, I’m staying inside and listening to Sonata of The Damned instead.

So what’s Sonata of the Damned? Well it’s the newest album from our good friend Joshua Morse! This time he has worked on a Castlevania release perfect for this holiday. It’s ready for release tomorrow, but here you can read our exclusive thoughts on it first and see if it’ll tickle your fancy.

Read on to see if you should give Joshua candy or egg his house after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Preview Square Enix’s Upcoming Games: Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 4 From TGS09

September 28, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Photo ©2005 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

We took a look at the Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 3 last year after TGS, and this year’s volume looks like it’s breaking even more ground with music from Four Warriors of Light -Final Fantasy Gaiden-, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, the Piano Collections Kingdom Hearts 2nd Album CD (all extremely long titles), and Final Fantasy XIII. There are also some bonuses here that don’t really show off what’s coming from Square Enix, but are rather a nice little treat for fans including a TGS 2007 trailer track from Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess and music from The World Ends With You.

As usual, however, if you weren’t in Japan for TGS, you’re likely going to have a difficult time finding this one. The Sampler discs are typically given away with every purchase at the Square Enix Music Store, and seemingly disappear after the show. It’s a shame, too, because this one looks like it’s a pretty awesome collection of tunes.

Watch for our review of the disc in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, hit the jump to see the full track listing. (more…)
Game Music

Lady Gaga Joins Korean Pop Artists On Audition, Crazy Breakdancing MMOG From Korea

September 10, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Craziest post title on the site? Yes! I thought the idea of a rhythm-based breakdancing MMO game on the PC was strange enough before Lady Gaga entered the picture, but hey, at least the Korean pop tracks featured in the game are my jam (stealing this phrase from Dale, by the way).

But let me back up. I’ve been playing Korean-developed Audition for the last couple days, and what I can tell you is that first, it’s absolutely bizarre, second, it’s frustratingly difficult, and third, it’s amazing to listen to. Basically you press the arrow keys on your keyboard at blazing fast speeds to complete sequences of arrows before the fourth beat of the measure. Trust me when I tell you it’s nearly impossible. Yes, some people are quite good at it, and I quickly befriended some amazing players during my brief time with Audition. They were really open and supportive of crappy players like myself, which was nice change of pace for an MMO game. Oh, and it turned out they were all approximately 15 years old! I felt like a creepy old man for the first time in my life.

So, I thought I’d share the amazing song list from the game with you. It’s a really vibrant game (it’s from Korea, duh!), and I loved a lot of the Korean tracks, especially “Nobody” by Wonder Girls. It’s a shame that the game doesn’t display the Korean track titles properly, but hopefully they’ll fix that soon. In the meantime, check out the game’s official website. It’s free to play with a robust microtransaction system that lets you buy clothes, new songs, and additional features.

Skim through the full song list from the game after the jump. (more…)
Miscellaneous

The Massive Ruffatti Organ At St. Mary’s In San Francisco: It Will Rock Your World!

September 9, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on The Massive Ruffatti Organ At St. Mary’s In San Francisco: It Will Rock Your World! Share this

I just so happened to be in San Francisco this weekend. I had booked the trip as a small vacation, not realizing that it was the same weekend as PAX, but it looks like things worked out with the swine flu hitting the event and all.

Well, as my wife and I walked the long distance to Japantown (I do a lot of walking in SF because I’m too cheap to pay for a cab), we passed the visually impressive St. Mary’s Cathedral on Geary and Gough, which stands as a giant tower surrounded by a parking lot that’s sprawled out around it beneath ground level. A pretty impressive sight from the outside, and even more so inside, where a giant chandelier hangs down from the incredibly high ceiling and a giant “organ island” sprouts from the floor. Yes, an organ island, as you can see in the picture. You should all know how much I love this instrument by now, so you can imagine how excited I was.

Turns out we were in luck because the following day John Hirten would be performing a free concert featuring Mendelssohn and Bach classics. We made our back the next day to hear Hirten speak a bit about the pieces before playing through the three pieces for 45 minutes straight. It was an absolutely amazing performance, and the organ sounded absolutely stunning.

It was seriously one of the coolest performances I’ve ever attended. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re in San Francisco on a Sunday, as they have performances on most Sundays. While I said it’s free, they do suggest a $5 donation, but it’s definitely worth the minimal price to hear such an amazing instrument. In the meantime, check out the St. Mary’s Cathedral’s music website where they have a schedule of their upcoming performances.

Are you with me in thinking this organ looks absolutely gnarly? Are you interested in checking it out next time you’re in town?

Also feel free to hit the jump for some of our photos of the organ and the inside of the cathedral. (more…)
Demoscene, Game Music, Reviews

Embrace the Darkness: Darkhalo – Phase Shift (Review)

August 31, 2009 | Jameson Rhodes | 3 Comments Share this

After a long absence from the music scene with only a string of releases over the course of the past few years, Darkhalo (a.k.a. Josh Barnett) has triumphantly returned with a new full-length album called Phase Shift, his first release for the Mephtik netlabel. Mephtik is known for releasing music with a strong emphasis on demoscene flavor, and this album is no exception. Darkhalo has been well-known in demoscene circles since the late ’90s for his proficient takes on two opposing genres, ambient and drum ‘n’ bass.

Phase Shift continues this tradition by balancing the album between chilled-out atmospheres and skittering in-your-face beats. With over an hour of music, it’s stacked with elements of ambient, DnB, house, breakbeat, and funk styles, all in a cohesive electronic package. Let’s get to the album!

Read our advance review of Darkhalo’s Phase Shift after the jump. (more…)
Demoscene, Game Music

The Beginning of a New Phase: Interview With Demoscene Legend Josh “Darkhalo” Barnett

August 29, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on The Beginning of a New Phase: Interview With Demoscene Legend Josh “Darkhalo” Barnett Share this

Darkhalo is back in business. After nearly a decade without a formal music release, Darkhalo is releasing Phase Shift, a full-length release featuring his signature ambient, drum ‘n’ bass, and house music. His name has been known around the world in the demoscene, so I’m unbelievably excited to be hosting this release on the Mephtik Netlabel on September 1, 2009. Oh, and yes, it will be absolutely free.

We were able to sit down with Josh to talk about his long absence from the music scene, his long-awaited comeback, and of course, music! We talk about everything from our disdain for the commercial music scene, to game music (including his love for the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack), to Phase Shift itself. Game music fans will be interested to know that the album features a remix of the boss tune from Super Mario Bros. 2, titled “Boss Rush [SMB2],” and it’s a lot of fun.

Watch for our review of the album and it’s eventual release on Mephtik Netlabel next month. In the meantime, enjoy the lengthy interview and a sample from the album after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

La Tale Returns With the Mecha Empire and New Music (Review)

August 23, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

That’s right! There’s a new area to explore in OGPlanet’s free-to-play MMO, La Tale. If you don’t recall, we loved the hell out of the 3-hour long (and FREE) La Tale soundtrack, and even got some time with lead composer DINY to talk about his work on the game.

While the Mecha Empire update doesn’t feature a whole lot of new music (just 4 tracks totaling about 10 minutes), it is certainly in line with the amazing original score. DINY returns for three of the four tracks, while Electronic Boutique tackles the fourth.

Find out what we think of La Tale’s new music after the jump. (more…)