Jeremy Soule

Game Music, Indie Music, Music Production

Jeremy Soule Declares 2019 The Year of the Northerner

January 10, 2019 | Ryan Paquet | 7 Comments Share this

On January 10, 2019, composer Jeremy Soule tweeted “I have two upcoming albums in 2019! “The Northerner: The Moon and the Night Sky” and “The Northerner Symphony” – I hope you enjoy the music!” Many of you will recall that the composer ran a kickstarter campaign several years ago for The Northerner: Soule Symphony No. 1 which had an expected completion date of September 2013. Little information about the symphony’s status was known until late 2017 when Jeremy Soule released The Northerner Diaries Symphonic Sketches album which got a wide release via the Materia Collective on July 5, 2018. Composer Neal Acree’s comments on the album’s wide release remain with me to this day:

Jeremy Soule has also confirmed in replies to his tweet that both of these new albums will be available on bandcamp, and features live instruments and singers.

In the meantime, be sure to check out The Northerner Diaries Symphonic Sketches below, it’s a stunning work.

<a href="http://jeremysoule.bandcamp.com/album/the-northerner-diaries-symphonic-sketches">The Northerner Diaries Symphonic Sketches by Jeremy Soule</a>

Check back with OSV in March for news on The Northerner: The Moon and the Night Sky. If you want to be the first to know what’s up I recommend following Jeremy Soule on Twitter. Are you looking forward to these albums?
Indie Music, Music Production

Jeremy Soule’s The Norther Diaries Symphonic Sketches Now Available

July 5, 2018 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on Jeremy Soule’s The Norther Diaries Symphonic Sketches Now Available Share this

Back in early 2013, Jeremy Soule, composer of the scores to Guild Wars 2 and Skyrim ran a Kickststarter campaign for The Northerner. The campaign details stated that Symphony No. 1, “The Northerner” (Opus 1) will mark Jeremy’s first foray into the grand traditions of classical music. This symphonic work is planned to feature live players and singers in addition to the innovative technologies for which Jeremy has become known.

The project was successfully funded and had an expected delivery date of September 2013. Contributors eagerly awaited for the promised results and received nothing until December 20, 2017. The composer shared the liner notes for this release on the project’s Official Facebook page and I have reproduced a portion of them below:

As a composer and performer, The Northerner Diaries are my virtual orchestra and choir sketches as I work towards the completion of my Symphony No. 1. The recordings represent wild and unfiltered ideas created in the same vein as concept art you might see from an artist prior to the commencement of an oil painting. At this stage, I have not paid any attention to structural and compositional forms as abstraction from “GINNUNG” or the “MIGHTY VOID” is never a predictable process. And while the musical instruments and vocal sounds are computer generated, I performed each instrument and vocal using specialized software, digital keyboards and control interfaces. This process required me to play each element individually, one by one, while I recorded into a multi-track digital audio workstation.

Jeremy Soule, Composer

The Northerner Diaries is a 12 track album that runs just under 54 minutes. We don’t know when the Symphony No.1 will be ready, but we’re happy to listen to this until it makes itd eventual debut. Look for it this Friday across digital platforms, including iTunes.

The composer also took to Facebook during E3 this year when Bethesda announced the Elder Scrolls VI to say “While I appreciate all the questions about TES VI, I can’t comment about the game. I can only confirm that I didn’t produce the music heard in the teaser that was released today.” We can’t confirm yet that the composer is involved in the music for the upcoming game, but we hope so!

Have you listened to The Northerner Diaries? What did you think of these symphonic sketches?
Game Music

Beyond Skyrim: Bruma Expansion Gets Huge Soundtrack Release

March 20, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | 1 Comment Share this

It’s interesting when a game is so popular that it inspires unofficial game soundtracks from fan musicians. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is no exception, being such a hugely popular game that it’s prompted multiple ports and its soundtrack by Jeremy Soule has been honored in gaming concerts over the years. With as renowned as it is, it’s no surprise it would find itself getting unofficial soundtrack tributes. Beyond Skyrim: Bruma (Original Game Soundtrack) is no exception.

Beyond Skyrim: Bruma is an unofficial Skyrim expansion that revisits established themes from the award-winning soundtrack by Jeremy Soule while also incorporating influences from the Far East over the course of 60 tracks by Uk-based composer Daniel Ran.

Jeremy Soule has been an influence of mine starting with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I’ve also been inspired by the works of Japanese composers including Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Shiono and Masashi Hamauzu. For Beyond Skyrim: Bruma, I feel I was able to examine just why Soule’s music was so influential and merged both the Western and Far Eastern influences into a sound that reflects me. It’s my most important work to date, and I’m excited to continue composing for Beyond Skyrim: Cyrodiil. – Daniel Ran, Composer

<a href="http://danielran.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-skyrim-bruma-original-game-soundtrack">Beyond Skyrim: Bruma (Original Game Soundtrack) by Daniel Ran</a>

Beyond Skyrim: Bruma (Original Game Soundtrack) is currently available for purchase on Bandcamp and iTunes. You can learn more about the soundtrack’s details on its Materia Collective web page.
Game Music

CRAZY GAME MUSIC DEALS Just In Time For The Holidays

December 9, 2015 | Ryan Paquet | 1 Comment Share this

Are you looking to buy something for a game soundtrack fan this holiday season, or looking for ideas to pass on to others who might be buying for you? OSV has you covered with some pretty awesome deals, and will continue to post them as we’re on the look out for them across the Internet!

(more…)
Game Music

Secret of Evermore 20th Anniversary Celebrated with Remastered Tracks

July 20, 2015 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Secret of Evermore 20th Anniversary Celebrated with Remastered Tracks Share this

Secret of Evermore might be one of the less well-known Squaresoft titles, but at least one man is giving the SNES game’s 20th anniversary some much-needed love.

Sean Schafianski, a composer and game enthusiast from Grand Rapids, Michigan who released Final Fantasy VI: Remastered Soundtrack in 2013 and several other since, felt the need to give Evermore the same treatment and recognition. The game’s original soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Soule (Elder Scrolls series), features several ambient pieces tailored to the RPG’s unique fantasy feel.

“With all of my Remastered Tracks albums, I want to stay as true to the source material as possible. The point is to pay tribute to amazing soundtracks by fantastic composers, while giving the music a breath of fresh air and a little artistic twist on my part. I create all of my arrangements by ear, listening closely to the original then trying to recreate the magic. I hope you enjoy listening to these arrangements as much as I enjoyed making them!”

Press Release

The Secret of Evermore: Remastered Tracks can be picked up on Loudr. You can also check out the rest of his Video Game Music Remastered series of game music releases on his Loudr page.
Featured, Miscellaneous

Jeremy Soule Takes to Kickstarter to Fund His First Classical Symphony: Support It!

April 10, 2013 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Jeremy Soule Takes to Kickstarter to Fund His First Classical Symphony: Support It! Share this

[Disclaimer: I, Jayson Napolitano, was hired by the Max Steiner Agency to prepare and distribute a press release regarding “The Northerner,” but I’m also sincerely passionate about it being funded on a personal level]

In case you weren’t aware, Jeremy Soule launched a Kickstarter campaign last month to fund his first classical symphony, “The Northerner.” You should care not only because Jeremy Soule is one of the most talented game composers working in the industry, but also because “The Northerner” channels a lot of the energies Soule visited while working on Skyrim just by the nature of its far North theme.

I ran a feature over on Destructoid with exclusive commentary from Jeremy Soule himself on the project as well as a preview on YouTube (above) and SoundCloud. Check them out, and support this project towards reaching its stretch goal of $100,000 to record at a prestigious recording studio before the campaign ends in just three short days!

Do you see this as a potential way to fund classical music in the future? Let us know if you’re on board for “The Northerner!”
Game Music, Reviews

Dragonborn: The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Original Game Soundtrack (Review)

December 9, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 18 Comments Share this

It’s finally arrived. Jeremy Soule’s Skyrim soundtrack has easily been one of my most anticipated soundtracks of the year after seeing and hearing it in action at E3, and while I admit that I’ve been a naughty boy and have yet to play the game (I was trying to jam through Skyward Sword and have just wrapped up Dark Souls), I’ve been enjoying the hell out of the soundtrack.

The Soule brothers gained a lot of attention with their scores for Morrowind and Oblivion, so how does Skyrim stack up? That comparison is hardly even fair, but I won’t spoil too much before the jump.

Check out our review! (more…)