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Game Music

GENKI ROCKETS Release ‘make.believe / Flow (Child of Eden Mix) EP’

June 24, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

I’m a huge fan of the GENKI ROCKETS. You may know them for their track, “Heavenly Stars,” which was featured in LUMINES II and No More Heroes. While much of the talent behind the group remains a mystery, Tetsuya Mizuguchi at Q Entertainment and Kenji Tamai of Agehasprings Corporation are known to be involved.

When we first saw Child of Eden at Ubisoft’s press conference at E3 2010, I thought I was hearing the distinctive voice of Lumi, the group’s fictional vocalist. I was right, and here’s an EP that celebrates GENKI ROCKETS’s contributions to the game as well as an additional track that was used as a promotion for Sony’s “make.believe” brand slogan campaign.

Find out if the EP is worth your time in our brief review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

E3 2011: Nintendo’s Got Rhythm with Rhythm Heaven and Shield Pose

June 14, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

I was completely surprised by the appearance of Rhythm Heaven on the Wii at E3 this year. It wasn’t discussed at Nintendo’s press conference, and if somebody hadn’t mentioned the title to me on the last day of the show, I would have never known it was there. I was fortunately able to run over and play through the three songs that were available right before the show floor closed.

I also checked out Nintendo’s Shield Pose technical demo on the Wii U, which is essentially a rhythm game as well. But I’ll get into this one a little more after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Susan Calloway: Beyond Distant Worlds and Into the Sun

September 2, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Susan Calloway: Beyond Distant Worlds and Into the Sun Share this

Given that most videogames do not feature vocal themes, it isn’t often that we interview vocalists on OSV. When games do feature vocal tracks, however, it’s usually done to make an impact, and Susan Calloway has had the opportunity to tackle some of the most popular vocal themes from videogames as a part of the Distant Worlds tour. I first came to know her for her amazing rendition of “Memoro de la Stono” from Final Fantasy XI, but she was also featured on the recent Distant Worlds II album, recording English versions of both “Melodies of Life” and “Suteki da ne.”

In our interview, we discuss not only her work on Distant Worlds, including how she came to be a part of the production and the level of artistic freedom she was given with the pieces she’s worked on, but we also touch on her more pop-oriented solo career. From playing live piano to singing pop, rock, and even some country sounding tunes on her latest Chasin the Sun EP, there’s a lot more to Susan Calloway than just Distant Worlds.

Find out what she’s all about in our interview after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

BAR OASIS: Ultra Sexy Times From Korea (Review)

July 16, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

We mentioned the iPhone/iPod Touch app BAR OASIS a few weeks back. For those who are too lazy to go check that post, it’s basically a touch and tilt story-based adventure about mixing drinks. Aside from it looking great and being an incredible deal at $0.99, it also features some amazing music composed by Mr. Nauts from Korea.

What we have here is more than 35 minutes of original music with some high production values, which is pretty amazing for a downloadable title for mobile devices. There’s everything here from upbeat jazz themes to emotional cues to ultra sexy tracks that are definitely not safe for work!

Did that last one catch your attention? Read more in our review of the BAR OASIS soundtrack after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Japanese, Reviews

Gather Around For Nobuo Uematsu’s 10 Short Stories (Review)

April 23, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Gather Around For Nobuo Uematsu’s 10 Short Stories (Review) Share this

Well, it’s finally here. We’ve been hearing about Nobuo Uematsu’s 10 Short Stories for what feels like ages now, and it finally hit the global iTunes store last month. We’ve looked at many of the pre-release singles that Dog Ear Records put out last year to generate interest in the album, and while all four of those tracks appear on the album and were quite good, there are actually some more surprises and, in my opinion, even better tracks found on the album.

Uematsu covers a variety of styles, from pop ballad to synth rock, jazz, and traditional Japanese, but each is viewed through the lens of children’s music. Every track works in cheery vocals by CHiCO, which I know not everyone appreciates based on the response to the iTunes singles, but trust me, her versatility on this album will surely provide something that will catch your ear.

So, how does Uematsu’s latest solo album compare to his last? Find out in our review after the jump! (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

K’s Traveling Song: Korean J-Pop That’s Not K-Pop! (Review)

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

Okay, get ready for this. There’s a J-pop artist who I was recently turned on to who goes by the name “K.” I really enjoyed his latest album, Traveling Song, and when I was talking to a Japanese friend about him, I discovered that this man is in fact a Korean-born singer who has made a career out of recording J-pop albums in Japan. I guess the “K” makes a lot more sense now.

Japanese or Korean, it doesn’t matter, as Traveling Song is pretty awesome. Even more, this guy personally handles the keyboards and piano performances throughout the album, which is amazing in itself. The album title is pretty fitting given the variety of music featured on the album, but it’s all upbeat and a whole lot of fun. From pop rock, to ballads, to even hip-hop, there’s something here for everyone, and if you’re into the musical Rent, there is a cover here that you’ve got to hear.

Find out what K has up his sleeves after the jump. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

Tussie mussie: Kotaro Oshio’s First Cover Album (Review)

May 29, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

We hopefully brought Kotaro Oshio’s amazing guitar skills to your attention last month with our review of You & Me. In his review, Tim mentioned Oshio’s then-upcoming album, Tussue mussie, which he described as Oshio’s first cover album, and that’s exactly what it is. Tussie mussie features some downright lovely guitar arrangements of pop standards from both Japan and the United States going all the way back to the 1960s.

So, which tracks are featured? How about “Lovin’ You” and “Time After Time?” Do those get you excited? Maybe not, but trust me when I say these arrangements are great. As for the remaining 8 tracks on the album, I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with them, but if anything, I enjoyed them even more for it.

Find out why that makes sense in our review of Tussie mussie after the jump. (more…)