After his somber score to the totally-real PC game Impact Winter Mitch Murder has returned with a new soundtrack to another game that never existed with Zero Strike OST. I picture this imaginary Sega Mega CD game as a side-scrolling shooter with designs of the Robotech variety. Besieged cityscapes, swarm missiles, dark volcano lairs, “Huge Screen-Filling Bosses™” and all that.
Things start out somber here though with a twinkly, minimal synth melody on “Ship Select” but by “Stage 1” I can’t help picturing a screen full of enemy ships and big orange bullets. That plucky bass and hyper drumming perfectly capture the 16-bit Sega shooter vibe while Mitch’s familiar synth sound plays the lofty and sweet melody. The pair of styles persists through the remaining stage tracks taking on a more resolute tone with “Stage 2” and a dire drive on “Stage 4”, apparently the game’s final level. Naturally, there’s a grungy “Boss Theme” and this one is a real Sonic the Hedgehog 3 style jam with beats and samples.
It’s another one of those painfully short offerings but it is free (or pay-what-you-want) afterall so I can’t complain too much. Check out Zero Strike OST for yourself above and if you want more check out Mitch Murder’s previous soundtrack to a game-that-never-existed, Mech Hunter OST.
It’s been a banner month for soundtracks to games that never existed. First we had Saori Kobayashi’s original album, Terra Magica, that envisions a new Panzer Dragoon and just last weekend Mitch Murder brought us MECH HUNTER OST which he describes simply as “another fictional Sega game soundtrack.”
The Swedish composer, who provided the soundtrack for the deeply 80’s short film Kung Fury, has imagined us an anime inspired, cyberpunk Sega CD game that never happened. From the album art and track titles alone it’s easy to picture something similar to Snatcher or Bubblegum Crisis. Sexy ladies in cyber gear fighting blue-gray robot monsters and all that.
The 6-track album is painfully short, giving you just enough of an 80’s electro/Sega/funk hit to leave you wanting more. From “Fighters” that thumps along in the bassy range of the Genesis to “Runners” with its delightful 80’s synth melody and echoing electric bass refrain. Short as it may be we’re even treated to a plucky “Bonus Stage” tune and a soulful, minimal finale that surely accompanies a graphic of our battle-worn cybergirls standing haggard and triumphant over an evil computer.
~ Thanks for your playing
I’m surprised to find myself a little hurt over this mini album. It’s so perfectly evocative of the era and the games that I love, it feels like I suddenly discovered a game from my childhood that I can never play. Don’t let that surprise reaction put you off of MECH HUNTER OST, though, because it’s a great listen and it’s also free (or pay-what-you-want) over on Bandcamp.
Traxmaster Software has just announced the artists that will be providing the music for their upcoming PC platformer, Exception. As you might expect for a game that glows through a grid of scanlines with the neon tinge of the 80’s, the soundtrack will be heavy on synthwave. Contributors include Waveshaper, Zero Call, Protector 101, Kalax, Daroc, Preqwal, Lueur Verte and Compilerbau.
You can get a feel for the music and Exception’s lightning fast gameplay (think N+ or Super Meat Boy) in the new soundtrack trailer above. Check out the official site for more on the game and its music leading up to Exception’s mid-2016 launch on Steam.
The majority of the conversation around Metal Gear Solid V’s music has been about the game’s licensed 80’s tracks. Set in 1984, the game’s huge environments are peppered with boomboxes at desert outposts and hostile facilities that belt out some of the most popular tracks of the decade. “Rebel Yell”, “She Blinded Me With Science” and “The Final Countdown” are just a few of the ‘Top 40’ mega hits you can find in the game. But there’s another collection of cassette tapes out in the game world full of original music, the majority of which aren’t featured on either of the game’s soundtrackreleases.
These songs feel much more like the Metal Gear music we’ve come to expect. No, there’s no smoldering stealth sax from Norihiko Hibino or 60’s spy funk like Snake Eater but these tracks serve as fitting ambiance for a Metal Gear game. They sound like they could’ve come from the 80’s and yet somehow still fit the overall themes of The Phantom Pain’s main soundtrack. I really want to call out a few of these songs in particular because the original music is easily overshadowed by the licensed stuff.
Combining an edgier synth sound, a shade of New Order’s darker guitar rock and growling lyrical samples, “Behind the Drapery” could’ve come from an obscure German Industrial group you discovered on a newsgroup. Similarly themed is “Nitrogen” with its dark synthwave arrangement. It’s perfectly paced and just subtle enough to load up on Snake’s Walkman to accompany a midnight sneaking mission.
Another good sneaking track is “The Tangerine” which is closest in style to Metal Gear Solid 2’s ambient music. A simple synth melody sets the pace while a soulful horn slowly rises and falls. Add in a hint of guitar wafting by and you could close your eyes and be back on the Big Shell. It’s also nice and long and easy to set your Walkman to loop it in the game.
Especially noteworthy is “How ‘bout them zombies ey?”, which I’d boil down to an EDM hommage to Michiru Yamane’s Castlevania sound. It’s really quite an incredible amalgamation of autotuned vocal samples, synth bass and organs. It’s got multiple breakdowns and just has a wonderful, dark 80’s synth feel. More than any other track, this is the one I get stuck in my head most often.
On the lighter side, “Take the D.W.” could easily be an instrumental version of an anime theme song. Maybe that’s the idea as there are several tongue-in-cheek posters in the game along those lines. Regardless, it’s full of bright keys that pop along while a tinny synth saws out a fun melody. Similarly light is “Ride a White Horse”, a nice soft rock style piece with some touching guitar and synth movements. If this were in Snake Eater I would totally expect it to greatly refill your stamina.
These are just a few of the 25 tracks on Music Tape 1. You can take a listen to the entire selection with this playlist and don’t forget to check out the Original Soundtrack Selection and the new Vocal Tracks album, out now on iTunes. And if you came here looking for those “real songs” from the game and you read this far I’ll throw you a link too.
Some more “Know Your MAG” before the big shindig itself starts getting underway. We have to give our resident non-VG band some loving spotlight! Here’s what you need to know about Love Canon and why you should be in attendance for their debut at MAGFest 12.
Based out of Charlotteville Virginia, Love Canon is probably one of the most unique bands to grace the MAG venue in its 12 years. Firstly, they’re not video game related in any way, shape or form. The four-man ensemble of Jesse Harper (guitar/vocals), Adam Larrabee (banjo), Andy Thacker (mandolin) and Darrell Muller (bass/backing vocals)instead perform covers of 1980s pop songs. Songs like “Africa” by Toto and “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby are their bread and butter. Secondly, if you didn’t notice in the band lineup, they perform said classic ’80s in bluegrass style.
That’s right; ’80s bluegrass. Because why the heck not?
You can probably guess now why, despite not being VG-oriented like most of MAGFest’s other performers, Love Canon has the exception. This unconventional-yet-interesting style mashup lends to a rather unique listening experience, and the band has gained a following for their blend of music and overall ability to generate a lot of fun energy. This should prove to be perfect when they perform at this year’s first ever MAGProm. Ever try dancing to ’80s bluegrass, because I’m sure you won’t be alone. They’ve released two full-length albums of their music and have toured around the country playing, so you may want to check out the rest of their discography in order to not let yourself get caught off-guard. Believe me, it’s worth a couple minutes-worth of listening at least.
Will this be the first of a new wave of non-VG music bands to grace the MAGFest stages in years to come? I guess we’ll have to wait and see! Love Canon will debut at MAGFest 12 at MAGProm on Thursday at midnight after the main stage concerts.
So I stumbled upon this two disc miracle at a used store (thank you, Book Off!) for a great price. The album was released in 1985, when compact discs were “hot technology,” and as such, the retail price on the back of the box was a steep 5,500 yen. Book Off throws on an 80% clearance sale on the item, and it’s mine.
And it wasn’t just the great deal that attracted me to this soundtrack. No, it just so happens that Urusei Yatsura was one of the first anime series I was ever exposed to, and the first among the many anime/manga series from manga writer Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha, Maison Ikkoku). The 195 episode TV series that ran in Japan from 1981 to 1986 features some fantastic music from composer Fumitaka Anzai.
Now, I’m not crazy enough to hunt down the Urusei Yatsura Complete Music Box (KTCR-9018~30, 13 audio CDs plus two more CDs with bonus material). I’m happy to have, instead, one of the earliest CDs released for the series. And it’s an oddball, indeed. The Urusei Yatsura music file ~Unreleased TV BGM Collection~ (also from Kitty Records, catalog number H55K20010~11) is exactly what the title suggests. The music was never actually worked into the TV show at that point. They are leftover cues that Anzai wrote for the first few seasons that just wouldn’t get used.
For OSV’s full review of this “ancient” (amazing that I can call the ’80s ancient) soundtrack, just follow the jump. (more…)
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…)
Covering and promoting discussion of composers and music with a focus on video games and other contemporary media entertainment
