Liner Notes

Featured, Game Music

Valkyria Chronicles 3 Exclusive Liner Notes From Hitoshi Sakimoto

May 3, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Valkyria Chronicles 3 Exclusive Liner Notes From Hitoshi Sakimoto Share this

It’s that time again. We came up with the fun idea when the first Valkyria Chronicles was released to hybridize our review and interview into an exclusive English liner notes article. We did this again when Valkyria Chronicles 2 was released, and given how much I loved that score, I was excited by the prospects of doing this once again for Valkyria Chronicles 3.

Basiscape Records once again comes to the rescue, publishing the 2-disc soundtrack for the game. We have our impressions along with Hitoshi Sakmoto’s commentary on some of our favorite tracks and the album overall, so don’t miss out!

Hit the jump for our exclusive liner notes article. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

de Blob is de Bomb: de Blob 2 Exclusive Liner Notes from John Guscott

April 19, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

You should all know that we were huge fans of the original de Blob soundtrack, and we mentioned that the second game kind of snuck by without much fanfare in the United States with the game’s soundtrack being released online for free (pick it up if you haven’t already). The fact that it’s free doesn’t mean it isn’t any good, however.

We’ve been fortune enough to be able to continue our embedded “liner notes interview” series with John Guscott, composer, arranger, and performer of the de Blob soundtracks. He shares his thoughts on the particular tracks and musical styles featured in the game.

Join us in our hybrid review/interview after the jump! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Valkyria Chronicles 2 Exclusive Liner Notes From Hitoshi Sakimoto

September 9, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

Well, as I always say, “Better late than never.” We know that while Valkyria Chronicles 2 was just released at the end of August in the United States, the game’s soundtrack (from Basiscape Records) was released all the way back in January of this year. Our review and exclusive liner notes article from the first Valkyria Chronicles was a big hit, so we thought it would be fun to follow it up with Hitoshi Sakimoto’s thoughts on the sequel.

Yes, I realize that we already published this review, but Sakimoto’s comments make a lot more sense in the context of my review, so if you’re simply interested in his comments, just jump to the boxed portions of the article after the jump! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Final Fantasy XIII OST PLUS: Exclusive English Liner Notes and Commentary

July 1, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

I had a hunch when I was reviewing the Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack -PLUS- album that just listening to the album wasn’t really giving me the full story. The tracks were oftentimes quite similar to their final version counterparts, and I figured the lengthy liner notes and track-by-track commentary written by Masashi Hamauzu in the album’s booklet probably provided the necessary insight to truly appreciate what this CD had to offer. Unfortunately the text was only available in Japanese. That is, until now.

We went about contacting Square Enix’s music department to see if they’d be willing to allow us to publish an English translation of the album’s liner notes and commentary, and they agreed that doing so would probably help fans in the West understand the album better. So here they are, courtesy of Square Enix Japan. We have Hamauzu’s commentary for each track on the album, and I think Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack -PLUS- will make much more sense after reading them.

Read the full commentary and liner notes after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Sam & Max Season 2 Review and Exclusive Liner Notes From Jared Emerson-Johnson

January 15, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Sam & Max Season 1 was one of my favorite soundtracks of 2007. For that reason, I was greatly looking forward to the Sam & Max Season 2 soundtrack, so I’ll say I’m a little embar-rassed that it slipped by me unnoticed in October of this year. No worries though, we’ve finally caught up and listened to the 2-disc soundtrack, and I have to say right out that you’re in for something different this time around.

For those of you out there who loved the Sam & Max Season 1 soundtrack, you’ll be pleased to know that composer Jared Emerson-Johnson doesn’t stray too far from his jazz roots. Even more, we have a special treat for Emerson-Johnson’s fans out there, as we’ve got in touch with him to provide us with exclusive liner notes for some of ours and his favorite tracks from the Sam & Max Season 2 soundtrack, similar to how we did with Hitoshi Saki-moto for Valkyria Chronicles last month.

Find out what OSV and Jared Emerson-Johnson have to say about this latest Sam & Max outing after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Valkyria Chronicles Review and Exclusive Liner Notes From Hitoshi Sakimoto

November 17, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 18 Comments Share this

A lot of people have been talking about Valkyria Chronicles, a visually-pleasing strategy title that SEGA is releasing in North America this month. Despite the game’s stunning visuals and engaging gameplay, the main draw for me was a soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto, performed in part by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra.

Rather than hit you with a traditional review of the game’s score, we thought it would be a lot of fun to pick some of our favorite tracks and have Sakimoto himself pick some of his own favorites, then have him provide something similar to liner notes to give some insight into a few of the many amazing pieces featured on the game’s soundtrack. It’s always a lot of fun to get a dialogue going between composers and their fans, so we hope you enjoy this approach.

Read our Valkyria Chronicles coverage after the jump. (more…)