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Game Music, Reviews

RATCHET AND CLANK: A Crack In Time (Game Review)

February 20, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 3 Comments Share this

Few series have been as consistently good with as loyal a fan base as the Ratchet and Clank series. Apart from the solid gameplay and extremely polished presentation, Ratchet and Clank features a sense of style, charm, and humor mostly thanks to its colorful cast.

A Crack In Time is the third installment in this particular trilogy in the Ratchet and Clank universe. Picking up shortly after the events of Quest for Booty, a PlayStation Network downloadable title (the second in the series), A Crack In Time finds Ratchet, a “lombax,” still searching desperately for his robotic companion, Clank.

So, how does this the final chapter in the trilogy pan out? Is it more of the same? Better? (GULP) Worse?! Click the jump for more…! (more…)
Game Music

“100 Million Ton no Bara Bara” Sound Interview with Hideki Sakamoto

December 22, 2009 | Carl Larson | 2 Comments Share this

Want to spice up your list of New Years’ Resolutions with activities like rock climbing, torch welding, and ripping apart huge flying airships? Come February, you’ll be able to do all that on your PSP, thanks to SCEJ & Acquire’s latest collaboration. Your team needs to climb aboard an invading airship and start cutting away at that metal monstrosity, piece by piece, to send it crashing to the ground.

So what would this sky high adventure sound like? We watched the trailer video and then asked Hideki Sakamoto what that catchy song is all about. His company Noisycroak was hired to work on the game’s audio, and being the CEO has it’s benefits, like getting to pick which projects to work on himself!

Read our interview to find out how Hideki envisions the sound of 100 Million Tons. (more…)
Game Music

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Soundtrack Goes Electro: Carmen Rizzo Joins The Mix

October 14, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Soundtrack Goes Electro: Carmen Rizzo Joins The Mix Share this

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is out, and so is the game’s soundtrack, composed by original Uncharted composer Greg Edmonson. It’s currently available on iTunes, and while we’re looking forward to hearing Edmonson’s score. we were surprised to learn that electronic artist Carmen Rizzo, who you may remember from his joint interview with Gerard Marino about The Agency, also contributed to the score.

“The Road to Shambhala” is his sole contribution, and is an awesome ethnic electronic track with gritty, overdriven bass synths and ethnic stringed instruments and vocals that create a pretty unique marriage of musical styles. This is what Rizzo does best, and I’m personally hoping that this track introduces him to gamers out there who aren’t familiar with his work. It’s apparently being used in advertisements for the game, and it’s one of Rizzo’s biggest contributions to the world of game music thus far. We’re looking forward to checking out Greg Edmonson’s work, and recommend heading over to iTunes to check it out.

What do you make of this frenzy to include mainstream electronic artists on game soundtracks these days? Are you excited about the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves soundtrack?
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…)
Game Music, Reviews

Japan’s Hottest Idol Rolls Her Own Katamari On Katamari Forever Soundtrack (Review)

September 16, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

Leah Dizon is the absolute hottest. But I don’t want to give her all the attention. The Katamari Forever Original Soundtrack (or Katamari Damacy Tribute in Japan) features a wide variety of talent from Japan, including YMCK, arranger Kimitaka Matsumae, a high school marching band, and series staple Shigeru Matsuzaki (who sings the best song on the album, by the way). It’s really an impressive collection of music that lives up to the Katamari musical tradition in terms of both quality and weirdness.

What’s really interesting, however, is that this album is comprised mostly of remixes of older Katamari Damacy tunes. You’re either going to love them or hate them, but it’s definitely an interesting concept, and I found myself pretty satisfied with the album when all was said and done. I admit I’m pretty ticked that they left out “Katamari Holiday” from the gingerbread house level from We Love Katamari, but at least they got the rest of my favorites.

More about the game’s music in our review of the Katamari Damacy Trbiute Original Soundtrack after the jump. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

The CHEMISTY Joint Album; Music With Swagger (Review)

August 21, 2009 | Tim Sheehy | 2 Comments Share this

Back in 2000, Sony Music Entertainment Japan held their Asayan talent search–which at the time, was like the Japanese equivalent of American Idol. Chemistry’s Yoshikuni Douchin and Kaname Kawabata ended up winning the contest that year, and have since gone on to release 11 albums including their latest The CHEMISTRY Joint Album.

Featuring collaborations with other artists, The CHEMISTRY Joint Album contains twelve tracks which are a bit more synth heavy than their previous albums and might be marketed a bit more as a general pop album than their typical R&B fare. That said, I wasn’t disappointed, and despite Jayson’s clear disdain for the first single from the album “a Place for us,” I adored every minute of it.

Read more about it after the jump. (more…)
Anime, Japanese, Reviews

Kalafina’s Debut Album: Seventh Heaven (Review)

August 7, 2009 | Don Kotowski | 2 Comments Share this

For those of you who don’t know, Kalafina is one of Yuki Kajiura’s many vocal projects. Consisting of Keiko, Wakana, and Hikaru, of which the first two are also part of other Kajiura projects, such as FictionJunction. Kajiura’s style is definitely in a world of its own, featuring lyrics in a made-up language and a musical style that fuses rock, classical, and electronic elements. Their first full length album debuted in March and is entitled Seventh Heaven. Having already covered their debut performance in the United States at Anime Boston 2009 and having sat down and discussed their work, I figured it was time to tackle the album.

How do I find the album? You’ll just have to check out the writeup after the jump! (more…)