Soundtrack of the Month

Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 07/2010: Raystorm

July 2, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

It’s been quite a long while since I wrote a soundtrack of the month article, but this one has been high on my list for quite some time. Connary’s recent review of the Rayforce –PCB Version- album on iTunes again brought Raystorm to the front of my mind, and what better time to feature it as our soundtrack of the month with the recent release of Raystorm HD on the Xbox Live Arcade?

While I always was and still am terrible at shooters (including Raystorm), it’s always been my favorite game in the genre, and the music is a big part of that. In fact, I recall spending countless hours scouring the Internet for music from the game before I knew soundtrack albums existed. Once I did learn that the soundtrack existed, however, it wasn’t long before I hunted it down and added it to my collection.

Hit the jump to find out why you may want to do the same if you haven’t already. (more…)
Anime, Featured

Soundtrack of the Month 06/2010: Interstella 5555

June 2, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 4 Comments Share this

When OSV was yet in its infancy, I ran a quick post about how much I love this anime film and the music accompanying it. Today, we mark that “soundtrack” as soundtrack of the month.

This is about as close as I can get to the boundaries of OSV’s content coverage. What can I say? I like to flirt with boundaries.

You see, Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem doesn’t have music made for film so much as it has a film made around the music. Now, granted, the album in question (Daft Punk’s seminal work, “Discovery”) was a concept album with this basic story in mind all along. So we could really get into a chicken/egg debate here if we wanted to.

But the basic details are as follows: Daft Punk releases “Discovery” in March 2001. Daft Punk traveled to Japan and found some partners to turn their concept album into a film: namely, Leiji Matsumoto (Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999) and Toei Animation. The first four “chapters” of the film (corresponding to the first four tracks of the album) were played on both MTV and Cartoon Network in late 2001. Then, in December 2003, the full film was released. In Japan, “Discovery” was reprinted with alternate packaging of the main characters in their blue alien form as well as their “human” Crescendolls form. Now, it could be properly understood as the soundtrack to an international collaborative effort and one of the most interesting anime films we’ve seen to date.

After the jump, you will find an in-depth, track-by-track review of “Discovery” as it applies to the story and scenery of Interstella 5555. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 05/2010: Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille Zur Macht

May 3, 2010 | Wes Chung | 3 Comments Share this

…And now for something almost completely different. When I write a review for a soundtrack, it is usually quite new and my main aim is to inform you, dear readers and fellow nerdiophiles, why I think this ‘new’ thing is worth your hard-earned cash. I often haven’t played the game associated with it, and so my reviews are notoriously ‘out of context.’ Typically I only review things I expect to like, too – simply because I’m more likely to give them the attention they deserve from a reviewer. Conversely, things I don’t like I leave to others to praise or criticize – and often in the process come to see I was if not wrong then at least too quick to judge or not listening with the right ears, if you will.

The Soundtrack of the Month feature isn’t burdened by that onus to ‘judge.’ It is my chance to say, hey, this is my favorite game soundtrack and this is why. If we used a numerical rating system, the SOTM would be an automatic 10/10. I’m going to assume some if not most of you have heard the work of Yasunori Mitsuda, whether it’s well-known stuff like Chrono Trigger or Xenogears or slightly more obscure things like KiRite or Tsugunai: Atonement.

While I really dislike it when people pick easy targets, I’m about to shoot fish in a barrel, sing to the choir and go on a duck hunt with a bazooka. This is my paean to the soundtrack of one of my favorite games, Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht. Spoilers ahead! – yep, I’m going tell you about more than just the music this time. Now I bet you just want to know… (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 04/2010: Napple Tale

April 2, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 7 Comments Share this

Yoko Kanno’s ability to diversify is insane. We love her for it. We previously gave her props for her work on Koei’s Uncharted Waters; and any anime fan will recognize her work from Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing, and other high-profile titles.

But how about a little-known, import-only Dreamcast title with fairies, monsters, and bright colors in a strange and beautiful fantasy world? Perhaps you haven’t heard of this one yet!

Well, the game is Napple Tale, and its soundtrack (released as two separate CDs) finally got a reprint in July 2009 after years of being relegated to “hard-to-find / out-of-print” status. You can pick up the two volumes, Illustrated Guide To The Fairies and Illustrated Guide To The Monsters, at Play-Asia (links take you to their store). Want more details as to the nature of the music? You’ll find it after the jump! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 03/2010: Front Mission 5

March 1, 2010 | CF | 1 Comment Share this

Front Mission. Toshiro Tsuchida brought to life a world of realistic drama and conflict with this great series that crosses boundaries between media – games, music, books, comics and even short films all came together to tell a story . Sadly, precious little of this material made it into English.

One casualty was Front Mission 5 – a war drama, a love story, a world-spanning epic, and the conclusion of the series’ plot. One can see how that would be problematic. Thanks to a team of dedicated translators, FM5 was recently made available to English speakers. Celebrating this, and the forthcoming Front Mission Evolved, we take a look at Front Mission 5‘s incredible soundtrack as our Soundtrack of the Month.

Hit the jump and read up on this hidden treasure. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 02/2010: Ys: The Oath in Felghana Perfect Collection

February 1, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 3 Comments Share this

After the success of Ys SEVEN on PSP, Falcom announced they would be bringing many more of their titles to the PSP, including the highly-praised remake of Ys III, entitled Ys: The Oath in Felghana.

OSV was quick to note that the PSP version of Oath in Felghana would be packaged with a JDK Special album. So, while we’re all excited about even newer arrangements of this great source material, let’s step back a moment and take a look at one of 2004’s best soundtracks. Say what you will about the “remake machine” that Falcom is, but we’re quite happy with what they did for the Ys III soundtrack in the past decade.

After the jump, it’s our February 2010 SotM: Ys: The Oath in Felghana Perfect Collection. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 01/2010: Fahrenheit

January 1, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 2 Comments Share this

What better way to kick off the New Year with a game and score that loves to remind us just how damn cold it is outside!

Near the end of the last console cycle, we saw quite a few games that lovingly threw themselves into the annals of gaming history as some of the best the craft had to offer. From the God of War series to Resident Evil 4, this “era” in games proved quite influential and has managed to remain relevant along side the newest releases of today (see God of War Collection, Resident Evil 4 Wii, etc). Among the brightest and most beloved of this class is David Cage’s artistic masterpiece, Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in North America). Lauded for its engaging story and character-driven gameplay, Fahrenheit took video game storytelling to new heights through intelligent dialogue choices, suspenseful plot, thoughtful quick time events, and incredibly intense atmosphere.

Despite all these innovations and polish, and perhaps the most intense holy-shit-what-the-hell-do-I-do-now opening to a game, Fahrenheit – like all great games – owes much of its artistic success to its composer, Angelo Badalamenti. Originally hired to be Isabella Rossellini’s vocal coach for the David Lynch film, Blue Velvet, Badalamenti went on to compose the score for that film and has since scored nearly all of Lynch’s works – including the television series Twin Peaks, for which he received three Emmy nominations. Fahrenheit remains Badalamenti’s only game score and was among the first big-name Hollywood composers to write an entirely original score for a video game. (more…)