Vocals

Featured, Game Music, Indie Music, Reviews

Back for more with FZ: Side Z (Review)

July 4, 2013 | Richard McDonald | 1 Comment Share this Back for more with FZ: Side Z (Review)

I suspect that when Disasterpeace started this remix project he got more of a response than he bargained for. Considering the popularity of FEZ and the high praise the music received, I’m not surprised that a remix project ended up spanning two “virtual” discs. FZ: Side Z is the second remix album based on the music from FEZ and released shortly after FZ: Side F. It follows along the same tradition with a multitude of remixes, a mix of DJs, performers and game composers; and, once again, it contains a huge variety of styles and genres, exceeding the previous album by seven tracks.

For my thoughts on the album, and links to purchase this bad boy, follow along after the jump! (more…)
Doujin, Game Music, Japanese, Reviews

GensouYuugikan: -Fantastic Casino- (Review)

December 6, 2012 | Chris Ling | 2 Comments Share this

When it comes to Touhou Project, there seems to be an endless stream of music coming out on the doujin music scene every year. A cursory look inside stores specializing in doujin products in Akihabara reveal large swaths of retail space dedicated to all types of Touhou Project music. Monthly sales ranking from shops such as Toranoana also reflect the dominance of Touhou Project although Vocaloid-related music appears from time to time to shake up things up. Nevertheless, it becomes a bit of a workout to sort through the horde of music out there, especially for the uninitiated.

Enter Arte Refact’s GensouYuugikan -Fantastic Casino-. Released originally during Reitaisai 10, the annual doujin event dedicated to Touhou Project, the 10 track album featuring a veritable who’s who of major doujin music groups with Touhou Project being there common link. This concept album’s theme centers around the idea of what it would be like if Gensokyo, the place central to the Touhou Project series, had a game center in it. Alongside this theme is the character, Marisa Kirisame’s adventures through said game center. The anachronistic theme aside, I had rather high expectations for this album given the star power driving it. As mentioned before, with such a wide variety of arranges, remixes and so forth out on the market, it can be difficult finding a gem in an endless sea of music.

Did Arte Refact nail it on their release? Or perhaps this is simply the case of more of the same? Hit the jump and find out! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

2 Epic 4 U: GunGirl 2 OST (Review)

June 5, 2012 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on 2 Epic 4 U: GunGirl 2 OST (Review) Share this 2 Epic 4 U: GunGirl 2 OST (Review)

I’ve never played GunGirl 2. In fact, I don’t even know where to go to play it, or its predecessor. I only know of it because the soundtrack is by Josh Whelchel. In fact, around the time this soundtrack came out, we did a lengthy interview with Josh about this soundtrack.

This, sadly, seems to be the fate of many soundtracks worked on by wunderkind/prodigy Josh Whelchel (though that likely won’t be the case for his upcoming project with Another Soundscape, Mojang’s Scrolls). Josh, a key member of the team who created the Indie Game Music Bundle, decided to toss this album in as a bonus. I’ve owned the CD version for years, but the digital version comes with even more tracks, as it’s not limited by the 80 minute max time allotted to redbook CD audio.

After the jump, why this ridiculously epic music is probably good enough to be used as a custom soundtrack for all manner of games (that’s a thing on the Xbox 360, I’m told). (more…)
Experimental, Game Music, Reviews

SEGA’s Healthy Obsession With Girls: Girls Make the World Go ‘Round (Review)

June 3, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

This one’s a bit of an oddity. I saw it on a release calendar, and wasn’t sure what to make of it. I thought for sure that it must be a collection of vocal themes from Sonic games and the like, but as it turns out, Girls Make the World Go ‘Round -SEGA Vocal Traxx- is a completely original album of vocal themes created by the sound team at SEGA.

So, just who’s involved? I can’t say that any of the vocalists are familiar, but the music is composed by Sonic series composer Tomoya Ohtani, Mariko Nanba, and others at SEGA. Similar to their work on Sonic World Adventure and Sonic Colors, the album also gets the live music treatment, so see if their experiment pays off after the jump! (more…)
Chip Music, Reviews

A Formal Introduction to Crashfaster: Disconnect (Review)

April 8, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

We first experienced the chirpy music and playful vocal stylings of Crashfaster at the 8-Bit DOPE show in San Francisco at GDC where he was probably my favorite act of the night (sorry, Josh!). As it turns out, he’s recently put out his official album debut titled Disconnect on the Monobomb label, and what better time to check it out after being introduced to him at the show?

With seven tracks and a little over 30 minutes of music, does Crashfaster’s music stand up outside of the live performance setting? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Top 10 Video Game Theme Songs?

October 3, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 15 Comments Share this Top 10 Video Game Theme Songs?

I wanted to point our readers to an article written by Dale North over on his AOL Radio Blog where he counts down his top 10 favorite video game theme songs. As Dale has turned me on to a great deal of music over the years that I now enjoy on a regular basis, I figured he’d have some interesting picks. While the list is dominated by Squaresoft, he also pulls in Katamari Damacy and Silent Hill. I remember first looking at the list and thinking, “Well, he’s missed out on all sorts of things, and went for the rather obvious tracks,” but now that I think about it, I can’t really come up with much else that belongs on the list.

So, as a point of discussion, what vocal themes do you think are missing? The one at jumps out at me the most is “Song of the Ancients” from NieR. But perhaps you prefer “The virgin child makes her wish without feeling anything” from No More Heroes, or some Korean goodness in the forms of “Esa Promesa” from Granado Espada and “fly away” from PangYa Portable? Then there’s that guilty pleasure, “I am the Wind” from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Yes, I honestly do like it.

Tell us what tracks are on your list. While Squaresoft really got the whole “vocal theme song” thing going with the Final Fantasy series, are they necessarily the best? Let us know what you think.
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…)