Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2016
High School Music
A few years ago, I made a lot more music than I do these days. I'm very happy to have done it not only because of the constructive nature of the task but also because I still enjoy listening to the songs I wrote. This could just be vanity, but I like to think it's because I was able to record in some small way the musical thoughts I had at the time. I'm the perfect audience because I know the emotions in each song and I don't have to be polite when it comes to the technical quality of each piece.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Video Game Music 3
It's time for round three of video game music, a series in which I pretend I have something to say about my favorite soundtracks.
Simcity 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I86TfGM2OIA
This song starts off strong then drops into a rhythmic thrum. Like most Simcity music it evokes movement and progress. I can almost hear high-tech industry developing in my simulated city when this song plays.
Tales From the Borderlands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRxFlQuSHbw
This is the menu music for Tales From the Borderlands, a story-driven game mostly about making choices in a sort of sci-fi Wild West. The adventurous, sweeping melody sets the tone well for what the game has in store.
Mass Effect 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsD2FjmLsw
This is probably the most famous part of the Mass Effect soundtrack. The determined and hopeful theme that rises here is really what Mass Effect is all about.
Cave Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYHQDsA13U
Cave Story is an indie platformer that I didn't really enjoy except for the music that plays at the menu. I started up the game many times just to listen to it for a while before quitting and doing something else.
Runescape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkR7zClEkAo
This is the music that plays in the old starting town of the Runescape world and is one of the most recognizable parts of the soundtrack. It's not the most high-quality song, but an example of doing a lot using just a few instruments and repeating loops
Simcity 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I86TfGM2OIA
This song starts off strong then drops into a rhythmic thrum. Like most Simcity music it evokes movement and progress. I can almost hear high-tech industry developing in my simulated city when this song plays.
Tales From the Borderlands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRxFlQuSHbw
This is the menu music for Tales From the Borderlands, a story-driven game mostly about making choices in a sort of sci-fi Wild West. The adventurous, sweeping melody sets the tone well for what the game has in store.
Mass Effect 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsD2FjmLsw
This is probably the most famous part of the Mass Effect soundtrack. The determined and hopeful theme that rises here is really what Mass Effect is all about.
Cave Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYHQDsA13U
Cave Story is an indie platformer that I didn't really enjoy except for the music that plays at the menu. I started up the game many times just to listen to it for a while before quitting and doing something else.
Runescape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkR7zClEkAo
This is the music that plays in the old starting town of the Runescape world and is one of the most recognizable parts of the soundtrack. It's not the most high-quality song, but an example of doing a lot using just a few instruments and repeating loops
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Movie Music
Here are five of my favorite musical pieces from movies. YouTube links are included for each song.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFa1-kciCb4
I knew this tune before ever seeing the movie, and there's certainly a reason it's so iconic. This song captures the adventurous spirit of gunslingers looking for treasure under the bleak sun.
The Last Samurai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jKn76PKp6k
This great theme is simple yet stirring, occasionally rising from the muddy pool of chords this movie wallows through. Advance the video to 2:00 to get to the good part. Great samurai movie.
Star Wars: the Phantom Menace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ZY8Fz9GGU
When I first saw Phantom Menace, I didn't know it was supposed to be a terrible movie and thus thoroughly enjoyed it. The song I've chosen is "Duel of the Fates," which plays during the climactic lightsaber fight, one of my favorite scenes in any sci-fi movie.
Chariots of Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5O_SvlHKcA
There is, of course, the obvious running theme, which is great, but I've always enjoyed the contrast between electronic music and hymns in Chariots of Fire. It's either a comparison between Abrahams' and Liddel's worldviews, or I've been taking too many humanities classes. The hymn in the link is "Jerusalem," an unofficial national anthem of England, I'm told.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_JfHLs2Nc4
There's no way The Lord of the Rings wouldn't make it on this list. I've chosen the Gondor theme, a brass-based piece that captures the fading nobility of a proud people.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFa1-kciCb4
I knew this tune before ever seeing the movie, and there's certainly a reason it's so iconic. This song captures the adventurous spirit of gunslingers looking for treasure under the bleak sun.
The Last Samurai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jKn76PKp6k
This great theme is simple yet stirring, occasionally rising from the muddy pool of chords this movie wallows through. Advance the video to 2:00 to get to the good part. Great samurai movie.
Star Wars: the Phantom Menace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5ZY8Fz9GGU
When I first saw Phantom Menace, I didn't know it was supposed to be a terrible movie and thus thoroughly enjoyed it. The song I've chosen is "Duel of the Fates," which plays during the climactic lightsaber fight, one of my favorite scenes in any sci-fi movie.
Chariots of Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5O_SvlHKcA
There is, of course, the obvious running theme, which is great, but I've always enjoyed the contrast between electronic music and hymns in Chariots of Fire. It's either a comparison between Abrahams' and Liddel's worldviews, or I've been taking too many humanities classes. The hymn in the link is "Jerusalem," an unofficial national anthem of England, I'm told.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_JfHLs2Nc4
There's no way The Lord of the Rings wouldn't make it on this list. I've chosen the Gondor theme, a brass-based piece that captures the fading nobility of a proud people.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
More Video Game Music
Several months ago, I made a post about some of my favorite video game music and I think it's time for part two. Again, YouTube links are included for each song.
Papers, Please: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBQE_TNI7zw
This piece is simple by most accounts, but sets the tone perfectly for the gray, oppressive world of Papers, Please. Evoking marching feet and a downtrodden people, this song also contains a glimmer of hope.
Dragon Age: Awakening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyq4B3CQxgU
Awakening is the 30-hour expansion to Dragon Age: Origins, one of my favorite RPGs, and has a new theme-tune to reflect the new land the player is put in. The tone of this song is epic, but not as straightforward as the Origins theme.
Half-Life 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nw8zKOX858
I feel tense just listening to this song. I'm not sure exactly where it came in the game, but this soft, drum-heavy music was probably playing as I was being chased along some sewer by combine soldiers, constantly being ambushed by headcrabs from dark corners.
Divinity 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyGeRVvW6cs
The song I've linked for Divinity 2 isn't the main theme, but the music that plays in the first village the player walks around in, exploring and doing tasks for the player. I was strolling over lush green hills in-game when this song started playing, and the whistling part especially made me feel warmer and fuzzier than any other game I've played this year.
Team Fortress 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNlVo5udnPs
Another Valve game, but a very different style. This snazzy song encompasses the fun, energy, and pace of Team Fortress 2. Just about every song in this soundtrack is good, ranging from calm and jazzy to bombastic and jazzy.
Papers, Please: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBQE_TNI7zw
This piece is simple by most accounts, but sets the tone perfectly for the gray, oppressive world of Papers, Please. Evoking marching feet and a downtrodden people, this song also contains a glimmer of hope.
Dragon Age: Awakening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyq4B3CQxgU
Awakening is the 30-hour expansion to Dragon Age: Origins, one of my favorite RPGs, and has a new theme-tune to reflect the new land the player is put in. The tone of this song is epic, but not as straightforward as the Origins theme.
Half-Life 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nw8zKOX858
I feel tense just listening to this song. I'm not sure exactly where it came in the game, but this soft, drum-heavy music was probably playing as I was being chased along some sewer by combine soldiers, constantly being ambushed by headcrabs from dark corners.
Divinity 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyGeRVvW6cs
The song I've linked for Divinity 2 isn't the main theme, but the music that plays in the first village the player walks around in, exploring and doing tasks for the player. I was strolling over lush green hills in-game when this song started playing, and the whistling part especially made me feel warmer and fuzzier than any other game I've played this year.
Team Fortress 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNlVo5udnPs
Another Valve game, but a very different style. This snazzy song encompasses the fun, energy, and pace of Team Fortress 2. Just about every song in this soundtrack is good, ranging from calm and jazzy to bombastic and jazzy.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Video Game Music
Hi, Chris here. Today, in honor of replacing my slightly broken earbuds, I thought I'd go over some of my favorite video game music. Music is, for the most part, a background thing in games, but it contributes to the atmosphere and emotion of an experience in so many ways. I'll put a YouTube link for each song so you can experience the aural beauty of these pieces for yourself.
Dragon Age Origins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWFEVbfCcOY
Epic music, but with a dark lilt that characterizes the world of Dragon Age beautifully. Fortunately for me, my computer was slow enough that the initial loading screen lasted approximately three minutes, allowing me to hear the theme in full each time I booted the game up.
SimCity 3000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctc_gXbkBO4
This piece thrums along with industry, making me want to build a grid of roads or install plumbing and electricity systems. I have so many memories of SimCity, and this theme song captures so much of what made it great.
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3EOibiVzq4
This theme speaks of majesty and a suit of dented armor. Forests and mountains, Oblivion contained a world as beautiful as it was expansive.
Plants vs Zombies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rJ8AqRiNcU
It must be difficult to have music be simultaneously cheerful and eerie, but Plants vs Zombies pulls it off well. The idea of sinister subject matter portrayed in a playful light is woven throughout both the game and its music.
Dungeon Siege: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7aYfjE8h48
Those who know me well will know that Dungeon Siege is the game I enjoy beyond rational reason, and the music is no exception. Nothing tells me that an adventure is about to start like the dynamic theme music that first plays as you leave your burning farm. Incidentally, for this reason, I often loop the Dungeon Siege Theme over and over when getting into something new. Like college.
These themes listed here are only a few of the pieces I've enjoyed throughout the years, and that's only video game music. If this goes well, I'll probably burden you all with my favorite classical or film music. So much to listen to, so little time.
Dragon Age Origins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWFEVbfCcOY
Epic music, but with a dark lilt that characterizes the world of Dragon Age beautifully. Fortunately for me, my computer was slow enough that the initial loading screen lasted approximately three minutes, allowing me to hear the theme in full each time I booted the game up.
SimCity 3000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctc_gXbkBO4
This piece thrums along with industry, making me want to build a grid of roads or install plumbing and electricity systems. I have so many memories of SimCity, and this theme song captures so much of what made it great.
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3EOibiVzq4
This theme speaks of majesty and a suit of dented armor. Forests and mountains, Oblivion contained a world as beautiful as it was expansive.
Plants vs Zombies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rJ8AqRiNcU
It must be difficult to have music be simultaneously cheerful and eerie, but Plants vs Zombies pulls it off well. The idea of sinister subject matter portrayed in a playful light is woven throughout both the game and its music.
Dungeon Siege: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7aYfjE8h48
Those who know me well will know that Dungeon Siege is the game I enjoy beyond rational reason, and the music is no exception. Nothing tells me that an adventure is about to start like the dynamic theme music that first plays as you leave your burning farm. Incidentally, for this reason, I often loop the Dungeon Siege Theme over and over when getting into something new. Like college.
These themes listed here are only a few of the pieces I've enjoyed throughout the years, and that's only video game music. If this goes well, I'll probably burden you all with my favorite classical or film music. So much to listen to, so little time.
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