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I know, I know.. I really like the works of Kimitaka Matsumae and even though I just wrote a bit about Jade Cocoon I feel that this soundtrack, Kileak, the Blood Sound Tracks & Remix desperately needs the attention. So without further stalling, here’s my take on it.

Kileak, the Blood Sound Tracks & Remix, released in March 1996 by Sony Records, compiles the music from two lesser known titles for the PlayStation by Genki; Kileak The Blood and Kileak The Blood 2: Reason in Madness. Now I don’t know much about these games, actually I heard they’re really bad, but something must’ve gone just right because the music is in a league of it’s own. Be wary, I get wordy. Review after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing my VGM Spotlight series I’ll now shine some light on the soundtrack for Jade Cocoon by Kimitaka Matsumae. For those unaware, VGM Spotlight is my series of moderately sized reviews/analyses of game music. Most often I take an album I own and give a decent overview and/or go deep into a few of the stand-out tracks. Beyond this I can also do theory breakdowns of particular tracks, overview of something interesting regarding VGM and so on and so forth. One more thing before I start, I’ve lost the Obi for this soundtrack (the little card that sits on the spine of japanese releases) so if someone happens to have one and aren’t as big a collector as I am, I will pay handsomely for it! Just shoot me an e-mail at mattias [a] anosou [dot] com, you can also send any comments or questions you might have that you don’t want to post here.

So, without further stalling.

For those unaware, Jade Cocoon is a role-playing game for the PlayStation developed by Genki and published by Crave in the late 90s. Basically a monster collecting/breeding game it had some amazing graphics and sound for it’s time. The art was made by veteran and Studio Ghibli member Katsuya Kondō and Kimtaka Matsumae was likewise very experienced, having worked with game music since the 80s as part of S.S.T. Band and other projects.

Well then, what is so good about the music? In my humble opinion, Jade Cocoon has one of the most fitting and memorable soundtracks on the PlayStation and in RPGs in general. In fact, I would count this as one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. I’m aware that a lot of this is nostalgia since I played the game religiously as a kid but the deeper I wander into the sonic world of Jade Cocoon, the more impressed I get.

The fictional world in Jade Cocoon is reminiscent of both east asian history and native american history, a strong focus on the relationship between man, nature and the beasts. To capture this atmospheric place with it’s rather rich lore, Matsumae employs a distinct combination of sounds and melodies. As the most iconic pieces we find Legend of Arcana and Syrus Village, two pieces that appear as different arrangements throughout the game. They feature strong melodies, mainly traditional instruments from many parts of the world and using the minor pentatonic scale as the main melodic content. Legend of Arcana, being the game’s main theme, appears in different time signatures and with different instrumentation that perfectly captures the mood of the game. The difference between ‘Legend of Arcana ~ Main Theme’ and ‘Legend of Arcana ~ Clandestine Meeting’ for example ties perfectly into the scenes in which they’re used. The first being the opening theme, introducing the musical elements and harmony of the world. The second depicting a meeting during night, using a sustained note in the bass for much of the song together with ostinati that makes it much more tense and uncertain.

Syrus Village features the game’s most memorable melody and the variations, while not as bold as Legend of Arcana, depicts the village at various stages in the game. The haunting beauty of the village turned to stone ‘Syrus Village ~ Chrysalis’ is definitely great track but it doesn’t differ too greatly from the original ‘Syrus Village’ and especially not from ‘Syrus Village ~ The Holy Ghost’. This isn’t a bad thing though, the subtle arrangements of one of the best melodies are welcome additions and they had an important role to play in the game to get the mood across. Matsumae’s instrumentation, combining synthesized sounds and traditional instruments, helps emphasize what has happened even before the character knows it.

The different forest themes go in another direction compared to the tracks I’ve mentioned. While the former are melodic and often rhythmically simple, the forest themes captures the “wild” by focusing on the rhythmic phrasing and percussive elements. ‘Neverending Corridor’ only uses percussion and chants, resulting in a ritualistic music that creates tension by repeating the oddly phrased rhythms. It’s a common cultural musical code that repeating of motifs like this create tension without having to involve harmony and it’s put to good use here. ‘Beetle Forest’ similarly revolves around percussive elements. The only “melody” is a flute motif and once again an ostinato, this time using a marimba or similar instrument. The different drums and the melodies are all phrased in different ways, some having a triplet feel while others are almost straight. This layering of phrasing gives a feel of uncertainty that makes the track interesting even though it’s repetitive in nature. When heard in context of the first of the four forests it really captures the feeling of unease the player might (and should) feel when venturing forth.

The forest music continues being some of the most interesting and “bold” music on the soundtrack. ‘Dragonfly Forest’ has almost atonal melodic lines and once again the focus on the percussion ties it to the overall “theme” of the forest music. ‘Spider Forest’, being the most “inviting” of the four forests, takes a different approach and offers a hummable melody. However percussion still takes the front seat and the melody is handled by a mallet instrument. The upright bass is an odd element but ties into ‘Yamu Tribe’, the theme of the people living in Spider Forest. The black sheep of the forest pieces ‘Moth Forest’ features no percussion at all and is the exception of the rule. At this point the story has reached a drastic turn though and the change in pacing is not without reason. The piece is a beautiful ambient background featuring choir-like synthpads and a flute-like synth lead. The only real melodic motif you find is short and sudden but hauntingly beautiful. Once again the music depicts the environment that, in this forest, are very bright and almost deserted.

I could go on about many of the other tracks (and I already have in an essay I wrote in Musicology at the University of Stockholm) but I think I’ll leave it at this right now. Pretty much all other tracks works great in the game and on their own. They’re varied enough while still feeling cohesive and relevant. The quality of the music, both compositionally and the production, are very high for a PlayStation game. While the melodies and harmonies aren’t as fast and daring as much VGM, it works perfectly in this setting and channels folk music without feeling like a folk music soundtrack. I actually get a hint of 60’s minimalism at times which, to me, is a great compliment. There’s a staggering collection of emotions ranging from hauntingly beautiful to adrenaline pumping to straight-up odd but the soundtrack never once feels unfocused. Matsumae’s unique mix of instruments and influences has definitely created one of the better soundtracks of the PlayStation-era and in my opinion it’s a must for any JRPG-enthusiast or VGM-nut. Get it before it’s completely out of print!

One thing I really enjoy about the soundtrack for Shadow Hearts: Covenant (composed mainly by Yoshitaka Hirota) is how much attention is given to the overall “sound” in his effort to portray the characters and add to the game’s unique mood. I’ve noticed that in music for JRPGs traditional instruments or simple synths rule the world and even when something other’s featured (like the ethnic instruments in Ar Tonelico) it’s just used as is. What Yoshitaka Hirota does on the Shadow Hearts soundtracks is taking his music further by often electronically treating his instruments and using rather unconventional pallets of sound. For all examples I will provide YouTube-links, just click the name of the track.

In the track Death is the Great Leveller the rather mysterious mood is greatly enhanced by the production. To begin with the initial harp sound is quite muffled which makes it be more in the background, just adding to the harmony and not working as the main melodic line. The drums and bass are in the front of the soundscape, working together. The heavily compressed and a bit reverbed acoustic bass adds to the rather ominous mood of the track. The filtered part synthetic, part real drums drives the track forward and some distortion adds a dirty sound that works incredibly well with Shadow Hearts: Covenant’s darker visuals and environments. The mix of traditional sounds like harp, strings and bass with the synthetic drums and overall daring production certainly gives this track an edge that wouldn’t be achievable if it sounded more “clean”.

In the quite quirky track Dear, My Dressmaker Hirota once again couples electronic drums with realistic instruments. The main beat has a slight bossa nova feel but the heavily processed sound makes them sound a bit odd. This greatly helps portray the dressmaker character who is quite an oddball. The woodwinds, especially the clarinet, is playing in a way that makes it sound rather silly. This once again helps portray the dressmaker who is quite obviously very feminine. The bell-type sound (possibly a celeste) adds a child-like layer to the track, again reinforcing the character of the dressmaker.

In The Name’s Grand Papillon!! the music is one big nod to Japanese hero tv-series and anime. The music sounds intentionally old with a rather ugly brass synth and electronic drums, something you might here in older super hero shows. This is extremely fitting since Gran Papillon is a rather comical super hero that no one seems to take seriously. He’s very full of himself, always defending what’s good, and this rather comical hero theme portrays him perfectly.

Rasputin is one of the darkest tracks on the soundtrack, the theme of the game’s first big villain. The foundation of the track are the low, rumbling synthetic bass drums. The way he distorts some of the beats and pans these between the left and right speaker complements the rather slow paced, centered other parts of the track. The actual tone of the bass drums actually clash a bit with the other parts as well, adding an even more uneasy and “evil” feel. Low-key strings and what sounds like brass lay out the harmonic foundation. A male choir sings a slightly dissonant two chord figure over this, adding a somewhat religious and mystic aspect that goes hand in hand with Rasputin’s role as an evil sorcerer. Eventually more strings and a harp joins in, strengthening the already established chords. There are also some tubular bells emphasizing the beginning of a phrase. The slow pace of the track and the constantly repeating rhythms, motifs and the choir really makes this track sound ominous and ritualistic, again portraying the character and setting very well.

Finally, in Vicious 1915 Hirota starts really mixing things up. Here some very processed, crunchy bass and drums lay the driving foundation for the battle theme. An organ and a choir coupled with some occasional synth and string swells lay the harmonic foundation, still rather sharp sound without a lot of bass frequencies. Two kinds of very processed, reverbed vocals (male and female) create the melodic hooks that on top of the rather chaotic drum and bass combo adds a sense of uneasiness to the otherwise solid adrenaline pumping track. Further into the track a shrill synth lead adds some more clearly melodic material to the track, the vocal hooks now working as counterpoint. Overall this track really catches the feeling of a chaotic battle and the dirty sound fits the dark setting well.

Yoshitaka Hirota really knows how to make tracks atmospheric. In both his sense of harmony and sound he creates tracks that perfectly fits the game and setting. I can’t help but admire his rather unconventional type of video game music, the rather dark Shadow Hearts-series would not be the same without him.

Quite a few games never got a soundtrack release but have been brought to the mighty internet in form of game rips, either from the ROM or direct audio recordings. Here I’m gonna mention a few that’s worth looking into. From Software’s extremely overlooked Lost Kingdoms II (known as Rune II in Japan) has some quirky music. From Software head composer Kota Hoshino is joined by From Software regular Yuji Kanda and Takeshi Yanagawa of Culdcept fame for the soundtrack, never released in stores, and it certainly has it’s moments. A strange blend of ethnic, electronica and classic RPG music that makes up for the lack of sample quality with unique compositions. Highlights include Battle, Gromtull Desert and Kendarie Fortress. A must if you’ve played the game.

Whoopee Camp’s PS1 cult hit Ore! Tomba also has some fantastic music. Happy-go-lucky music based mainly around mallet-type sounds and percussion with really strong melodies. This soundtrack went great with the crazy art style of Ore! Tomba, the pink-haired little boy battling against evil pigs, solving mysteries and helping people. Highlights include Dwarf Forest, Village of all Beginnings and Phoenix Mountain. Harumi Fujita (Pulstar, Blazing Star) and Nao Hatsutani really made a memorable soundtrack and it’s a shame it goes unreleased. Since Ore! Tombe (or Tomba! or Tombi! as it’s also known) is such a rare game many people will miss out on this so hunt down that game rip NOW!

Future Tactics: the Uprising might have been a bad game, I don’t know, but goddamn the music is groovy. Tim Follin, one of the best NES/SNES composers out there, finally got his hands on some real samples and made some fantastic tunes. The soundtrack is a groovy, funk-inspired blend of jazz flute infested jam sessions, extremely atmospheric semi-ambient pieces, folkmusic and balls-to-the-wall rock. The instruments sound authentic, the riffs are strong and Follin really showed why he was one of the greats (he’s now retired from game music). Find it, enjoy it and beg to a god of your choice that Tim Follin gets back into game music.

Long story short, there’s a LOT of good VGM out there that never got a soundtrack release. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost, game rips is fan effort at it’s best and will give you hours of listening pleasure. It’s probably not legal in SOME way but damnit, I fail to see anyhting wrong with it if the game never got a soundtrack release. Anyway, if you have any personal favorites be sure to let me know and I’ll check them out.

The fantastic Armored Core-series of game does not only excel in gameplay but have pretty nifty soundtracks too. More often than not featuring From Software’s house composer Kota Hoshino. This guy has a feel for creating simple tracks that are slightly reminiscent of rock tracks if rock had mutated into some crazy futuristic underground movement with strange lifeforms in the band and a bunch of cool technology on stage.

One thing that returns on many of the Armored Core soundtracks is processed vocals. Often used as the main hook and almost impossible to hear what the person is actually saying. One recent example of this can be found on the soundtrack for Amored Core: For Answer on the track I Can See All. The lyrics (whatever the hell they are) are sung in a monotonous and heavily processed voice, giving it a robot-like quality that goes hand in hand with the game’s main concept. This sound is most likely processed with a vocoder or some kind of auto-tune and various other creative effects like filters and/or flanger. Eventually it’s combined with some lighter vocals in the same style but at different pitches, instead following the simple four-chord background. If these vocal tracks hadn’t been present, this would be a rather dull rock track, not even very polished. With the addition of these otherworldly and strangely addictive vocals however, we have one of the coolest tracks in VGM history.

On the For Answer soundtrack we find similar additions in other tracks too. Precious Park has a much lighter feel, not far from modern pop music, with higher pitched processed vocals. Scorcher which has a much more dramatic instrumentation with the addition of choir on top of the processed vocals. Here Hoshino uses the processed vocals in a semi-orchestral setting and in that way still having a clear connection to the rest of the series music. The lyrics seems like they’re the same as I Can See All, though functioning more as a musical theme than actual lyrics. The track Cosmos is rather the opposite and here the vocals are used in a much more common way. The vocal line is here used as a chorus in the track, serving as the main hook, and the lyrics are much cleaner sounding. During the final seconds you can hear the lyrics isolated from the rest of the track which shows quite clearly how much processing that is applied to the voices. From what I can hear it’s some kind of auto-tune effect, most likely a vocoder with a very mechanical-sounding synth modulating the voice, and a delay. In addition to these vocals, For Answer uses more traditional vocals like choirs and unprocessed vocal loops like the female voice in The Bloody Honey Cannot Stop.

In Armored Core Nexus (predating For Answer) the vocal tracks are even more prominent. The first track of the soundtrack Shining offers a strong vocal line in the similar style to I Can See All. The actual vocals are a little brighter and sounds like they’re two separate tracks that are layered. A flanger-like effect works as the main processing and it’s more melodic compared to the monotonous line in I Can See All. The track Autobahn is close style-wise to Shining but utilizes different lyrics. Instrumentation is similar and so is harmony but this track has less focus on the vocal line and more on the other instruments. End Roll basically rehashes everything from Shining and offers little new worth noting.

In My Heart More Heart takes a more subtle approach to the vocals, much like some of the choir sections in Armored Core: For Answer. Here a more female voice plays a supporting roll in the electro arrangement adding some extra air to it while obviously referencing to the other vocal tracks, giving the soundtrack a more cohesive feel. The character of the voice is quite different though and sounds more like loops from [insert club sample library of choice here]. Finally I think it’s worth mentioning Super Monkey Likes Daddy while we’re talking about AC: Nexus. This track not only has the most awesome name, but it also uses similar female voices to previously mentioned track. Again, the main processing seems to be flanger and a lot reverb/delay.

These small processed vocal snippets are cleverly used as themes throughout the entire series and helps make the tracks sound more unique and even futuristic. Most of the backgrounds are still down and dirty rock music or electro but the vocals really give them a certain unique edge. I’ve focused on For Answer and Nexus mainly because the earlier is the latest game in the series and the latter is the one where this technique is used the most. To go out not looking like an ignorant bastard I will mention a few other tracks from the series using similar motifs. Twist It, Speed, Blind Alley and Thinker from Armored Core 4 use the technique extensively. In My Heart and On Satelloid from Armored Core 3 do the same. It’s worth noting that the tracks featuring these vocals on AC3 are two out of only three Kota Hoshino composed on that soundtrack. Basically, this unique sonic concept is a Kota Hoshino special and damnit, it’s freaking awesome.

Some times I feel strongly for music featured in video games in one way or another. For these occasions I created VGM Spotlight. In short it’s a pretty unstructured series of blog posts about the particular music, often featuring some kind of analysis or subjective opinions. All to give anyone who bothers to read it a better view of the music and perhaps pique their interest.

First out is the music for Team 17’s now classic Worms 2, soundtrack composed by Bjørn Lynne. Now, this is probably partially nostalgia-based since I played the crap outta Worms 2 back in the day. Still, the music holds up. I don’t know with what goals Bjørn set out to do this soundtrack but he uses a lot of interesting touches that, to me, seem to really capture the feeling of the game.

To start out with, it’s squidgy. Everyone who’s worked a low-pass filter with a decent resonance setting know what this means when it comes to music and those who haven’t would still understand if they heard it. The tracks are sprinkled with filtered sounds and delays that gives everything a nice elastic kind of sound. For example in The Gunner and The Goo two TB-303-inspired (or authentic) sequences are heavily filtered and used to great effect. One also runs in 32nd notes, creating an interesting contrast to the otherwise slow paced and groove-based track. The guitar tracks are borderline funk and a slap bass helps set the groove where the sequenced drums fall short.

The squidgy sound makes many appearances, for example supplying the main synth hook in Attack in Sevens, probably my favorite track featuring an addictive 7/8 beat. Bad Boy Boggy B is the definite highlight of squidginess with many different elements (including electric piano, guitar, bass and synths) center around a heavy 4/4 beat, swirling and pulsating as they go. In Swim Like a Brick another synth (with plenty of delay) supplies a melodic and heavily modulated riff against the otherwise harmonically static track, both squidgy and very effective as a contrast. Since this is a game about worms, mother earth’s squidgiest creatures, I applaud Bjørn Lynne for the contextualization of the music.

While we’re on the subject of Swim Like a Brick it also features one of the other Worms 2-typical elements, repeating motifs. Here the guitar is restricted to a single note (with some vibrato), Lynne phrases it in a way that makes even that single note sound interesting. The way he uses this as an ostinato (a repeating motif that the track centers around) does make the track a bit repetitive. However he gradually evolves both the underlying motif, the harmony and the rest of the instruments making for a clever arrangement that feels very cohesive. The same technique is used in both Bad Boy Boggy B and, to a lesser extent, The Good, The Bad and The Squishy.

The instrumentation is interesting too. Most tracks are based on a ‘band’ setting: drum kit, guitar, bass and keys/synths. This is where the soundtrack really shines, Lynne always sets a great groove and pulls off tracks that sounds like funk-rock jams. However he also uses orchestral elements in for example Pink Bravery and the Good, The Bad and The Squishy. Most of the time he’s coupling this with guitars, giving a nice crossover feel. The orchestral elements are most often used to give tracks a military feel to go with the games obvious theme, war. However I still think it doesn’t hold the same sonic quality as the other instruments.

Overall though, this soundtrack is both interesting and genuinely good. Bjørn Lynne has quite a special style that works wonders with the games art direction and gameplay. Do yourself a favor and check it out!