Entry 1416 - Leila Abdul-Rauf - Phantasiai

Style: dark ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: There is an evil in the darkness, one that no one has ever seen, we've only ever seen its effect, and heard it's sounds

Thoughts: Eerie and creepy are word that are arguably overused when it comes to describing dark ambient music. They can be cop outs or generic throw ins instead of digging a little bit deeper to find a more appropriate word for the emotions that the music is emulating. Sometimes though, they are exactly what is needed to describe the music coming out of my speakers... just like Phantasiai is currently.

Phantasiai is eerie. It channels a deep sense of the unknown; we see only glimpses and reflections of the true state of things. Leila has done this expertly here. The album is as much about the notes that are played as well as all of the different elements that are left out. Why is that horn playing such a disjointed melody? Why did it stop mid note? What on earth is going on in the background? What kind of instruments are those? So many unknowns, yet so few answers are ever provided. Eerie. 

Phantasiai is creepy. The music grates on me like it's intentionally pulling at the strings in my primal brain. It's inducing a flight or fight mechanism by putting me in unfamiliar situations. It pushes me into uncomfortable places by pushing music into my ears that is foreign and morbid. Creepy.

Leila Abdul-Raul has created not only a fantastic album, but a fantastic experience. One that encourages the listener to dig into the music, one that tries to get the very most out of the engagement with the listener. Not only does it reach deep into the more instict driven parts of the human mind, it entices us by hiding parts of the music from us... obscuring its true nature through the way it's presented and produced. Phantasai is quite simply harrowing.

Entry 1415 - Timeshare'94 - HORIZONS 地​平​線

Style: vaporwave, barber beats

Primary Emotions/Themes: It's a vibe man

Thoughts: The last time I heard Timeshare'94 it was when I was listening to Couples Resort a while back (Entry 1354). Times have changed since that released and so has Timeshare. They have evolved from classic vaporwave into the now flourishing barber beats genre. This is a pretty crowded field so I was curious if their new style measured up.

Needless to say this record is now in my collection, so that should say something about the quality of the music on here. As expected this music is smooth as butter, that's been microwaved and then sculpted into a fine rendition of a Renaissance statue. 

Horizons is all about the beats. There's no moment on the album that is not beat driven, and man do they ever groove. They form the foundation for everything that the album has to offer: silky smooth sample arrangement, heavily reverbed vocals and effects, and dreamy atmospheres. The album flows like a bubbling brook on a spring morning with the sun coming over the horizon illuminating the morning dew. 

I actually have an unintentional history with this album now. When I was looking at getting my second turntable this was the first record that I played on it. The record kept skipping on side B all the time with no apparent reason. It worked fine on my primary table, but on my office one it was a mess. It ended up leading me down a rabbit hole that spanned three turntables before I landed on my current one. Quite an adventure that was catalyzed from one skipping song. Just goes to show you never know what kind of memories are linked to specific albums.

Entry 1414 - Fåntratt - Ångerstupa

Style: dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: wandering through a forest or seafaring, who knows what wonders await us

Thoughts: What an absolutely fascinating album. The other album I have from Fåntratt sounded like a one take record and press it dungeon synth album. It was sloppy and was the epitome of DIY... at least that's how it sounded.

Ångerstupa stounds nothing like it's predecessor. In fact I would have a hard time believing this was from the same project if I didn't know any better. The songs on Ångerstupa are clean, well crafted and sound very well put together. They come in two distinct sets. 

The first is on side A which runs at 33 rpm. These songs are quiet, and for the most part lay low. The melodies are subtle and don't call much attention to themselves. It's like a gentle rain is falling in the forest, not too heavy that it's an inconvenience yet not so light as to go unnoticed. The perfect balance of being in the background yet giving the listener subtle nudges of its existence every so often.

The second side runs at 45 rpm and is much more active in it's engagement with the listener. More overt melodies and other various elements such as vocals, percussion and field recordings make this the livelier side of Ångerstupa. 

Fåntratt have stepped up their game significantly with this album. The way that the album is crafted, laid out, and arranged is far superior to what I have heard from them in the past. The album is perfect for vinyl, with the two sides having distinct sounds and even RPM requirements for the turntable. An album to enjoy during the dark of night or traversing through the woods.... or traversing through the woods in the dark of night. Whatever suits your fancy.

Entry 1413 - Legend of Zelda - Wind Waker

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: The music fully embraces the sea and all of its wonders and perils

Thoughts: This entry is a bit of an end of an era. This entry marks the last record that I had in my collection at the point where I started this blog. I added some along the way but at one point I said "I'm finishing what I have first" before moving into anything new. This is the last record on that list... this is a big moment for me. It's fitting that it's such a wonderful soundtrack.

Wind Waker is a game that took me by suprise when it launched. I wasn't sure what to do with the graphics, but I found that the gameplay was fun so I stuck it out. I know several people that stopped playing the game completely because of the cell shading. Looking back now with how revered this game is it seems crazy that anyone would do that. 

As with any Zelda game, the music is excellent. This again marks a huge upgrade in the sound quality and composition for the series, finally getting into fully uncompressed samples and instruments. 

The main theme of Wind Waker is water and of course wind. The music reflects that. There is a natural sway to much of the music that resembles being in the water. It's a subtle touch that brings the soundtrack closer together. 

Like any good soundtrack listening to it will make you recall playing the game and hopefully bring back fond memories. That is exactly what Wind Waker does for me. This isn't my favorite Zelda game by a long shot, but it is one that I enjoyed well enough to complete. That in itself should be more than enough for me to have this record set in my collection.

And with that my original collection comes to a close. We now enter a new and exciting chapter of this blog where things are less structured and I can write about whatever strikes my fancy. I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

Entry 1412 - Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask

Style: Video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: If OOT was the ray of hope, this is the darkness that comes from the shadow cast from that light

Thoughts: Zelda is such an interesting series, every now and then you'll get an entry that completely defies all expectations and changes the formula completely. That is what Majora's Mask is.

Much like the change in style the music has also changed to accommodate the darker tone of the game. Many of the same themes that we've all come to know and love are still here, but often they sound tainted... the music is a bit off. 

This is all intentional of course, Majora's Mask is a dark game and the music reflects that. Things that we took for granted before are now no longer the case. We're not looking for the master sword or even Zelda.. were looking for a way to not die every three days. Quite the change.

For the longest time this was my most wished for soundtrack to be put to vinyl, when it was added to my collection I felt like there were very few video game releases left that I needed. After having this for several years now I still feel the same way. My collection is one step closer to complete for having this record in it.

Entry 1411 - Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: perhaps one of the most beloved game soundtracks ever created

Thoughts: Anyone who has ever played video games for more than a few years will know about Ocarina of Time. This isn't just one of the most popular games ever, this is perhaps one of the most influential and important games to be created as well.

For the purposes of this blog were going to focus on the music. This is essentially the continuation of Link to the Past in musical form. There are similar melodies, there are many of the same songs but everything is bigger and better. The N64 soundchip was that much better than that of the SNES, so we have more instruments, more arrangements, more of everything.

This is the kind of record set you want to put on during a Friday night and enjoy reliving memories as each of the songs comes on. Hyrule Field? Lets remember riding Epona across it endless amounts of times. Death Mountain? Remember the dangers of lava and trying to repair the giant's knife? Song of Storms? Man, is there a more iconic song in this soundtrack? 

This isn't the perfect Zelda soundtrack, but it's gosh darn close to it. This has everything that a Zelda fan would want... the definitive experience. Essential video game music. 

Entry 1410 - Ys VIII - Lacrimosa of Dana

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: the joy of exploring an undiscovered island only to have a huge twist at the mid way point

Thoughts: I absolutely adore this game. It was some of the most fun I ever had playing my Switch. The sense of exploration and adventure mixed with the free flowing combat was something I hadn't really seen in a game in a very long time. Then there was the music.

The way that the music goes in this game is exactly in line with what I would have expected given the gameplay. It's wide open and encourages the player to move forward. It's upbeat and almost had a progressive rock feel to it. The guitar duels with the keyboards for the lead melodies, mix this with upbeat drums and you got a winning recipe. 

It's not all fun and games though. There are some very somber moments of the game, and the music matches. Really though the album knows what it needs to be when it needs it. The danger with a soundtrack like this is that it is overly long for one sitting. Not so with Ys' VIII. For me at least, this is an easy listen from start to finish, and the music works as well on it's own as it does in the game. 

I need to play the newer Ys games, this one left such a strong mark on me that I want to see if the newer games can repeat it. Even if they can't though I still have the fond memories I built while exploring the mountains in Lacrimosa of Dana.

Entry 1409 - Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North - Part III

Style: Funeral doom metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: the heaviest and most desperate the band has ever been, soul crushingly heavy.

Thoughts: For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If part 2 was the lightest the band had ever been then this by the simple nature of physics will be the heaviest.

To my knoledge the band has never created funeral doom before. If this is indeed their first attempt, then they have done exceptionally well. This music is dismal, completely devoid of hope and the only true escape is death. All of the complaints I had of Mikko's voice on Part 1 are gone. His deep growl fits perfectly here, and he has a high scream that I have not heard him use much before this either.

The music itself is as slow as you would expect from funeral doom. The melodies are played wither by keyboards or one of the guitars, and whoever is taking the lead knows exactly what to do at any given moment. The band's sense of atmosphere is also on point. There are several moments when everything stops and all that can be heard is a singular funeral bell. Haunting.

This is one hell of a way to end out this trilogy of an album. The album as a whole is a massive undertaking to do in one sitting. I'm glad they split it up into three smaller chapters in case I wanted to focus on just one at a time. If you only ever get one Swallow the Sun album, this is the one to get.

Entry 1408 - Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North - Part II

Style: Acoustic

Primary Emotions/Themes: This part drops all of the metal and focuses on the bands lighter acoustic side

Thoughts: This may be my favorite thing the band has ever done. For one moment they dropped all metal, all pretense of being heavy and simply allowed the melodies flow and let the music speak to my soul. Not that their metal is bad, it's quite good... it's just that this is better.

I can't get over how wonderful this music is. The melodies from the guitar and voice are the closest he band has ever come to being truly comforting. It's... god I wish I had words for this. This part defies me talking about it, just go listen to it and be ready to be swept away by the music. Best thing these guys have ever done.

Entry 1407 - Swallow the Sun - Songs from the North - Part 1

Style: melodic doom death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The first part of Swallow the Sun's magnum opus, melodic doom death in their normal style

Thoughts: Swallow the Sun has been around for a long time. For many years they played a genre defining version of Finnish melodic doom death. They were good at it, very good at it... then the quality started to slip a little bit around Emerald Forest. It was almost as if the band heard my concerns, because the follow up is easily the best album in their entire discography.

Songs from the North is a three part monster album. There are three parts, and this is the first. Part 1 shows where the band came from. This is their quintessential style: a mix of light and dark, of heavy and soft, violence and peace. The album starts out with soft guitars that soon give away to a massive riff and deep bellowing growls. 

Slow sullen music is exactly what is in store here and the band is in high form as they deliver these eight songs. There are a couple of missteps however, mostly with the growls. Mikko's voice isn't what it once was. Those deep earth shattering growls from Hope and Ghosts of Loss are gone. Instead we have a bit of a broken and forced growl in it's place, not terrible but not up to the standard the band set previously.  The clean vocals though are as good as they have ever been, maybe even better than before and are a clear highlight of this part as well as what is coming in the next part of the album. 

Songs from the North starts off with likely the weakest part of the trilogy, and considering how good this entry is were in for one hell of an album. Buckle up, it only gets better from here.

Entry 1406 - Stardew Valley - Part 4 - Fall

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: the final season is here, we prepare for the winter by the bounty of the harvest

Thoughts: Life is a cycle. As all things come all things must go. The summer yields to autumn and with it the preparedness for winter arrives. The harvest that spent all of spring and summer growing is now ready, we must ensure that it is properly taken care of before winter arrives.

The music in the fall record may very well be my favorite in all of Stardew Valley. There is an acceptance in this music, like something is coming... winter is coming. It recognizes that things must be done, but not in a hurried fashion... more like we are now transitioning to the hardest part of the year but we can still enjoy the beauty of the fall.

The melodies here are somewhere in between the bountiful melodies of summer and the cold yet cozy melodies of winter. They urge action, but not with a huge amount of urgency - there is time to enjoy what we have.

Fall is my favorite time of year so it's only fitting that the music here is my favorite as well. There is a ton of music in this boxed set, and each record has it's place. If any of them are going to get more routine play I believe it will be the fall and winter records as I find those the most enjoyable. Regardless of their play frequency going through this boxed set has been a fun reminder of what it's like to go through the year. A new routine may  be forming where at the solstice or equinox the corresponding record gets played to bring in the new season.

Entry 1405 - Stardew Valley - Part 3 - Summer

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: summer is here and with it the festivals and all the joy of companionship. 

Thoughts: The music in Stardew Valley is something else. I don't know if there is another game that has it's music so much in tune with the change of seasons and how that affects the environment within the game.

As one could probably surmise, the music in the summer record is active and full of warmth. The whole town is bustling with activity and this music is here to capture all of that adventure and joy in audio form. The songs have bright and airy synths, the melodies are full of life... it truly captures the spirit of summer in a small town.

Stardew Valley continues to impress me with the depth that the music shows on every record. I don't think that this is something I will seek out very often, but when the change of seasons comes this is about as good of music as you can get to celebrate the occasion.

Entry 1404 - Stardew Valley - Part 2 - Spring

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: The world is coming to life, the bees are out, the flowers are blooming, and the cows need tending

Thoughts: Winter is finally over, it's time to get out into the fields and start preparing for the new year! In this second record for Stardew Valley the songs of Spring are contained. New life is popping up on every corner and the simple sounds of nature coming to life are captured within these songs.

The music retains the cozy feel of winter, however the music here is more active. The melodies contain more notes and quite a few more songs have accelerated tempo's compared to the winter tracks. The whole thing makes me want to get up and start preparing a meal, or cleaning the house, or getting the fridge stocked... or doing something productive. That's what spring is all about.

This is the half way point in Stardew Valley, and while musically I prefer the winter album, the spring one fits just as well thematically as the colder one of the two. I'm looking forward to hearing what the next few albums have in store.

Entry 1403 - Stardew Valley - Part 1 - Winter

Style: Video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: The freezing cold and slow pace of winter is exemplified in these tracks

Thoughts: I was never really able to get into Stardew Valley that much. The whole Harvest Moon thing is not my typical kind of game. Regardless I picked up the boxed set years ago and hardly ever listened to the music. I need to fix that so today these records are hitting the turntable.

Each record revolves around one of the four seasons, with the first being winter. Every song on this record feels like it belongs in winter. I can see the snow flakes falling down when the piano plays. I can feel the frost on my face as the synths slowly progress their melodies.

The whole record embraces the cold yet cozy feel of winter. The songs are all slow, never having a hectic pace. It's the middle of winter, it's cold, there's nothing better to do than to sit in your house by a fire and read. Nothing. We just wait it out till spring.

Entry 1402 - Shenmue II

Style: Video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: the continuation of Ryo's journey in musical form

Thoughts: Shenmue was/is always supposed to be multiple games. Game one was chapter 1 and this game spans multiple other chapters. I think at this point we can assume that the game's scope is too ambitious for how well it sold. Shenmue III was a miracle that was arguably squandered since it did not conclude the story.

Shenmue II however was made before all of this junk happened. It was back in the glory of the Dreamcast days and none of the 18 years in between games was even on peoples minds yet. But what about the music? How could it possibly live up to the epic that was the first game?

Well in many ways it does not. It incorporates much of the same music that the first game has, but includes quite a bit more of traditional video game music into the fold. The score is has a more epic scope than the original game as we are progressing the story at an accelerated pace at this point. 

Is this soundtrack as good as the first entry? Absolutely not. Is it still good? Absolutely. The music continues the score in a direction fitting of the story and by the end of it we actually know what Shenmue means. 

The game and music feel like a relic of a long lost time, a game that could only have been made when it was. This and the first game's records feel like we are looking back in time. A time when games were less grandiose than they are today. A period where games like these could be made, a time where someone like Yu Suzuki could create a game that is so unique and get the full backing of Sega. Those times are long gone, and we may never see a game like this ever again.

Entry 1401 - Shenmue

Style: video game music, traditional Chinese

Primary Emotions/Themes: A boy seeking revenge for his fallen father but the responsibilities of life get in the way of enacting vengeance 

Thoughts: Shenmue was a game that blew me away when I was younger. The mechanics of the game were unlike anything I had ever seen before, and when I heard the music (what little there was) it nearly brought me to tears. I had mp3's downloaded of the soundtrack for years on my iPod and never thought I would get a physical copy of the soundtrack. Well I was wrong and now this fabled story's music is on my turntable.

The thing that is so moving about Shenmue's music is how simple it is. It never tried to do more than it should, and by keeping it simplistic the music hits all the harder. Be it the Chinese violin playing the main theme, or the piano playing some of the more minor melodies of the soundtrack, everything works and works exceptionally well.

What initially drew me to this soundtrack was the erhu or the Chinese violin. The way that those strings sing the sorrow of what Ryo felt when his father fell before his eyes and the profoundness of the music when he finds the phenix mirror. There is no other instrument that could have portrayed this better.

Shenmue is a flawed game. The quick time events were wonky and overdone. The training was annoying, but oddly fun. The day to day activities were simple yet somehow it all worked. The ending of the game though was more than disappointing. I wish that it had continued. Seeing as Shenmue III also had an open ended ending I don't know if we'll ever get the conclusion to this epic. Regardless we still have the incredible music to fall back on. That is enough for me... it truly is.

Entry 1400 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Style: video game music, modern classical, traditional Japanese

Primary Emotions/Themes: A dramatic suite of classical music that prominently features traditional Japanese instrumentation 

Thoughts: Video games sure are something else aren't they? The only qualification for something to be video game music is for it to be featured in a video game. This can mean anything from 8 bit chip tunes to full orchestral scores. It's one of the most diverse genres out there.

The music in Sekiro pushes the bombastic boundaries of what we consider video game music. The entirety of these four disks is orchestral, and we even get a smattering of traditional Japanese instruments scattered throughout as well. 

The score itself balances two opposing forces well: the still of the night with Wolf sneaking around, and the climactic battles that take place all over the game. The way that they are laid out here has the soundtrack exploring the calmer side first and slowly working in the climactic battles as the album continues. 

By the final disk we have massive battle after massive battle and their aftermaths. Truly the pacing on this record set is impeccable. There's rising action leading into the dramatic climax and then finally the release at the end. Expertly arranged.

This is not a record set I listen to that often. In fact this may be only the second or third time I've listened to it. I've often thought about if I need it in my collection, but whenever I do put it on I'm reminded of how well done the music is and I find myself wanting to listen to it again in the future. So whenever that moment comes to future me, I hope you enjoy it as much then as I am now.

Entry 1399 - Paysage d'Hiver - Im Wald

Style: black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: finally the debut album from this legendary project

Thoughts: So we finally get the first official full length of Paysage d'Hiver, and its two hours long. I don't get excited about new releases very often, but god damn I was excited for this one when it was announced. It had been years since anything from the project came out and I was eager for new material.

The first thing I noticed was that the production was impeccable, especially for Paysage. I can hear all of the instruments clearer than ever before, the bass is also much more defined, especially with the drums. It's odd to hear things so clearly, but also it's nice to not have to dedicate a massive amount of concentration to get through the layers upon layers of fuzz to enjoy the music.

Outside of the obvious production changes, not much has changed from Das Tor. The songs are long, roughly around ten minutes each with some small interludes. The songs are highly atmospheric and many channel the same ambient/dungeon synth feel that the early works did. It even has the trademark winter sample at the beginning of the album, the same one that has been in nearly every single Paysage release since the beginning of time.

Im Wald is an epic undertaking in both execution and listening. The tracks go on for what seems like forever, they draw me into a cold wintery landscape even if it's the middle of summer. The music is cold and yet more welcoming than other entries into the huge discography that Wintherr has created. 

In reality we all know that this is not a debut album, this is more an extension of everything that has led up to this. This is a grand statement to the state of Paysage in 2020, and triumphantly declares that the project has returned full force. 

Entry 1398 - Nier - Automata

Style: video game music, vocal, orchestral

Primary Emotions/Themes: a continuation of some of the finest music on the planet

Thoughts: Keiichi Okabe is possibly my favorite composer in video games. Between Automata and Replicant and Drakengard... there's just no comparison. He's one of the single best composers that has ever been in this field. Certainly one of the most distinct ones.

Automata has the same approach to music as Replicant does. It's so sorrowful in every single note, every word spoken, every melody written, every single detail that it moves me on a fundamental level. I can't listen to Neir's music standing up, it compels me to sit down and take it in. No, it demands that I sit down and take it in.

I spoke to the deep effects that these game's music have on me in the previous entry, so I won't repeat that here. Just know that this is the direct continuation of the music found in Replicant and is every bit as moving as that soundtrack is. Absolutely essential listening. 

Entry 1397 - Nier - Replicant

Style: video game music, vocal, orchestral 

Primary Emotions/Themes: A hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that is defined by the female voice.

Thoughts: How can this music be so good? Why is the Nier music some of the finest recorded material in all of video games? What makes it so incredible?

This entry has the risk of going very long, reader be warned. Nier has a special place in my heart. Ever since I played the game on PS3 the music, the story, everything (even the terrible gameplay) has stuck with me for years and years.

Lets try and just focus in on the music for the purposes of this entry. The basis of the music contained within these two discs is as follows: vocals, haunting melodies, more vocals, soaring orchestral scores, more vocals, and yes more vocals. If it was not painfully obvious the voice is the main focus of this soundtrack. Be is a chior or a singular female chant, vocals are what drives this music forward, what gives it a foundation, what breathes life into the notes.

The melodies that create the music have a deep sense of sorrow in them. Even on the open world where there is a bright and gallant soar of music and vocals has an underlying sadness that cannot be ignored. Other tracks display this through a subtle minor key guitar, a vocal line that sounds like the singer is fighting through tears to deliver. It's ever constant and it's one of the main draws of the album for me.

Music like this has a deep and profound effect on me, especially the voice. I read a while back that the lyrics for this album's lyrics were created by taking common languages in current day and then extrapolating out what they would sound like a thousand years in the future. It's a fascinating approach and it gives the voice a familiar yet entirely alien feel. 

I can't say enough good things about this music. It's so creative, it's so impactful, it mirrors the games emotions perfectly... it's perfect. It's transcended the confines of the game and become one of my all time favorite scores, albums... whatever you want to call this. It's absolutely amazing and everyone who loves music needs to hear this. 

Entry 1396 - Monster Hunter World

Style: orchestral video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: an epic reimagining of a storied franchise   

Thoughts: Monster Hunter is my favorite game franchise. Full stop. I came to this conclusion about a decade ago before World released. I've played every title that's been released to the west and some that have not... it's the one franchise I've been with since the very beginning and it's been amazing to see it grow into what it is today.

World saw the game change in major ways, more ways than I can discuss here. This is also where the franchise became main stream. One of the things that did not change though from the early days is the quality of the music. 

Monster Hunter games have always had a full orchestral score, and World is no different. The main difference here is the amount of music that's contained in this soundtrack. It just keeps going and going. Every monster has its own theme as the old games did, but here they are expanded and longer then ever and more involved than ever. 

This soundtrack took me forever to get through and when I finally completed it I felt a relief like I did when I finally killed Xeno'jiiva for the first time. It's long, it's not suitable for a single sitting, and I don't know how often I'll listen to it. If I do revisit it in the future it's going to be one record at a time. It was a fun trip down memory lane though.

Entry 1395 - Metroid Cinematica

Style: symphonic video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: medleys from the Metroid series composed into orchestral form

Thoughts: This is an interesting release for me. I found the digital version of the original release on Spotify many years ago, and at the time the only thing I could do was get a CD. Fast forward half a decade and a kickstarter campaign was announced to fund an expanded vinyl version of the soundtrack.

Let me just get this out of the way: I am not normally a huge fan of remix albums. Sure there are some here and there that do the source material justice, but most of the time I would rather just have the original. This album is one of the exceptions. Not only does it pay justice to the original music, it combines it and remixes it together in such a way that it transforms the originals into something new. Something more dynamic... something more cinematic.

This truly sounds like if the Metroid series ever got made into a feature length film. The music is bombastic and paints a visual picture through the notes. The instruments are clear and capture the mood of the individual moments of the soundtrack perfectly. 

There is a lot of music on this thing, over two hours worth. I hadn't listened to this since I got the records in for the first time. Not that I didn't want to, but rather it's a huge time commitment. I can tell you that this thing has not left my turn table for several days revisiting the music. It's phenomenal. I just need to remember that I own this and that I need to revisit it more than once every two years.

Entry 1394 - Final Fantasy Tactics

Style: video game music 

Primary Emotions/Themes: an epic soundtrack for a game well ahead of it's time

Thoughts: When do you consider a game that defines a genre? What would that entail? For tactical role playing games is this the gold standard? Is Final Fantasy Tactics the game that every other one should be measured up to?

Gameplay wise I'm not sure if it's between this game or Tactics Ogre, musically though Final Fantasy Tactics is not only the gold standard for tactical RPG's, it's one of the elite in all of roleplaying games regardless of underlying genre.

The music in Final Fantasy Tactics matches the cadence of battle perfectly. It drives combat just as much as the commands input from the controller. It has a grand scope and sets the stage for the epic story that is unfolding right in front of your eyes. It does all of this without a single word spoken. 

I've listened to this album more times than I can count. Between the record set and the CD this is one of the finest soundtracks to ever have been released on the PS1 or in Squaresoft's storied history. 

Entry 1393 - Final Fantasy V

Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: a SNES Final Fantasy soundtrack, they don't get much better than this

Thoughts: Final Fantasy VI is one of my favorite games and soundtracks out there. Final Fantasy V is essentially the soundtrack that allows VI to happen.

All of the groundwork that bears fruit in the sequel game is started here. The melodies are on point and varied. Uematsu was experimenting more with different instrument combinations and more complex arrangements here as well. It's just a joy to listen to.

For VI I wrote a huge essay about what the game means to me etc, that is not going to be the case here. I'm going to let the music speak for itself and let the legacy of the game be it's own thing. Just know that this is one of the finest moments in both Final Fantasy in terms of game play as well as music. Essential stuff.

Entry 1392 - Edge of Sanity - The Spectral Sorrows

Style: melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: early 90's death metal, it's a bit all over the place

Thoughts: Well this was an unexpected find. I was looking through some crates and I found my old copy of The Spectral Sorrows laying there. Not at all what I expected to find.

Edge of Sanity have always been one of the more interesting Swedish death metal bands. You never knew what they were going to do next. The first two albums were straight up death metal, and then they released this one... and what a ride it is. 

There's a bit of everything on this album. Some thrash influenced death metal, some melodic death metal, some fast songs, slow songs, and even a Manowar cover. It really is all over the place. It feels like the band created whatever they wanted and then had a field day putting everything and anything on the album.

Is it a bit chaotic? Yeah it is, but at the same time it's fun as hell. The band obviously were having fun writing and recording this stuff. Not all of it is great, but it's an entertaining listen regardless.