Fief II is incredibly similar to the first album. So much so that they could easily be mistaken for each other. Does that detract from the quality of the music? Not in the slightest. In fact the music that Fief composes is so unique that more of the same is highly desirable.
The stained glass analogy that I started this with is exactly the feel I get from this album. Each instrument has a bit of reverb to it, which gives a sense that the album is being played in a large open space... such as a church or a great hall. Places you would have a stained glass window.
Just a harp, harpsichord, and flute dominate the album. There are small smatterings of other instruments but they are kept to a minimum. The catch here is that every single instrument is played on a keyboard. A great sounding keyboard, but a keyboard none the less. It doesn't detract from the music at all, in fact its part of what give Fief their unique sound.
This and Fief's other works have this tension going on in them. The music sounds so warm and organic, but they are obviously played on a keyboard. This paradox is part of the reason why I love Fief's music so much. It's transcended its medium to create something more.
When I close my eyes and see those beams of light come through the stained glass window they are augmented. The warmth of the light is just slightly off, perhaps a pixel art version of the vision painted previously. This though is the appeal of Fief, moving beyond the bounds of both the dungeon synth genre and the limitations of the instrumentation used.
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