Style: Synthwave, ambient, EDM
Primary Emotions/Themes: Tension and release, hunting
Thoughts: Full disclosure: I have not played this game. I bought this soundtrack because the owner of the label is a close friend. I knew nothing of the music prior to spinning it but the owner of the label has shown exquisite taste in the past so this was a blind buy.
I can't think of a blind buy that I've been happier with in the past year or two than this one. The music on Anno is predominantly synthwave, which normally is a point of caution for me. The thing about Anno is that it blends it in with ambient, and has an exceptionally strong atmosphere.
What does all that mean? It means that the music feels vast. It feels like it has a destination but is not in a hurry to get there. It likes to take it's time to explore themes and ideas before moving to the next. The music is allowed to breathe.
With synthwave it's normally about setting up a beat and that deep "pulse" and have that drive the song as hard as possible. What Anno does is quite the opposite. While the instrumentation fits solidly within the synthwave genre, the music has more in common with ambient or lounge. A lot of it is slow, it doesn't have percussion or a pulse to drive the music forward. It's simple melodies played with a lot of reverb.
This combination of effects and melody is a well documented weakness of mine. I love it when music takes it's time to develop themes and melodies. Anno does so in spades.
That's not to say that all the music on this soundtrack is slow and laid back. When I think about it, the ambient driven tracks are probably in the minority of the tracks. What comes in between is more typical synthwave, but with a bit of PS1 era synths and melodies sprinkled in. A lot of the more upbeat tracks remind me of a bit of the Mega Man Legends soundtracks.
The thing that the album does so well though is pacing. The softer and slower tracks are put at such good points that nothing ever feels stale, they pull the soundtrack back and allow the listener to enjoy things at a more leisurely pace than if everything was upbeat.
I remember the first time I put this on. I was in mid conversation with someone when I said something to the effect of "this is why I listen to vinyl, this soundtrack is quiet when it needs to be and loud when it needs to be. It's dynamic... you likely wouldn't get that with a digital or CD mix." I stand by that. This music is dynamic, and it's a fine example of why a full dynamic range mix is my preferred way to listen to music. For me, it's just better.
Written November 30th 2023
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