Style: Video game/interactive novel soundtrack
Primary Emotions/Themes: That feeling that you get when you are waking up from a nap that took too long and you don't know what day it is or even if it's morning or night
Thoughts: There are very few people in the world of video game composition that have as distinctive of a sound as Lena Raine. Her use of synths and how they are incorporated into distinctive melodies and ambience are almost instantly recognizable.
The tones in question are what I like to call the Lena synths. If you've heard any of her soundtracks or other works then you know instantly what I'm talking about. If not I'll do my best to describe them through text.
The melodies on ESCism are played on a distinct form of synth. It has a lot of delay to it, but at the same time it's bright and sparkly. It sounds like it's distant yet close all at the same time. They tend to be in the higher registers, and have a distinct 80's retro vibe to them while retaining the production and sound quality of modern synths and production.
That's a lot of description for only one part of this album, but it's crucial to understand Lena's sound. Without these synths and melodies the music becomes just another soundtrack, just another ambient work. With them though, they stand out as a beautiful tapestry on which the melodies are painted.
Now that that's out of the way lets dig into the actual music. ESCism is a subtle album. It rarely if ever becomes active or urgent. Most of the album has a slow build to it with little to no melody - everything revolves around ambience and atmosphere - but most of all an air of mystery.
The overall cadence of the album skews heavily towards the quiet and softer end of the musical spectrum. That does not mean that the album is calm, rather it's more of a gentle curiosity that lurks below the surface... like trying to see an object below gently moving water. There is a lot there, it's just obscured by gentle ripples.
When the album casts aside the ambience and subtlety it makes a stronger impact than it would have otherwise. This would be lost if the album was not so skewed heavily towards the hushed moments, and I love it.
ESCism is one of the lesser known entries into Lena's soundtrack discography. That's a damn shame because this contains some of her finer works in the realm of ambient music. As of this writing the record is available on bandcamp for a mere ten USD. A hidden gem.
Written March 26th and 27th 2024
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