VGM Highlights - May 2019

Wait what, are we already in June?! Better get started with this thing then.

Let's kick it off with a tune from episode 10 of Singing Mountain called "An 8-bit Halloween", the Lobby Theme from the game Sweet Home. While it's a really nice little tune that perfectly sets the mood for the horror game, I also wanted to mention it because I like to talk about Sweet Home. I am a huge Resident Evil fan and apparently Sweet Home was the original inspiration for that game. If you play Sweet Home it's really not hard to see the resemblances. While Sweet Home uses a party of people, they have different key items (just like Jill and Chris in the original RE), they walk around in a big creepy mansion fighting all sort of monsters and you need to find certain items and solve puzzles to be able to progress.

The game is apparently itself based on a movie, also called Sweet Home, which I have tried to watch but since I am a sissy it was too scary for me. Like most NES games, Sweet Home is difficult, but very intricate and in-depth for a NES game. I think the tune gives a good example of this, what a masterpiece to manage to compose something so atmospheric and full of dread with those technical limitations.

For some reason May has been coincidentally c64 heavy in my VGM podcast feed (and there was some in April too), even though the episodes I listen to come from very varying points in time. The c64 sound is something I must admit I have fake nostalgia for, since I've never owned one or known anyone who owned one but a good c64 track can really "take me back" to something that I've never even experienced.

The title theme from the game Blood Money, played in Episode 15 "Classic c64 With Michael From Forever Sound Version" of the VGMBassy podcast is one of those tracks for sure. Like many good c64 tracks it takes you on a journey with a lot happening and changing throughout its runtime.

Audio Panic Room Episode 35 "Codemasters" also brings a whole lot of juicy c64 tracks, and it was difficult to pick just one here, it's a great selection through and through (it's not just c64 in this episode though, but also Amiga and NES). The c64 can easily sound a bit jarring on the ears, especially if you're listening to it through headphones (which I get the feeling it was never designed to be). But like I mentioned above, there is just something very special about a well crafted c64 track and in many ways I feel like it's the classical music equivalent within the VGM genre. So definitely check out this entire episode if c64 is your kind of thing, and it really should be.

While I really liked Tarzan Goes Ape!, CJ's Elephant Antics and Poltergeist I decided to go with "Main Menu" from Pro Tennis Simulator on the Amiga because it's so lovely upbeat.

And last but definitely not least is a tune from the Battle Bards Episode 141 "Riders of Icarus". This is a really jamming little disco/techno tune from one of the bosses in the game, apparently. I would absolutely love to fight a boss to this tune. Its only issue is that it's too short, but what there is really makes me want to fight and dance at the same time.

VGM Highlights - April 2019

The drawback of these posts is that they really remind me of how quickly time passes... But the good thing is more great VGM!

Let's start with a track from episode 17-8 "The Return of Dragon Patreon Ninja" of Rhythm & Pixels. The track in question is Sea Monk Boss from Alwa's Awakening. I hadn't heard of the game prior to this but this tune definitely got me interested, at least in the soundtrack. I have less interest in the retro 8-bit style gameplay, simply because I often suck at it. I love how this tune manages to be adventurous and ponderous at the same time. It has a driving back beat but the melody still has something solemn to it. It's beautiful and cool at the same time. Doesn't sound like a boss track to me, but a great track nonetheless.

Next up we have a track from Retro Reprise, which is sort of an off-shoot podcast from the Battle Bards. It's mainly hosted by one of the trio from the Battle Bards, but the other ones make occasional guest appearances. This podcast is of a bit of a shorter style, highlighting "retro" VGM , as opposed to the MMO VGM focus that the regular Battle Bards podcast has. The track in question comes from the "Shareware Show" episode and is the title theme from Halloween Harry, also known as or maybe better known as Alien Carnage. This track starts out pretty heavy, with another driving beat, but quickly turns into a happy little jingle. It really tells you that it's a gritty and shitty world that awaits you, but you're going to have fun in it.

Then we're going to a two-fer from Sound of Play. First up a track from the episode 130, with a focus on hip hop in VGM. Even though I don't normally listen much to hip hop I still quite enjoy it and this episode had so many good tracks it was difficult to pick just one. If you're into that kind of music I definitely recommend checking the entire episode out. The track I chose in the end was Tha Shiznit by Snoop Dogg from Rock Band. I couldn't find the Rock Band remix version of this (that sounded good), but the original is just as good (skip to 0:35 to get to the music below).

The second track is from episode 132 and is called The Device Has Been Modified from the game Portal. Just like everyone else on the planet I've heard the famous outro to Portal, but then I never gave the rest of the soundtrack much thought. The Device Has Been Modified is sung by the same antagonist, but is otherwise less of a guitar sing-a-long-song and more electronic in style.

Finally I am going to give another episode recommendation. Episode C1E43 from Nerd Noise Radio has a highlight of Commodore 64 tracks. The music is great, albeit not easy on the ears if you're listening through headphones or generally not used to the rather jarring Commodore noises. This episode was extra fun for me though since it was hosted by Henrik Andersson, a fellow Swede who also runs his own podcast "Commoflage (which I must admit I haven't checked out yet). Because of this there is some Swedish thrown into the episode, and that doesn't happen often. Overall a fun listen!

VGM Highlights - March 2019

Awesome VGM is no April fools, let's start out with…

a track from Suikoden! Although not my favorite track from Suikoden, it's definitely a very good one, and anything that reminds me of that game is good in my book. Suikoden is a great jRPG that you should definitely check out if you're into that kind of thing. This track was played in the also great Time for Tea with Rhythm & Pixels episode of the Forever Sound Version podcast, in which the theme was to find VGM that is somehow related to tea. I think Michael, Rob and Pernell went about that task slightly differently, and for a tea fan for myself this was great fun to listen to, so I recommend checking out the entire episode. Also, that can't possibly be the actual box art of the game? 😂

Singing Mountain has a Halloween-themed episode that was actually pretty creepy to listen to in the dark - it showcases spooky music from Mario-games. Among them is this gem, Ashley's Theme from Wario Ware, and the original version is much better than the re-arranged version for Super Smash Bros on the WiiU. Seriously, the re-arranged version completely removes Ashley's cool and menacing style, why would you do that? The original is funny and the right kind of edgy though.

Nerd Noise Radio episode 32 plays the Meteor track from Starfox. The interesting thing about this track is that it's right on the edge of being repetitive, but every now and then it'll throw something new in the mix to keep things moving forward, and I always end up listening to the whole thing because I want to hear what comes next. It's got all these neat little sounds moving around and it makes great use of the stereo.

So far for tracks I had already heard before and that might be a bit affected by my nostalgic bias. So not for the next track that is cool as ice and I can't get enough of - Brother Goes Away from the game Ollie King - played in Episode 10 of VGMBassy, which is a showcase of the music by Hideki Naganuma. Extra interesting for me who had little knowledge of his style, and it's definitely quite original. This track is so funky it'll make a stone want to dance.

There ya have it, see ya in a month!

VGM Highlights - February 2019

I almost forgot that February only has 28 days, but only almost. So here we go!

First off I've got a double entry from the excellent VGMpire podcast. I am so far behind on this show I would be sad but it also means that I have loads to look forward to so I am kinda happy instead.

In their episode 70 "Indie Game Music Showcase 2" they've picked out a whole bunch of really great indie game tracks, some I had heard before (like Hotline Miami OST) and a lot I hadn't. One I hadn't was the music to Luftrausers. I could've sworn they were talking about a game called "Love Trousers" throughout the episode and it wasn't until afterwards when I went to search more information about the game that I figured out it was actually the Luftrausers game they had been talking about... I'm unfortunately not making that up. I just love the crunchy, gritty sound of the Main Theme, that is right up my alley.

In episode 71, "20 Years of Breath of Fire" we get a track from the game Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter. Dragon Quarter is the only BoF game I have played to any extent, and it was good enough though I didn't finish it. It plays out entirely (or at least for the duration of my game time) indoors and sublevel and it made me feel claustrophobic somehow. Hearing the "Lift" track from this game made me nostalgic and even made me want to get back to playing it again however. It's a pretty un-assuming but nice track that you hear quite a lot of in-game;

Then we're off to the Battle Bards Podcast which highlight the OST of World of Warcraft: Battle of Azeroth in their episode 135. Anything World of Warcraft is basically like catnip to a cat to me. Though I haven't played WoW since 2013 or something, it has played such a huge part in my life that I think about it almost every day. Sounds crazy, but it's true. The theme from the Motherlode Dungeon is a very long one, but it's rewarding and fun to listen to. It's the kind of music that you should put on while you're cleaning or something, it'll definitely make it more enjoyable. I would love to hear it in-game while playing through the dungeon but I'll have to just settle with watching someone stream a run of it some day I guess…

The KVGM The Last Wave podcast specializes on some really chill tunes for when you just want to relax (which is always, amirite?). I often listen to podcasts when putting my baby daughter to sleep and trying not to fall asleep myself while having this in my ears is impossible. But the Metro City Night track from the game Astro Boy: Mighty Atom in episode 2018-11-25 is so sleek I can't help but love it, it's also the perfect way to end your day if you do fall asleep listening to it, take it from someone who knows;

That's it for tracks in February, but just like last time I want to leave you with an episode highlight. This time it's the Alberto Gonzáles episode from Retro Game Audio podcast. The only thing it is missing is Alberto Gonzáles himself, but otherwise it is absolutely filled with not just awesome music but loads of interesting tidbits, anecdotes and solid information about this amazing composer from people who have met and interviewed him themselves. Gonzáles is definitely one my favorite composers so this episode was a treat. I'll also leave you with one my favorite tracks of his, which basically just means randomly choosing any track he's done;

VGM Highlights - January 2019

We've already gone through the first month of the new year, time flies and all that. January can be a bit of a drag, so here are some nice tunes I've come across to light up your dark (if you're situated in the northern hemisphere at least).

First up is something that wasn't new to me, but something I had forgotten about - the great Terranigma soundtrack (and I love being reminded of great soundtracks just as much as I love finding new ones). I have a lot of great memories of Terranigma, and episode #5 of the Singing Mountain podcast dedicated to forest themes, played the forest theme from Terranigma. It's just one of those tunes that makes me all fuzzy warm inside;

Secondly, a track I am almost certain I heard not that long ago on a different podcast, but alas that was before I started these posts. The Diad Presents: A VGM Podcast plays the track "Level 2" from M.C Kids in his episode 33, "Jad the Taff", and it's just such a lovely, bouncy, happy tune that'll definitely make you smile through a snow storm;

I guess I am into happy tunes this month, because another one I want to mention is Robo Factory from The Sims Online, heard in The Battle Bards 130 "Oddballs 2" episode. I've never played any of The Sims games and never wanted to, but I couldn't help but enjoy this funny tune.

And last but absolutely not least is an incredibly cool tune named "Ekans Desert" (presumably completely unrelated to the Pokémon) from the shmupp Project S-11. VGMBassy Episode 2 brings us this one in a great episode, guested by composer Jredd who has also done the intro tune for the VGMBassy podcast, and that one is pretty dang great too. Ekans Desert is a tune that demands your attention. It's almost like a living being, I love how it transforms over the course of the track and how absolutely beautifully it uses the GBC sound. It's one of those tracks I would use as an example if someone asked me what kind of video game music I like (and I have done that already actually).

That's it for this month, but I am going to throw in something special here, a VGM podcast episode recommendation. This month I'm going to suggest the Supernatural episode from Rhythm & Pixels, where Rob and Pernell are guested by VGMBassy host Ed to talk about the Supernatural tv-series and play VGM inspired by the show. Even to someone like me who hasn't watched a single episode of Supernatural, this was a really fun episode to listen to and their joy for the show really shines through and they've got some interesting VGM picks as well.
See ya in February with more great VGM!

VGM Highlights - December 2018

Welcome to the December 2018 edition of my VGM Highlights. Why dilly-dally, let's kick things off at once before this month comes to an end!

I'm going to start things off with a track from the Rhythm & Pixels podcast and their 15-9 episode titled "Medical Music". These guys have made it their mission to always provide you with surprising topics and it's always as fun to hear what they come up with that relates to the theme. It's safe to say it's impossible to guess, except that Ristar will be in there somewhere (Rhythm & Pixels inside-joke). It's a great way to discover new music and new games to check out. In this episode they play a tune called "Persuade the Flame" from the game Lifesigns: Surgical Unit, which is just about the 200th game on their show I had never heard about. It has a great tempo and beat, and I would so not want to perform surgery to this. But dance, oh yeah, I can dance to this.

Next up is a track from the very first episode of the VGMBassy podcast, "Echoes of Ecco" which is all about the Ecco the Dolphin series. This whole episode is amazing and helped me completely revamp my view of the Ecco-series. I couldn't recommend it more, so go listen to it. Ecco The Dolphin also has a really great ambient soundtrack, and I am a sucker for great ambient soundtracks (hello Super Metroid). This one is one of the first you come across (both in the game and in the podcast). It's just so haunting and creepy. It really sets the mood that something has gone terribly wrong.

My next track is from the Nerd Noise Radio podcast which is one of the few commentator-free VGM podcasts I listen to. This provides you with a full episode of just music around a theme, with no talking (well, a little bit of talking at the beginning and end). Sometimes that is all you want and need. Interestingly enough this episode (episode 15) played a tune from Ecco the Dolphin as well, and what is probably my favourite one - the Undercaves. But the tune I want to highlight is a completely different one, called "Hardcore Combat" from the game Vay. It just has exactly that 90's techno beat that I am absolutely in love with and I just can't stop listening to this. It's a blast the speakers kind of moment here and I get Streets of Rage and Mortal Kombat-vibes from it. What more do you need?

Last but not least I have two honorable mentions; 

In The Battle Bards ep 121 (about Myst Online), Syl mentions the soundtrack to a game called Pit People. It's not technically what the episode is about but I can't not mention an electro swing soundtrack when I hear it.

Secondly is the Episode 57 "Commodore 64 in the 21st Century" episode from Forever Sound Version. It reminded me how great the Commodore 64 sounds and I have no idea why I don't listen to more of that. Well, consider that rectified. The whole episode is a great listen and I would like to link to some of my favourite tunes but unfortunately I can't find any youtube/other easily linkable format to so. So instead I am going to link you to the High Voltage SID Collection homepage where you can dig up your own SID chip treasure.

VGM Highlights - November 2018

As you might've noticed if you've read one or two of my blog posts, I play a lot of video games. What I mention a lot less however is that I also listen to quite a lot of video game music (VGM). But I thought it was time to change that! I sat thinking of some good way for me to get to talk about good VGM while also promote some of the great VGM podcasts I listen to. "Hey, I have a blog after all, that's what that is for right?". Right?

So my plan is to make a round-up of some of the great tunes I've heard in the podcasts I've listened to throughout a month, and what better month to start than dreary old November. It should be noted that I am far from up to date on most podcasts I listen to, I simply don't have the time. This means a lot of the episodes I listen to are not recent and in some cases even years have passed since they were released. But I figured that shouldn't really matter since good VGM doesn't age anyway. The idea is both for me to be able to talk a bit about VGM that I enjoy, but also to give a shout-out to the podcast that featured it. It's not intended to be a ranking of any kind and the same podcast can be featured more than once (or no time) in a month if I've happened to hear several, or no, particularly good tunes from that podcast within a month - which with my listening habits is a pretty random variable. This isn't to say that this was the only music I enjoyed, in fact I can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times I've heard a VGM track in a podcast I felt like skipping. These are simply tunes that stood out a little extra to me.

You are always very welcome to comment with tunes you enjoy, I absolutely love finding new things to listen to!

We'll see how long I remember to and feel like keeping this up, but let's get started at least.

My first featured track comes from the VGMpire Podcast, episode 64, "Blast Corps Gemini" which was a highlight of the music in the games Jet Force Gemini and Blast Corps. Those are two games I remember seeing back in the day but know absolutely nothing about. I didn't even know they were made by Rare. This is by the way an example of a podcast that aired several years ago, as this was posted in February 2014. While most of the tracks were good, nothing really stood out to me, except this little gem from Blast Corps called "Angel City".

The N64 isn't exactly known for its stand-out soundtracks or sound, at least not to me. There are of course notable exceptions like Rare's GoldenEye and most of the Mario-games. And Turok 2, that stuff is awesome. And normally I am not a fan of a rock-style tune, but something about this spoke to me. I found it pretty cool.

Secondly we have a double-whammy from the Forever Sound Version podcast. First episode 52 in which the show celebrates its 2nd year with its own highlight of tracks that he's played over the last year. I guess this could be called cheating since the track in question technically is from an earlier episode, but eh *shrug*. The track is "In Game 7" from Colin McRae Rally 2.0. Even though I have listened to almost every episode of Forever Sound Version I can't remember when this was played so I am glad he played it again because I love it! While I don't play many racing games they often feature exactly the type of floaty, swirly electronica that I am personally very fond of.

The other track is from episode 54 which was the 4th VGM Battle. The entire episode was absolutely awesome and filled with so many good tracks it was difficult to choose just one, like "6:24" from Furi, "Slipstream" from Motorstorm Apocalypse and "Filmore" from Actraiser (which is one of my all-time favorite VGM tracks, but it's Yuzo Koshiro so of course). I strongly recommend listening to the entire episode. The track I've chosen to highlight though is "Theme of Exchanger" from Money Puzzler Exchanger because of its bouncy, happy style.

And finally a track from The Battle Bards podcast, which is the worlds only MMO VGM podcast and I amazed every single episode that they manage to make so much good material from that premise. There are clearly a lot more MMO's out there than you'd think. This track is from their episode 114 highlight of tracks on the move, aptly named "Vroom vroom". One of the hosts, Syp, plays the track unromantically named "Smuggler Track S Two" from GTA Online and it... is... AMAZING.

To me it perfectly evokes the feeling of driving on an empty desert road in the middle of the night, with no one to hold you company but the darkness and your own thoughts (possibly something smugglers do a lot). It does what all excellent music does and whisks me away to a completely different place, I zone out when I listen to this. It's like it's written note by note for me. I don't want to call favorites in my first ever VGM highlights post but yeah... this is probably one of the best VGM I've heard all year.

That's it for this month so stay tuned for whatever December will churn out!

VGM Podcasts Review

Video game music has always had a big part in my life, at least since I started gaming. More recently it's pretty much overshadowed every other kind of music and become near the only kind of music I listen to. To be fair, in recent years gaming music has become so diverse that you can get your fill no matter what kind of genre you prefer, but mine happens to still mainly be chiptune-style. As mentioned a couple of posts ago, this also eventually led me into looking for podcasts centred around VGM to keep me company during my bike rides to and from work. And I've actually managed to find quite a few, of varying quality that I thought I would write a little more about. Firstly, it's important to note that what I am after when listening to a VGM podcast is mainly the music. Some podcasts delve a bit deeper into the technical aspects of the making and creating of VGM and while I do find those parts interesting as well, I prefer the ones that just play as many tracks as possible, with a bit of commenting. My evaluation of the podcasts I listen to will of course be biased by my preferences in this regard.

But where is the harp?

Battle Bards by Syp, Steph and Syl
This is probably my favorite or at least one of my favorite VGM podcasts. Eventhough they have niched into MMO-music specifically, which initially had me thinking that I'd get bored with the podcast eventually, they manage to make so much from their topics. The dynamic between the three hosts is by far the best out of the podcasts I listen to - they have completely different tastes and are not afraid to tell eachother. This leads to interesting discussions about the quality of the different tunes and I especially enjoy hearing the different perspectives they often have on the very same tune. This podcast is also unique among the ones I listen to in that it intersperses the music with the talking, rather than listening to a tune (or two) and then talking about it which is the standard procedure, and it really works! Sound levels can be off sometimes, where the music is too loud to hear what they are saying, but that is only occasionally and definitely not enough to remove any of the fun from listening to this gang talking and bickering about MMO VGM. Highly recommended!

Forever Sound Version by Michael
This podcast has only just gotten started and it's off to a very good start. Forever Sound Version is a bit unusual as he does most of the episodes on his own (although he is not the only one as we will see). He does a great job at it however - the focus is on music and the talking only adds to the tunes by keeping it relevant and interesting. Because he (mostly) does the episodes alone, he stays on point which can be very nice when you've listened to a couple of podcasts in a row where the hosts stray off the topics. For the first couple of episodes I've listened to he has managed to strike a nice balance between technical, informative and personal when talking about the tunes and my only gripe is that I feel he sometimes brushes through some topics a bit quick, I wouldn't mind longer episodes!

That's better.

Rhythm N Pixels by Rob and Pernell
Another great podcast with a duo of guys who just want to share some good tunes, making the podcast very laid-back and unpretentious. They choose an often whacky topic that they base their tunes around, which allows for a nice mixture of music. This podcast is more personal and goofy and less technical and I especially enjoy it for the often great variety in music within each episode. It's fun to hear the hosts thoughts around the different topics which can be as diverse as "Fire Levels", "Map Themes" and "All the Fours" and they always find a good balance between the personal anecdotes and music, giving each tune a personal touch without becoming repetative. They also do focus episodes where they listen to music from a specific composer or game series. Again, this podcast is very snack-sized which does go well with it's overall style, but I wouldn't mind them being longer! On the other hand it comes out more often than most other VGM podcasts.

Pixeltunes Radio by Mike and Ed
If you want a VGM podcast with a lot of chatting and topic wandering, this is the podcast for you! I'm not saying that sarcastically, it really comes down to matter of taste. This podcast definitely has a lot of charm, and one of the best thing about it is that there will be a lot of tunes per episode. They also do their own video game inspired skits which I find is a great idea and I am amazed at all the ideas they come up with for these skits. Unfortunately the podcast suffers from a bit of what I'd like to call "bromancing", meaning most of the discussions around the tunes can be wrapped up into "it's a great tune, dude". It's understandable to choose only music you like for your VGM podcast, but if you're a duo of hosts and both like exactly the same kind of music, it doesn't allow for much fun conversation about it and sort of removes the need for being two hosts in the first place. This is also one of the goofier podcasts on my list, and they wander off a bit too much for my taste sometimes. This podcast is also more of a video game podcast that is heavy on the music, because they often get very in-depth describing the game they're covering. They can go into full detail about everything from the first screen, through stage by stage until the end scene. This means it can get a bit far inbetween the songs with information I don't feel I need, but if you like a podcast where you get to know every detail about a game, this is great for you!

Even better!

Pixelated Audio by Bryan and James
This podcast is extremely similar to Pixeltunes Radio and therefor has roughly the same strengths and weaknesses. It does get a bit more technical and it can be quite fun to hear different channels from a certain tune and the hosts explaining what they do and how they affect the song. They also manage to get some really good guests on this show, everything from Chris Huelsbeck to Peter McConnell (the guy who did the OST for Grim Fandango). They often choose rather obscure games to cover, which can be nice if you want to find some new music to listen to and not just something that covers the same old classics (this is also true for Pixeltunes Radio). A bit too much focus on stuff that isn't VGM and with the same issues of bromance, it's an overall good podcast with just a bit much talking. Just as with Pixeltunes Radio this is a "pick the raisins" kind of show for me.

Sound of Play by the Cane & Rinse hosts
Sound of Play is a spin-off of sorts from the Cane & Rinse podcast. Sound of Play has full focus on VGM and although there occassionally are more than one host for the show they often limit their talking to personal experiences with the games and some thoughts about the tunes. Very straightforward and mellow, it is great if you just want to listen to a lot of music with as little talking as possible. I don't know if it is intentional, but Sound of Play definitely play a lot more instrumental and modern VGM tunes than chiptunes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're after 8-bit tunes you're probably better off listening to one of the other podcasts on the list.

Retro Reprise by Syp
Also a spin-off of sorts, but from Battle Bards, one of the hosts has taken it upon himself to branch out from the MMO-niche and listen to some retro tunes in this podcast. The formula is otherwise similar to Battle Bards in that the music is interspersed with the talking and Syp also does a good job at keeping the talking interesting and relevant to the music, as with the Forever Sound Version podcast. So far Retro Reprise has covered some real classics, and I think it is great. Classics are classics for a reason and great tunes can be heard over and over. There are so many things called Retro Reprise on the internet, so this can best be found under the Battle Bards homepage.