This series has unintentionally turned into something of a retro review of older soundtracks, for the most part. Other than Lost Odyssey (which was released in 2007), the other titles I’ve covered so far have been super mega ancient old. … Continue reading Music to My Ears: Persona 3
As I mentioned on last week’s episode, I never owned a Sega Genesis. It probably went a long way toward explaining why I liked Nintendo more than Sega. Still, I played a ton of video games as a kid, so … Continue reading Music to My Ears: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
There’s a decent chance that Super Mario Kart is the game I’ve played most my entire life. It sounds a little strange to put it that way, but it’s true. When my dad bought me a Super Nintendo, the first … Continue reading Music to My Ears: Super Mario Kart
Lost Odyssey was one of those games that kinda flew under the radar. Even though it was released at a time when the 360 and PS3 were still relatively new and lacking in the RPG department, I’m not sure it got the attention it deserved.
LO was a solid, if unspectacular, game. It featured an engaging turn-based battle system with timed attacks to help keep the player engaged. The skill learning techniques were fun, but it also limited your party — when your immortal members could learn so many skills and your mortal folks were stuck with just two or three from equipment, it wasn’t a tough choice picking who to bring along. The story was decent, but where the game really excelled was in its side storytelling: a series of vignettes called “A Thousand Years of Dreams” that chronicled Kaim’s heartbreaking immortal existence.
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was the driving force behind Lost Odyssey, and in putting together the soundtrack for the game, he brought along a familiar face: Nobuo Uematsu. Uematsu, of course, was the mastermind behind every Final Fantasy OST through X, 
and he’s contributed a handful of other tracks to the series since then. More importantly, Uematsu is one of the best composers in video game history, and arguably the most recognizable.
Uematsu’s music in LO represented something of a change of pace. Limited by the technology of 8- and 16-bit video game systems, his earlier productions were much more based on melodies and ambiance, milking every last note he could out of bleeps and bloops. Fast forward 20 years, and Uematsu found himself with a full orchestra and advanced synthesizers to work with. The result is a strange hybrid of symphonic and progressive rock tracks with some piano and techno thrown in for good measure.
All of that added up to a 56-track, two-disc compilation featuring what might be Uematsu’s best work, even if it didn’t get the attention or accolades that many soundtracks from Final Fantasy did (and don’t worry, this feature will get to those eventually).
As usual with MtME, let’s take a look at five of my favorite tracks with commentary on each. Continue reading “Music to My Ears: Lost Odyssey”
NOTE: “Music to My Ears” is a recurring installment based on Chris’s (not so) secret obsession: the music of video games. His Tales of Graces review will be up next week.
In my review for Street Fighter x Tekken, I mentioned how Street Fighter II was one of the big introductions to the world of video game music for me. Ryu’s stage music in particular was one of the driving forces in doing things like getting homework done. And since computers were not a mainstream thing when I was 8 (not to mention mp3 players, iTunes and YouTube), the only way to listen to it was to toss in the cartridge, head to the Sound Test menu and let it rip.
Those foundations laid the groundwork for other tunes that I loved as a kid, like the Castle theme from Super Mario World or Mute City from F-Zero. But the next big landmark was in high school, when I finally got to play what some would call the best RPG of all-time. Continue reading “Music to My Ears: Chrono Trigger”
**Many of you may not know this, and to be fair how would you, but I once wrote for NAU’s Lumberjack newspaper. While not everything I wrote was journalistic gold, there were a few gems that I still feel deserve a look at.**
Let me be the first to say I was not a fan of Lady Gaga. I just didn’t get it. She struck me as a typical wannabe superstar who was no different than any other pop singer we’d seen in recent years. Other than the rumors of her potentially being a man, nothing struck me as particularly interesting about her.
Yet something strange happened when I actually bothered to watch some of her music videos — I liked them. Apparently I’m not alone, either, because Lady Gaga now has the prestigious honor of being the first franchise to ever reach 1 billion views on YouTube. While it may seem like a frivolous accolade, one has to wonder why Gaga was the first to ever reach this milestone. Or perhaps more importantly, what does that say about the current generation’s mindset?
Underneath those over-extravagant hats lies the mind of a truly talented young woman. A keen eye will notice her music videos often have an atypical sexual undertone. While it’s no secret sex has been a huge factor in pop music for decades, Lady Gaga doesn’t limit her videos to sexual norms. Bondage, furries and other such “deviant” sexual ideas are rather common in her videos. With her achievement of reaching the 1 billion-view benchmark, it’s impossible to deny our generation is being exposed to these radical ideas. Continue reading “Lady Gaga and the Future of Music”
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been around for a while. Hell, the band was started before I was born.
Since 1983, RHCP has had a weird mix of consistency and disarray in their lineup — Anthony Kiedis and Flea have been there from day one and Chad Smith joined the group more than 20 years ago, but the early days involved a lot of drug use and rotating people. For their new album, “I’m With You,” the Chili Peppers are introducing new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who replaces longtime member John Frusciante.
That change, coupled with the band’s continued evolution and musical development, results in a different sound for RHCP’s 10th album. But different doesn’t necessarily mean bad — in fact, there’s a lot to like about “I’m With You.” Continue reading “Review: RHCP’s “I’m With You””
Gray Areas 