As usual, the records are presented in no particular order.
Across the Worlds – Chrono Cross Wayo Piano Collection
From the website:
Created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Chrono Cross in November 1999 (Japan) and August 2000 (USA), Across the Worlds is an arrangement album licensed by the Japanese music right-holders Septima Ley and Procyon Studio (Yasunori Mitsuda’s company). This album is the concretization of a long-time dream to create a high-class piano solo album featuring the music from the legendary game, arranged, designed and produced with veteran Japanese video game artists.
As a first-class role-playing game released on PlayStation in 1999, Chrono Cross is the follow-up to the highly-acclaimed Chrono Trigger, released in 1995 on SNES. The story takes players on a magnificent journey through different worlds and eras, featuring a large and colourful cast of characters. Its music, entirely composed and arranged by Yasunori Mitsuda, is widely regarded as one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. We hope you will have a pleasant travel with this piano album!
The vinyl Edition has two discs housed in an illustrated gatefold and comes with an 8 pages booklet.
Wayo Records’ release is given real heart and soul through the production, when I first listened to the opening track, I found that I had to pop the volume up a couple of notches, and within the first five minutes of listening, I understood why – the record goes (successfully) for an organic ‘in the same room’ feel, and runs the gamut from intense, pyrotechnical frenzy to breathy, delicate melodies that will break your heart. Benyamin Nuss appears to be a virtuoso on his instrument, seemingly capable of anything, illustrated here by the way he can make the piano seem like it’s an entire orchestra of sound, or a shivering, cornered heartbeat.
A double-gatefold with expansive artwork, this is very much a record that would dovetail perfectly with a tall glass of your favourite beverage, reclining wistfully on a chair in the evening, a show of stunning musicianship matched with vividly realised interpretations of an almost mythic soundtrack.
The Songs of Time – Mango Mage Records
I covered this pretty quickly after the Chrono Cross Wayo Piano Collection, and it was definitely something that went hand-in-hand. The Songs of Time by Mango Mage Records is the first release from the label (and currently sold out), but really made its mark with a combination of gorgeous artwork and TPR’s minimalist, almost childlike approach to re-working the classic Zelda score - working together to create the perfect Sunday afternoon soundtrack. I said at the time that it feels like a warm hug, with the sun beating down on your face, and it is still a record I return to when I want peace of mind. A real recommendation for those out there that like to take things casually and slow.
Project Sidologie: Revolutions – c64audio.com
The team at C64audio.com are among the most pleasant I’ve ever spoken to in my time at Games Freezer. Through them I discovered the 8-Bit Orchestra Pro: The Prague Sessions, which sent me off on a few weeks of Commodore-related self-discovery, picking up fanzines, reading interviews with the top creators of music for the system, and – of course – writing about Project Sidologie: Revolutions.
A wonderfully esoteric idea, the release takes C64 tracks from such artists as Rob Hubbard, Matt Gray (good), the much-missed Ben Daglish and Chris Huelsbeck, then re-imagines them as pieces composed by Jean-Michel Jarre through different periods of his career. This is a record that feels – and sounds – incredibly special, and through my discussions with C64audio.com, it’s clear that it comes from a place of absolute love, which you can almost feel in the airwaves as you listen. Whilst the description may seen too niche for some, the music speaks for itself, in how it really does seem like a lost great release from a few decades ago, and should definitely be picked up not just by fans of the C64, but also the synth-lovers out there as well, a real gem of an album that creates a very specific mood.
Shatter – Mushroom Records / PikPok – Jeramiah Ross (Module)
In my original article covering this record, I discussed how fortuitous I was in even learning of its existence. Since first spinning it, however, I am a true believer in the way that Module shakes the air for us all. A simple, stylish release, the music contained therein is astonishingly tasty and has a groove that few others can match. The blend of electronic and organic instrumentation really brings the music to life, and the fact that it’s all so good, pacey, and contained on a single disc, makes it a main offender in just getting me to flip the sides over and over for a couple of hours on repeat– it’s such a more-ish album.
As far as I’m aware, this is the only soundtrack that Module has released on vinyl, and whilst it is a little tougher to seek out than some others on this list, I really hope you all manage to snag one, because it’s an album that feels timeless and covers so many moods, always with a thrust in its step and a grin on its face.
Road 96 Original Soundtrack – G4F Records
This record, wow, this record.
I know when a record is special in a certain way when I’m aware that I’m constantly banging it on repeat for review purposes...and then just listening over and over even more, just because I love it...and then my fiancee also requests it, or puts it on when I’m out, as if its natural place is on the record player and not the shelf. Road 96 was very much one of those times, and I don’t think it left our turntable for some weeks, helped immeasurably by possibly one of my favourite opening tracks in Home Call by The Toxic Avenger. Even the soppier, more sentimental tracks seemed to fit perfectly on this record, a record that absolutely captures the romanticised sense of a mix tape blaring out through open windows as you drive cross-country on lonely roads. My colleague Pixel Hunted covered the game, and my word – am I glad that his comment on how awesome the music was stuck in my mind. He was bloody right, y’know. Cheers PH!
Jettomero: Hero of the Universe Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack – Stumpy Frog Records
Jettomero, as both a video game and soundtrack, had such an impact on me that I don’t really know what else to say here, besides please – play the game and listen to the record. An article that I feel could have gone on for ten thousand words more, and covers all my thoughts and experiences can be read here. As far as I’m concerned, the game and music actually made me a better person.
Sable Original Soundtrack by Japanese Breakfast
This feels a bit different to the other records mentioned here, in that it felt like it revealed itself through multiple listens. I had to ‘reset’ my brain and realise that this was a stripped-back and hypnotic approach, feeling like sketches that slowly came into focus as opposed to hits that pop from the page. Of course, this meant that it also got very addictive to dive into. Good.
Another record that stayed on my turntable for quite some time, but because I was drawn into its world, and how each short track created such vivid imagery in my mind with such stark instrumentation. I can imagine this being a great soundtrack to use as a background creative canvas, as its power comes from letting you drift-free, as opposed to imposing its own drives on you as a listener.
Anodyne 2 (Original Soundtrack by Melos Han-Tani
I really, really loved Anodyne 2. It’s one of those games that always bubbles to the surface of my mind whenever I think about the most personally impactful games that I’ve ever played. The music here also differs from a lot of the others I’ve discussed in the past, as from what I understand – Melos Han-Tani created the music from a single limited synth/keyboard, but the raw emotional pull that is taken from that instrument is mind-boggling.
The music in Anodyne 2 was absolutely unique and as vitally important as the gameplay or visuals, simple, looping tracks would make their mark on a certain area of the world in seconds, and although it wasn’t a huge open world, each time I returned to specific areas and heard the opening melodies, I know that I would one day own this album in some form or other, and luckily – there was a vinyl release.
With tracks that tend to be but a minute or two, Melos Han-Tani somehow conjures up imagery and sensations that make you feel like this game has been an irreplaceable part of your childhood, timeless tunes that float in the ether and seem to be delivered from some otherworldly place. There are moments on this album that make me touch my chest because it feels like they make my soul vibrate in tune with the universe. Plus, it has a riff on Greensleeves, complete with a 16-bit sample of a dog-barking, I really don’t know what else people need, quite frankly.
And there you have it, the music that has been on my mind and in my record player for the last few months. The vast majority of these have tracks featured on our Games Freezer Spotify playlist, if you fancy checking them out, before possibly picking them up in physical form – and I hope you do.
Much love, as always
Britt
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