Samorost 3 Vinyl Soundtrack Review "Samorost 3 is pure Floex through and through" 💿 @FloexOfficial @Amanita_Design #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl #VGM

29 Sept 2023

Samorost 3 Vinyl Soundtrack Review "Samorost 3 is pure Floex through and through" 💿 @FloexOfficial @Amanita_Design #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl #VGM

I was a big fan of Tomas Dvorak’s soundtrack for Samorost 2, it also holds the wonderful distinction in our household of being the first music that my – then 1-year-old – son had ever danced to, which was a very special moment for us as a family.

Dvorak (A.K.A – FLOEX) has a special way of creating unique, alien landscapes, aurally, through his blend of strong, emotive melodies and idiosyncratic instrumentation, and this continues here in his compositions for Samorost 3, with that signature clarinet vibe hitting home each time it’s used on the album.

There is a real difference in the art styles used in the cover here when compared to Samorost 2, whereas the prequel was abstract and paint-flecked, here we are treated to a luscious evergreen landscape, set underneath a darkened sky spotted by pinpricks of light.

Almost alone, and very small and vulnerable in this image is the protagonist, blowing through a horn as he is watched by a strange, bearded wanderer that is almost hidden in the foreground – ensconced in the shadows, and surrounded by a peppering of fantastical animals.

The use of scale between the main character and the hills and night above them reminded me of some of the work of Mariusz Lewandowski, who was a master and capturing a sense of loneliness and space – amongst other things! It’s a rich and detailed image that almost makes it feel like you can smell the greenery coming off the cover.

The reverse of the cover continues the landscape as it peters off into darkness, again – a very open, hilly expanse with just some tiny creatures dotted around. Opening the gatefold shows shades of blue in an almost cave-painting style, as if the artwork is sketched on a cold, blue wall and the images are taken in close-up, illustrating dozens of stars and cavorting sea creatures.

On each side, atop this imagery are the song titles and lengths on each side of the records, with the credits and album details centred at the bottom of the right-hand page. There are also six quite frankly beautiful art cards that illustrate key areas and characters from within the game, each of which is incredibly detailed and yearning to be framed individually, as always – Amanita shows that it has some of the most creative minds in the world under its wing. This is an incredibly evocative, and world-building physical release that has very clearly been carefully put together to evoke the scenes of the game and complement the listening experience.

The records themselves are ensconced in anti-static sleeves and are marble blue in colour, featuring 27 tracks spread over two records, totalling 1 hour 28 mins in listening time. Floex once again weaves his magic here, as the music moves from the dreamy, expansive opening track of ‘Samorost 3 Main Theme’ through to the jaunty ‘Going on an Adventure’, and suitably woozy ‘Mushroom Picker Dance’.

Every possible form of instrumentation is thrown in the mix as the album rumbles along wonderfully, with everything from upright bass through banjo, mandolin, synths and of course – the instrument that comes to mind whenever I think of Floex – the clarinet. The sense of an alien planet being explored is captured here in the glassy percussion, crackling keys, plucked melodies and squishy ambient work that never feels random, each track blending into the next as if we are journeying with the protagonist through different biomes and situations in audio format, wordlessly drinking in the narrative. The mastering and overall production are incredibly rich and organic, giving that ‘in the room with you’ feel, and adding punch and weight to the music.

An album that comes across as a swirling blend of instrumental, alien, folk-jazz, Samorost 3 is pure Floex through and through, bottling the vibes of a romanticised, quirky, and interesting alien world waiting to be discovered.

SUMMARY

Samorost 3 is an experience that is always breathing and morphing, with a hypnotic beat or melody never too far away. This is an album that will never be leaving my collection, and if this article is getting your trousers twirling, act fast, as there are a limited number available from the Amanita Design store, and it would be a shame to miss out on such a tasty release from a master at weaving idiosyncratic aural worlds.