Slow Reviews Soundtracks: A NinSheetMusic Column

[FSM-Reapr]

Although this was a wonderful review, there is one thing that bugged me.

Gamerip track listing (excellent tracks in red):
1. Hello, Time-Travelers!

it should've been red

[SlowPokemon]

Fixed.

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: Hitchcock by Danny Elfman

Danny Elfman fans were treated to three enjoyable scores in 2012, with the composer's work for Dark Shadows, Men in Black 3, and Frankenweenie serving as adequate work to satisfy fans looking for some of that signature Elfman charm. However, in November 2012, the limited release film Hitchcock (detailing the famed director's life during the making of Psycho) also featured an Elfman score, a pleasant surprise. And it only makes sense that Elfman would work on this film, as Bernard Herrmann--who worked on many of Hitchcock's films, including Psycho--is one of Elfman's biggest inspirations and the source of most of Elfman's well-known work on Tim Burton's Batman.

The film is an entertaining if lighthearted look into the director's relationship with his wife and collaborator Alma Reville, humorous in the same dry way as Hitchcock himself and loaded with great performances by the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson. That the film does not take a documentary-like approach, instead opting for what feels like a lighthearted drama, is all the better for Elfman, who thrives on conveying character and emotion in music. He takes a mostly subdued approach to Hitchcock, rarely using brass and instead focusing on strings, woodwind, and piano.

There are two primary themes in Hitchcock, the most prominent being for the director's relationship with Reville. It is a restrained, somewhat romantic motif that attempts little to establish melody, instead concentrating on repeated three-note ideas. It is heard in spasms throughout, but it sounds most fitting when the whiny strings take over in "Theme From 'Hitchcock'" and "End Credit#2." The romance in this film doesn't concern a young couple in love; Hitchcock and Alma are aging and their relationship is at times quite strained, which is represented quite well by the tender and hesitant theme. As the film focuses at its heart on Hitch and Alma, it is fitting that this should be the main theme. The secondary theme is a sweeping waltz to represent the director himself, elegant in cues like "Walk With Hitch" and "Paramount / Out the Gate" while also a bit perverse, especially when the solo violin meanders in "End Credit#1."

These two themes are the only ones that show any sort of development throughout the brief (just over 38 minutes long) score, with the rest of the soundtrack using an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable style reminiscent of Elfman's earliest works. The spirit in cues like "The Premiere" and "Selling Psycho" is infectious, and the composer's love for the subject material is evident in his brief orchestral arrangement of "Funeral March For a Marionette" (Hitchcock's personal theme song). Overall, it's merely a snack for Elfman fans, sadly bite-sized but undeniably delicious. Indeed, this score has moments that rival anything in his other 2012 scores. Be that as it may, the work's brevity and lack of proper thematic development really holds it back from excellence.

Rating: ****

Track list (excellent tracks in red):
1. Logos
2. Theme From "Hitchcock"
3. The Premiere
4. Paramount / Out the Gate
5. Mommy Dearest
6. In Bed
7. Impulses
8. The Censor
9. The Swim
10. Peeping
11. Sacrifices
12. Walk With Hitch
13. Celery
14. Telephone
15. Suspicion
16. Explosion
17. Selling Psycho
18. Fantasy Smashed
19. The Sand
20. It's a Wrap
21. Busted
22. Saving the House
23. Finally
24. Home at Last
25. End Credit#1
26. End Credit#2
27. Funeral March for a Marionette

[Yugi]

Slow, would it be possible to put your reviews in a list of total soundtracks reviewed, so I don't have to look through that list to find one link.

Also, I might make my own soundtrack review thread, maybe.

[SlowPokemon]

No. Just look through the list on the main page.

[NicolasBarker]

Re-review, Vol. 2

Soundtrack Review: Professor Layton and the Curious Village by Tomohito Nishiura

While not quite mainstream, the Professor Layton series has a large cult following due to its intriguing plots, addictive and challenging puzzles, and consistently high quality presentation. Produced by gaming studio Level-5 and published by Nintendo, the series has won over players and critics alike. Today I take a look at the soundtrack of the first game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village. This was my first introduction to the franchise and I was very impressed with the music upon hearing it.

One cannot analyze Professor Layton music without mentioning the accordion. Its distinctive sound is omnipresent throughout the entire series, and the game's European setting is effective thanks in no small part to this instrument as it effortlessly glides through the score. Chimes and mallets are also incredibly frequent. That being said, with so much of those instruments it does occasionally become tiresome, especially in some of the more formulaic tracks.

The opening "Professor Layton's Theme," which is by far the most fun piece, opens with a distinctive and quirky piano bouncing as a solo violin cuts through, occasionally passing the meandering melody to the accordion, with an incredibly catchy beat led by the piano underscoring the whole affair. Unfortunately, led lights piece tends to clash a bit compared with the rest of this album. Not much else in the score is really in this style of music. That's absolutely fine, as the rest of the music suits the game perfectly. The story is first and foremost a mystery, and the title theme, "St. Mystere," creates a mood to match. Its main melody is darkly mysterious, and the entire piece feels mechanical, with a guiro, tambourine, and triangle behaving like clockwork as the accordion accents the offbeats. Two string instruments carry the main melody and bass line, which suits the feel of the piece. This main theme is rearranged in "About Town," which mimics the clockwork with a mallet instrument and accordion comprising of the entire ensemble. The bass melody is unusually high, and at some points the accordion even dips below the mallets. Be that as it may, this theme, while repetitive, perfectly suits the town of St. Mystere and despite the fact that it is played constantly within the game, it never feels overused or annoying.

The "Puzzles" theme develops in a similar way, with high chimes and mallets creating an atmosphere that can only be described as utterly mechanical yet wholly elegant. "Baron Reinhold" begins with the same instruments, but adds the accordion after the piece's introduction. This piece is quite fitting for a mystery; it sounds like an old cheesy mystery film with its over-the-top suspicious atmosphere. It goes hand-in-hand with "The Plot Thickens," which begins a bit annoyingly yet progresses into the closest thing to the jazz heard in the main theme. The rhythm in this piece is addictive in its exotic nature, and the accordion's melody is catchy and complements the mallets very well. Unfortunately, the mallet/accordion combination doesn't fare well at all in "Crumm's Cafe," which is just plain grating with its spinning "melody"--I use quotes because the melody is more a series of repetitive trilling mallet notes. "Down the Tubes," which concentrates heavily on mallets and accordion while adding a bass and bassoon, is also quite tiresome after the interesting tritone chord at the beginning degrades into typical mystery-esque music that becomes too repetitive. "Deserted Amusement Park" also fails to bring much worthwhile, though while bland its inherent waltz tempo is more interesting than either of the previous two.

A few of the more relaxed themes, however, use chimes and accordion to their advantages-- "The Veil of Night" is incredibly repetitive, with chimes performing the same four notes throughout the entire lengthy piece, but the mood established by this piece is incredibly effective. The relaxing nighttime image is lovely in its innocent sleepiness. "The Mysterious Girl," in contrast, feels more like a lullaby; the chimes carry the melody before the accordion squeezes in, sounding wistful, nostalgic, and lonely. "Setting Out" and "End Theme," which segue into one another, offer some of the best of the album, their simple melodies managing to capture the series's charm and heart.

The rest of the score treads a variety of territories. "The Great Don Paolo" is an obvious highlight, providing the most innovative use of the accordion on the album. The wacky villain's theme is nothing more than a few manic accordions ranting wildly, but its effectiveness is astonishing, and the track offers a welcome comical deviation. In contrast, the lumbering accordions in "The Looming Tower" provide a great and engaging setup that never really goes anywhere. "The Village Awakens" is in a similar boat, with an ominous bouncing piano and forlorn accordion highlighting a somewhat meandering piece that doesn't quite develop fully.

The real prizes of the soundtrack album are the bonus tracks. The soundtrack for Curious Village contains four arranged tracks performed by the Layton Grand Caravan Orchestra. The obvious highlight is of course "Professor Layton's Theme," a piece that was destined to be performed live. Much of the piece's mechanical nature has been removed, replacing it with a sense of genuine jazz, and the orchestration is sublime. "End Theme" is also wonderful, the main melody allowed to truly shine on instruments other than the in-game version's mallets and accordion. The percussion is quite effective at complementing the oboe and various strings that enhance the quality of this piece. "The Veil of Night" is exquisite in its quality and orchestration, but at 5+ minutes it does tend to drag on. "The Looming Tower," in a track that is actually a good bit shorter than the in-game version, develops its theme a bit more effectively with the aid of strings and other instruments.

Other bonus tracks include welcome "high quality" versions of three tracks, all of which sound crystal clear. While there are no differences in the actual pieces, these use a more polished, realistic-sounding soundfont.

In general, the soundtrack for Professor Layton's first adventure is thoroughly charming and quaint and offers a few gems that stand very well on their own, despite containing an undeniably large number of pieces that strike the listener as bland and formulaic. It is a solid effort from Nishiura, but demands more in the future.

Overall score: 7.0/10

Track list (excellent tracks in red) [official English sound test names]:
1. Professor Layton's Theme
2. St. Mystere
3. The Adventure Begins
4. About Town
5. Puzzles
6. Baron Reinhold
7. The Plot Thickens
8. Crumm's Cafe
9. The Mysterious Girl
10. Down the Tubes
11. Pursuit in the Night
12. The Veil of Night
13. Deserted Amusement Park
14. The Great Don Paolo
15. The Village Awakens
16. The Looming Tower
17. Memories of St. Mystere
18. Setting Out
19. End Theme
20. Professor Layton's Theme
21. The Veil of Night
22. The Looming Tower
23. End Theme
24. About Town
25. Baron Reinhold
26. The Village Awakens

Very very nice review.. Just love it.. I hope you keep sharing some more reviews

[Yugi]

10/10 would bang again

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: Mario & Luigi: Dream Team by Yoko Shimomura

This is the first soundtrack I'm reviewing in ages, so you know it has to be something special. Indeed, playing through Mario & Luigi: Dream Team this past week reminded me why I loved video game music in the first place. Yoko Shimomura may be most famous for her work on the Kingdom Hearts series, but any critic ought to give Dream Team a listen before declaring Kingdom Hearts her best work.

The primary theme here is the title theme, "Your Dream Adventure!" This track opens with a lullaby-like synthesizer before suddenly accelerating into a gliding, catchy idea led by flutes and strings before synthesizer takes over. It's quite clever how this track is set up, as it actually foreshadows the main idea of the work. Each area theme in the game is represented by a "real world" version, lavishly orchestrated with traditional instruments, and a "dreamy" incarnation, much more electronic in nature and with a better sense of classic video game music.

These area themes themselves tend to be easy highlights. "Welcome to Pi'illo Blimport" has a lovely exotic melody not unlike some of Shimomura's work on Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. "Breezy Mushrise Park" uses a pleasant theme complemented by lush orchestration including mallets to give the piece a great jungle vibe. In "Dozing Sands Secret" the desert motif is clear, adding a rhythmic percussion element to the melody. There's a kind of wonderful peacefulness that comes in "Shopping in Wakeport," flute reappearing to play a whimsical nostalgic melody. "The Law of Pajamaja" has to be my personal favorite, with lumbering brass and flighty strings underscoring piano to make for a slightly off-kilter yet epic music theme. The melody is transferred to light harp and solo violin in "Lofty Mount Pajamaja" to great effect. "Sacred Somnom Woods" really shocked me in its raw power, providing a mysterious and ominous element in an otherwise upbeat soundtrack. The choral work in this piece is simply haunting. "Neo Bowser Castle," meanwhile, defers to heavy brass and a strong rhythm to convey the pure evil manifested by Bowser in this game. Elsewhere, "Neo Bowser Castle's Illusion" is simply awe-inspiring and unnerving, especially in its dreamy counterpart, "Bowser's Dream."

The incidental music here has a very symphonic style, with tracks like "Enjoy the Joy!," "Panic Pit," and "Comedic Curtains" all reminiscent of Danny Elfman's title theme for The Simpsons with the big brass sound and frequent pizzicato strings (as well as liberal use of the tritone chord). Shimomura rearranges Bowser's theme from Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, which was a wise choice indeed--it has to be the best theme for Bowser in the Mario series. "Antasma's Theme," meanwhile, uses a stomping rhythm and eerie solo violin for a vampirish theme song--fitting as the character is indeed the king of the bats. Shimomura lovingly rearranges the Super Mario Bros. main theme as well as Peach's castle theme for the fourth time, giving attention to Koji Kondo's works in a way that doesn't feel forced or unnatural. Unfortunately, much of the incidental music (presented at the beginning of the sound test) simply cannot hold a candle to the rest of the music.

The battle music will be the highlight of the soundtrack for many, and for good reason--these battle themes are among the best in any game. "Try, Try, Again" and "Victory in the Dream World" both play with the outrageously catchy title theme, and help to disperse the tedium of all the Goomba-stomping you'll be doing. Indeed, this theme was stuck in my head long after playing the game. "Never Let Up!" is the boss battle music, again the best of the series, and its zany melody and pure energy is addictive. "Size Up Your Enemy" is arguably the best of the lot, replacing the previous giant battle theme, and its trombones and muted trumpets, complemented by deep strings, provide an excellent representation of the massive scale these battles take place on. "The Final Antasma Battle" is already proving to be a huge fan-favorite, and it's not hard to see why; the solo violin from "Antasma's Theme" returns, performing that melody with downright haunting underscore and an upbeat synthesized bass. "Adventure's End," while beginning more epic in scale with the pipe organ and haunting choir, nonetheless isn't as accomplished as the former, and certainly doesn't come close to "In the Final" from Bowser's Inside Story.

The credits music, "Pi'illo Vacation!," ties together all of the area themes with the title theme for a great result that is admittedly lacking in proper bridging between the themes, making it something of a cacophony for listeners not already familiar with each piece.

And that wraps up a brief look at the marvelous video game score that is Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. I can't stress enough how much I loved this soundtrack. Shimomura reminded me what I loved about video game music in the first place. There isn't a single person who shouldn't get on top of listening to this right away.

Rating: *****

Track list (excellent tracks in red):
1. Your Dream Adventure!
2. Travel Journal
3. Enjoy the Joy!
4. Panic Pit
5. Comedic Curtains
6. Shocking!
7. Nightmare Lullaby
8. Ancient Pi'illo Kingdom
9. Bowser's Theme
10. Antasma's Theme
11. Stand and Fight, Luigi!
12. Dreambeats
13. Go with the Bros.
14. Challenging Actions!
15. The Nightmare Road
16. Peach's Castle Theme
17. Zeeppelin Sightseeing Tour
18. Welcome to Pi'illo Blimport
19. Break at Pi'illo Castle
20. Beneath Pi'illo Castle
21. Breezy Mushrise Park
22. Dozing Sands Secret
23. Shopping in Wakeport
24. The Law of Pajamaja
25. Lofty Mount Pajamaja
26. Sunny Driftwood Shore
27. Mysteries of the Cave
28. Sacred Somnom Woods
29. Neo Bowser Castle
30. Neo Bowser Castle's Illusion
31. Rose Broquet
32. Dreamy Castle Rendevous
33. Dreamy Mushrise Winds
34. Dream's Forbidden Depths
35. Dreamy Sandstorm
36. Dreamy Wakeport Repose
37. Rules on Dreamy Mountain
38. Glorious Pajamaja Dreams
39. Dreamy Driftwood Meeting
40. Dreamy Somnom Labyrinth
41. Neo Bowser Sunrise
42. Bowser's Dream
43. Try, Try Again
44. Victory in the Dream World
45. Never Let Up!
46. Size Up Your Enemy
47. The Final Antasma Battle
48. Adventure's End
49. Joyous Occasion
50. Pi'illo Vacation!
51. Memories of Pi'illo Island

[Sebastian]

The Music to that Game is nice!

[MaestroUGC]

As long as I can be the only 11/volkswagon in your heart.

[Yugi]

all reminiscent of Danny Elfman's title theme for The Simpsons

That was Danny Elfman?

[Onionleaf]

This is a game soundtrack? It certainly creates a world of its own, and is super catchy too. Thanks for the review!

[Yugi]

but any critic ought to give Dream Team a listen before declaring Kingdom Hearts her best work.

Don't you hate the Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack?

[SlowPokemon]

Don't you hate the Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack?

.....no?

[FSM-Reapr]

volkswagen

ftfy