Slow Reviews Soundtracks: A NinSheetMusic Column

[Nebbles]

The Okami soundtrack would be awesome...

[MaestroUGC]

All of the Star Wars Soundtracks are mammoth affairs, both because of size and because of their influence and influences. Besides, if you do one you really have to do them all.

[Yugi]

You should do the Soundtrack of Final Fantasy XII

[SlowPokemon]

Haven't seen anything I'd be interested in reviewing yet, thanks for the ideas though

[SuperFireKirby]

Suggestions you say?

AVATAR.
DARK CLOUD 2.
MORE DARK CLOUD 2.
AND MAYBE SOME AVATAR AFTER THAT.

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: Frankenweenie by Danny Elfman

Tim Burton's film Frankenweenie is a remake of a mid-1980s short film Burton created while working at Disney. The film appalled the others working there, and it caused Disney to promptly fire him. Twenty-eight years later, this film is produced, and is proudly released under the Disney banner in as many theaters as possible. It was met by mostly critical acclaim, with critics praising the return to the style of "vintage Burton." And Danny Elfman also seems to have gotten the memo, as this score is highly reminiscent of his early works for Burton. That being said, it's on to the full review to attempt analysis of the score.

Elfman uses a few main motifs here. The opening titles has a theme for the relationship between Victor and Sparky. Tender, innocent and knowing, this conveys the pureness of a boy's love for his dog. Unfortunately, the progression is painfully similar to some of Elfman's other works. Although the piano solo in "The Funeral" cue is original (albeit uninspired), cues such as "Happy Ending" would not sound out of place in Edward Scissorhands, and it is almost impossible to ignore how familiar they sound. It's a wonderful theme that suits the movie brilliantly, and it winds around itself with incredible intelligence, but it is undeniably very familiar. That being said, there are several moments on the score which are pure delights in their originality, implying that Elfman has not lost his touch in the slightest. The gleeful mockery and evil in "Frankenweenie Disney Logo," despite its somewhat predictable course, is a wonderful reminder of how Elfman gets when he dedicates himself to dark humor. We hear other types of humor in "Mr. Burgermeister / Noses Meet," where extravagantly heavy bouncing strings are complemented later by Sparky's theme, appropriately energetic. Sparky's theme is the one which this score seems to gravitate towards, and the score is all the better because of it. We hear the eager theme with subtly ominous undertones in "Game of Death" before all sorrow breaks loose and the piece explodes with sadness.

"Electricity" is effective at setting the stage for the rest of the film. In this track, we hear the monster theme first hinted at by the organ in the opening track (performed here by strings). It's a progression very similar to Elfman's Batman theme, but different enough that it is clearly its own melody. The ensuing "Re-Animation" is undoubtedly a highlight of the score, its dark chaotic sections a pure delight and its more tender areas also effective. This was the first cue on the score during which I got chills down my back and thought to myself, "Here is the reason that I love Danny Elfman." Hints of the same devious aspect are heard at the very beginning of "Invisible Fish / Search for Sparky," where the pipe organ finally makes its entrance. The middle section of that cue is left to stew, plotting its revenge which shows itself briefly in an evil pipe organ/rapid strings movement before the Sparky theme is something of a sigh of relief, a calm before the storm. And what a storm it will be. There is a brief deviation in "A Premonition," which serves as a theme for the inexplicably amusing and wide-eyed Weird Girl. Its Mars Attacks!-like synthesizers represent the alien character quite well. After a couple more irrelevant cues, we get back to the action. "Getting Ready" is one of my personal favorite cues on the album, excellent creepy music. It begins with the pipe organ performing the monster theme, and leads into a string performance of a rapidfire apprehension idea. It's brilliant buildup to the real show, but it's so good you don't even realize it's all setup. "Making Monsters" is the turning point of the film, and as such, all hell appropriately breaks loose. It's pure chaos, wonderfully twisted and frighteningly fun chaos.

Overview: It's a brilliant Elfman work if you can get past its similarities to older Elfman works. I must say that I prefer Elfman's Dark Shadows score from earlier this year, due to its more haunting and serious tone, but this is easily classic Elfman, and it should not be missed.

Rating: ****

Track list:
1. Frankenweenie Disney Logo
2. Main Titles
3. Mr. Burgermeister / Noses Meet
4. Game of Death
5. The Funeral
6. Electricity
7. Re-Animation
8. Sparky's Day Out
9. Dad's Talk
10. The Bride / Edgar Knows
11. Invisible Fish / Search for Sparky
12. A Premonition
13. The Speech
14. Mom's Discovery / Farewell
15. Getting Ready
16. Making Monsters
17. Sea Monkeys Attack
18. Mad Monster Party
19. The Final Confrontation
20. Happy Ending
21. Alternate Main Titles
22. Over the Fence

[SuperFireKirby]

This thread would be far more handsome if you started taking my advice, Slow.

[SlowPokemon]

Soundtrack Review: Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask by Tomohito Nishiura

Professor Layton's first foray into 3D saw a huge change in gameplay elements, and the same goes for the music to the game. The soundfont is an incredibly high quality. I'm not sure what happened between the last game's music output program and this game's, but each of these tracks sounds like it was performed live. And this is both a good thing and a bad thing. The sound is much higher quality, but it's also a departure from the Layton sound that fans love. Two pieces from previous games, "Puzzles" and "Searching for Clues" are recreated in this soundfont within the game, and they sound wonderful--but very very different. That being said, I'll try to review this as a sole entity rather than comparing too much.

The music itself will sound familiar to anyone who's ever played a Layton game. Accordion waltzes bounce and squeeze into most of the themes, and while that sounds as if one might go insane hearing all of them, there is enough differentiation from piece to piece that each new one is quite fun to experience. "Monte d'Or: Carnival Night" is indeed a waltz performed primarily by accordion and a solo string instrument, but there's nothing familiar about the aggressive bouncing at the beginning. This piece starts out in a very unusual way, and due to the odd structure it's very hard to determine whether it is in major or minor. While I was considering this, I had an epiphany: that's on purpose. A carnival should be fun, and happy--but there's something elegant and sorrowful about Monte d'Or. Therefore, it stands to reason that the opening uses minor chords in the bass while the tempo dances around wildly. A different version of the theme, very similar but small differences including no percussion, is "Monte d'Or: City of Miracles."

Some of the waltzes are quite typical, but that doesn't mean they aren't enjoyable. "Inside the Circus Tent" and "Pumpkin Park" stand out due to their "dirty" accordion feel, while "Stansbury: Halcyon Days" shines in its elegance as strings carry the bass melody. "Norwell" is a mysterious piano waltz, capturing all the intrigue and fear accompanying Norwell and the Akbadain Ruins. "The One-Stop Shop" and "Rabbit in the Spotlight" really stand out due to their cutesy Parisian influences. Although it's natural to be wary of so many waltzes (and this is barely half of them), only a few will have you turning down your volume with a headache.

And of course there are other notable pieces. "Mask of Miracles Theme," which really is performed live and sounds impressive (albeit very familiar), has a beautiful intro before becoming more forced and less engaging towards its end. "Puzzles Abound" is a truly gorgeous piece. One of the most high quality pieces in the game, the new puzzle theme is elegant, mysterious and consistently enjoyable. "The Gentleman's Theme" utilizes flighty strings in another very fun piece, threatening yet extremely entertaining. Jazz enthusiasts will have no qualms with "The Scorpion"'s cool piano. 'A Time for Battle" is a nice refresher on what an accordion can sound like when it's not bouncing in a waltz. "Targent's Theme" is truly a breath of fresh air. The most threatening piece within the game, the simple melody is made great by harsh brass performing tritone chords and dangerous strings backed by relentless timpani. Finally, "A Treasure That Lasts" is truly gorgeous and tear-jerking.

However, there are also a lot more unengaging tracks on this score. The Akbadain Ruins themes are annoying at best, and make an already tedious level all the more boring. The ending theme is godawful. Not that it's bad, but it doesn't suit the ending at all. I shed a tear or two during the climax, and then you have an annoyingly cheerful, happy-go-lucky ending theme. I truly loathe this piece. And of course, almost all of the waltzes not listed above are tired and familiar.

This is a necessary score for a diehard Layton fan, or anyone looking for a good waltz or two. The Monte d'Or themes, as well as a few other odds and ends, will not disappoint, but much of the filler tracks of score will. As no official soundtrack was released (for the first time in the series), you'll have to find a gamerip if you want this.

Rating: *****

Track list (excellent tracks in red):
1. Mask of Miracles Theme
2. Puzzles Abound
3. Monte d'Or: Carnival Night
4. Misgivings
5. Dangerous Pranks
6. The Gentleman's Theme
7. Fierce Chase
8. Expectations
9. Illusion
10. Monte d'Or: City of Miracles
11. A Moment of Calm
12. Inside the Circus Tent
13. The Scorpion
14. The Racetrack
15. Stansbury: Halcyon Days
16. Stansbury: Moonlit Knoll
17. Norwell
18. Akbadain Ruins
19. Akbadain Breakthrough
20. A Time for Battle
21. Grief
22. Unforgettable Memories
23. Pumpkin Park
24. The Reunion Inn
25. A Treasure That Lasts
26. Targent's Theme
27. The Toy Robot
28. The Robot's Battle
29. The One-Stop Shop
30. The Rabbit Show
31. Rabbit in the Spotlight
32. Mysterious Flower

[SuperFireKirby]

This review reminds me of a puzzle.

Listened through it. Tis a fantastic OST. I never even played a Layton game, but Nishiura's work is just too awesome to ignore, so I've listened through every single one of them. Makes me wish I owned a DS.

[SlowPokemon]

I totally agree. I've been meaning to get ahold of the Dark Cloud 2 soundtrack. I just love the Layton music so much I can't afford not to. Do you have any favorites in particular as far as Layton goes?

[SuperFireKirby]

You'd enjoy the DC2 OST, because a lot of it's music could fit right into a layton game and vice versa. The music styles are very similar. Though Layton uses a lot more bells.

Some of my favorite Layton songs are probably Layton's Theme, because it's so insanely Dark Cloud 2-ish, Indigo Memories, Eternal Diva, The Veil of Night, Mask of Miracles, and a bunch of others.

[November]

You taking requests, Slow?
If you have the time, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the new AC3 soundtrack. I haven't been able to take a look at it myself, but I do know that it has a new(ish) composer and I'm wondering how that turned out.

[SlowPokemon]

You'd enjoy the DC2 OST, because a lot of it's music could fit right into a layton game and vice versa. The music styles are very similar. Though Layton uses a lot more bells.

Some of my favorite Layton songs are probably Layton's Theme, because it's so insanely Dark Cloud 2-ish, Indigo Memories, Eternal Diva, The Veil of Night, Mask of Miracles, and a bunch of others.

Not sure if you know this, Nishiura didn't actually compose the ending themes for the games, or the eternal diva theme. So Indigo Memories and Eternal Diva aren't actually his work it's still a fantastic theme though.

You taking requests, Slow?
If you have the time, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the new AC3 soundtrack. I haven't been able to take a look at it myself, but I do know that it has a new(ish) composer and I'm wondering how that turned out.

If you're talking about assassin's creed, I've never played one so idk about that. If you're talking about animal crossing, I'd definitely consider that once it comes out.

[TheZeldaPianist275]

Not sure if you know this, Nishiura didn't actually compose the ending themes for the games, or the eternal diva theme. So Indigo Memories and Eternal Diva aren't actually his work it's still a fantastic theme though.
If you're talking about assassin's creed, I've never played one so idk about that. If you're talking about animal crossing, I'd definitely consider that once it comes out.

Assassin's Creed & Animal Crossing?  XD  Wow.  That's quite the pair to get mixed up.

[November]

If you're talking about assassin's creed, I've never played one so idk about that. If you're talking about animal crossing, I'd definitely consider that once it comes out.

Ah, sorry. I just sorta assumed that you did
Yeah, I meant Assassin's Creed. Although feel free to do Animal Crossing once it has come out (I myself haven't played it, but I might be interested in the soundtrack).