Rating: 10/10
Moving out of the survival horror genre for a minute, I'd now like to talk about what is probably my absolute favorite video game soundtrack of all time: Final Fantasy - Crystal Chronicles.
If anyone ever tells me that video games aren't art, or don't have any merit, I think that all I'll do is play this CD and ask them "How can something with this in it not be art?"
It's impossible to describe the soundtrack if you've never heard it. It's a shining example of what can be done with folk instruments and a tiny orchestra. 90% of the songs use only folk instruments or unique ones to create a truly distinctive soundscape. Woodwinds are at the forefront. Shakers and tribal-style percussion sets an either relaxing or energizing background. Each song is unique and wonderful, setting a perfect mood for wherever you are at the time.
And the thing is, all the songs are amazing. Not just a few. They're all mind-blowingly creative and lovely, showing what a little creativity and a lot of inspiration can do. Remember, I mentioned that what makes a great soundtrack to me is one that you would listen to anywhere, not just in the context of the game itself. Well, I would listen to the Crystal Chronicles soundtrack everywhere. Most "normal" music isn't this incredible.
I don't even think I can pick a favorite song. If forced to, I'd probably say it's a tie between the ridiculously catchy Moschet Manor theme (I literally would stand for twenty minutes in this level, just to hear this song. I went back there whenever I could), and the genuinely disturbing Mag Mell. But really, every song was equally wonderful, and whatever I thought of the game itself, Crystal Chronicles without a shred of doubt had the best soundtrack of the Final Fantasy series. As well as, in my opinion, video games in general.
10/10, no second thoughts.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Soundtrack Review: Silent Hill 1
Rating: 8/10
Given that I disliked the SH2 soundtrack, you would probably think I'd hate the original game's soundtrack, due to the fact that it's way more of dark ambient than the second one, with even fewer melodic songs.
But I loved the original Silent Hill's soundtrack. It's an example of how to do ambient, dark, industrial music well. It creates a perfect atmosphere, while not being boring or repetitive.
That's the key: Unlike the overly-repeated sounds of SH2, every atmospheric track is incredibly unique here, and really works to give each area its own different mood.
The songs work great with your emotions. Some of the highlights, for me, are the loneliness-inspiring Last Goodbye, the rather terrifying Playing Truant, or the paranoia-inducing Holy Ghost, the tunes know how to get you really into the game.
And of course, not all songs are only ambient. There are the opening and different ending themes, for one. But the shining star of the soundtrack is Not Tomorrow, the song that plays during and after Lisa Garland's (in)famous death scene. I didn't even care for Lisa's character that much, but it was this stunningly beautiful and sad song that made me start crying at that scene. Especially when the rest of the music up to this point was aimed to be scary or emotionless, suddenly hearing this song was enough to make you want to bawl.
So yes, I think the original Silent Hill definitely had the best soundtrack out of the series. With a slew of unique and creative dark ambient/industrial songs complemented by the occasional touching melody, it's a piece of pure art.
Given that I disliked the SH2 soundtrack, you would probably think I'd hate the original game's soundtrack, due to the fact that it's way more of dark ambient than the second one, with even fewer melodic songs.
But I loved the original Silent Hill's soundtrack. It's an example of how to do ambient, dark, industrial music well. It creates a perfect atmosphere, while not being boring or repetitive.
That's the key: Unlike the overly-repeated sounds of SH2, every atmospheric track is incredibly unique here, and really works to give each area its own different mood.
The songs work great with your emotions. Some of the highlights, for me, are the loneliness-inspiring Last Goodbye, the rather terrifying Playing Truant, or the paranoia-inducing Holy Ghost, the tunes know how to get you really into the game.
And of course, not all songs are only ambient. There are the opening and different ending themes, for one. But the shining star of the soundtrack is Not Tomorrow, the song that plays during and after Lisa Garland's (in)famous death scene. I didn't even care for Lisa's character that much, but it was this stunningly beautiful and sad song that made me start crying at that scene. Especially when the rest of the music up to this point was aimed to be scary or emotionless, suddenly hearing this song was enough to make you want to bawl.
So yes, I think the original Silent Hill definitely had the best soundtrack out of the series. With a slew of unique and creative dark ambient/industrial songs complemented by the occasional touching melody, it's a piece of pure art.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Soundtrack Review: Fatal Frame 1
Rating: 3/10
One thing I'll mention a lot in upcoming reviews is that there's not always a correlation between the quality of a game and the quality of its soundtrack. There are games I absolutely despise - that I nevertheless must admit have great soundtracks. With Fatal Frame, it's the sad opposite - a game I completely love, but one that has a rather terrible soundtrack.
Fatal Frame, like any survival horror game, has a soundtrack consisting primarily of dark ambience. But you could barely tell that from playing it, given that the songs are so quiet you can barely hear them, no matter how loud you turn up the volume. (And you DON'T wanna turn up the volume too much, given that a door opening is ten times louder than the soundtrack. You'll blow your ears out, kid.)
I don't even know how to describe what disappointed me about the soundtrack. One of the things I can pinpoint is that it was very cliche, with very little originality. The song that you'll be hearing the most throughout the game consists solely of that "windy-ghost voice" effect you hear used EVERYWHERE. (Literally every dark classical band I've listened to has used that stock sound effect - including Nox Arcana.)
The other huge problem is that each ghost's song is basically a background of white noise, with several of the ghost's sayings repeated. Over and over and over again. You know how much you hated fighting Blinded, right? Now imagine listening to her whining about her lost eyes for five minutes straight. Yeah, it's pretty much the same for every single ghost.
What makes this even more disappointing is that you could tell, the composers had the potential to make a great soundtrack. There's the wonderful menu and ending themes, as well as one example of really GOOD dark ambient, the Children's Room. The other two wonderful songs from the game, Koto and the unnamed song that plays in the flashback to Kirie's lover, are far too short to be enjoyed properly. (On the soundtrack, Koto is only 30 seconds long, and the second song isn't there at all!)
So yes, overall I give it a 3/10. As amazing a game as Fatal Frame is, its soundtrack is not so wonderful.
One thing I'll mention a lot in upcoming reviews is that there's not always a correlation between the quality of a game and the quality of its soundtrack. There are games I absolutely despise - that I nevertheless must admit have great soundtracks. With Fatal Frame, it's the sad opposite - a game I completely love, but one that has a rather terrible soundtrack.
Fatal Frame, like any survival horror game, has a soundtrack consisting primarily of dark ambience. But you could barely tell that from playing it, given that the songs are so quiet you can barely hear them, no matter how loud you turn up the volume. (And you DON'T wanna turn up the volume too much, given that a door opening is ten times louder than the soundtrack. You'll blow your ears out, kid.)
I don't even know how to describe what disappointed me about the soundtrack. One of the things I can pinpoint is that it was very cliche, with very little originality. The song that you'll be hearing the most throughout the game consists solely of that "windy-ghost voice" effect you hear used EVERYWHERE. (Literally every dark classical band I've listened to has used that stock sound effect - including Nox Arcana.)
The other huge problem is that each ghost's song is basically a background of white noise, with several of the ghost's sayings repeated. Over and over and over again. You know how much you hated fighting Blinded, right? Now imagine listening to her whining about her lost eyes for five minutes straight. Yeah, it's pretty much the same for every single ghost.
What makes this even more disappointing is that you could tell, the composers had the potential to make a great soundtrack. There's the wonderful menu and ending themes, as well as one example of really GOOD dark ambient, the Children's Room. The other two wonderful songs from the game, Koto and the unnamed song that plays in the flashback to Kirie's lover, are far too short to be enjoyed properly. (On the soundtrack, Koto is only 30 seconds long, and the second song isn't there at all!)
So yes, overall I give it a 3/10. As amazing a game as Fatal Frame is, its soundtrack is not so wonderful.
Soundtrack Review: Silent Hill 2
Rating: 5/10
Ask survival horror fans what the epitome of the genre is, they'll most likely point to Silent Hill. Ask them where the best survival horror soundtracks are, and they'll most likely point the exact same way.
I agree with them...to an extent. Silent Hill, including Silent Hill 2, does have some very lovely and interesting songs. The problem is, I'd like to hear more of them.
While the second game in the series gave birth to some classic melodies like Betrayal and Theme Of Laura, those are incredibly rare within the game itself. The majority of the soundtrack isn't that great at all. For every stunningly beautiful Music Box melody you hear, you have to go through ten tracks of what, as YouTube commenters so accurately put it, sounds like Pyramid Head's copy machine.
Anyone can tell you that I'm a huge dark ambient whore, so I thought I would like the ambient-style soundtrack. But there's a right and a wrong way to do dark ambient, and one way to instantly put yourself on the Wrong List is too much repetition. Silent Hill 2 has this problem in spades. While the songs can work simply to provide atmosphere within the game, the sheer recycling of sounds and repetition of rhythms gets boring FAST.
This annoyance is amplified by the track division on the soundtrack - you'll have three songs that should be one, given that they're each just the same repeated sound effect(s).
So, I give it an overall rating of 5/10. While I give it massive credit for having masterpieces like Betrayal, the Music Box, and Theme Of Laura, you have to wade through so much repetitive and boring other songs to get to the good. The reason I actually don't rate it lower is that, as I said, the ambient songs do their technical "job" within the game, which is to contribute to the game's atmosphere. But for a soundtrack to be impressive, it has to be something you'd listen to outside of the game. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to listen to five tracks of Pyramid Head's copy machine just for the fun.
Oh, and if I put you in a SH2 mood now...I ARE JAMES! PURIFIER OF THAT WHICH IS UNHOLY!
Ask survival horror fans what the epitome of the genre is, they'll most likely point to Silent Hill. Ask them where the best survival horror soundtracks are, and they'll most likely point the exact same way.
I agree with them...to an extent. Silent Hill, including Silent Hill 2, does have some very lovely and interesting songs. The problem is, I'd like to hear more of them.
While the second game in the series gave birth to some classic melodies like Betrayal and Theme Of Laura, those are incredibly rare within the game itself. The majority of the soundtrack isn't that great at all. For every stunningly beautiful Music Box melody you hear, you have to go through ten tracks of what, as YouTube commenters so accurately put it, sounds like Pyramid Head's copy machine.
Anyone can tell you that I'm a huge dark ambient whore, so I thought I would like the ambient-style soundtrack. But there's a right and a wrong way to do dark ambient, and one way to instantly put yourself on the Wrong List is too much repetition. Silent Hill 2 has this problem in spades. While the songs can work simply to provide atmosphere within the game, the sheer recycling of sounds and repetition of rhythms gets boring FAST.
This annoyance is amplified by the track division on the soundtrack - you'll have three songs that should be one, given that they're each just the same repeated sound effect(s).
So, I give it an overall rating of 5/10. While I give it massive credit for having masterpieces like Betrayal, the Music Box, and Theme Of Laura, you have to wade through so much repetitive and boring other songs to get to the good. The reason I actually don't rate it lower is that, as I said, the ambient songs do their technical "job" within the game, which is to contribute to the game's atmosphere. But for a soundtrack to be impressive, it has to be something you'd listen to outside of the game. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to listen to five tracks of Pyramid Head's copy machine just for the fun.
Oh, and if I put you in a SH2 mood now...I ARE JAMES! PURIFIER OF THAT WHICH IS UNHOLY!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
I'm reviewing video game soundtracks now!
Not in any official context. That's just what my next project is going to be for this blog.
I've always loved video games of all types, but this last year is when I've gotten really, REALLY into them. I've found so many new games that I love. And what's the the thing I pay attention to most, as a typical cynical musician? The soundtrack.
It should be pretty obvious that soundtracks are hugely important to games. While there are good games that manage to succeed despite having crappy music, the gaming experience is affected more than anything by the sounds accompanying the action on screen.
Having listened to many game soundtracks, I've decided to start placing my thoughts and opinions on various OSTs here. Not every soundtrack that I review will be from a game that I've played, though most will.
So yeah...look forward to more reviews soon!
I've always loved video games of all types, but this last year is when I've gotten really, REALLY into them. I've found so many new games that I love. And what's the the thing I pay attention to most, as a typical cynical musician? The soundtrack.
It should be pretty obvious that soundtracks are hugely important to games. While there are good games that manage to succeed despite having crappy music, the gaming experience is affected more than anything by the sounds accompanying the action on screen.
Having listened to many game soundtracks, I've decided to start placing my thoughts and opinions on various OSTs here. Not every soundtrack that I review will be from a game that I've played, though most will.
So yeah...look forward to more reviews soon!
Monday, January 16, 2012
There Is Nothing Binarist About Only Being Attracted To Binary Genders
As I was looking through queer blogs while trying to plan out my bisexual post yesterday, I once again had my attention drawn to just how much biphobia exists within so-called "LGBTQ-friendly" spaces. And 90% of the time, this hate is excused by accusing bisexuals of being "binarist". Convenient - you can cover up your oppression of bisexuals by derailing and saying "I'm doing it from trans* rights! All those mean bisexuals oppress trans people anyway just by their existence!"
In case you aren't familiar with the term "binarism", it's used within the context of gender to refer to the idea that there are only two genders. Now, there is quite a lot of binarism from people. But I have come to get seriously suspicious any time someone uses that word, because in my experience, that word has been used as an excuse to hate on and shame bisexuals.
The (failed) logic behind bigots who say that bisexual=binarist is apparently that the prefix bi- is used to indicate "two" of something, and somehow people make the leap from that to "ZOMG BISEXUALS THINK THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS!!111"
But here's the thing...that's not how it works.
For one important thing, not all bisexuals are only attracted to binary genders. Quite a few are attracted to those outside the gender binary. "Bisexual" does not, in fact, mean "men and women" - it can also mean "genders different from myself as well as my own gender". For example, a genderqueer person could be bisexual, being attracted to both genderqueer people and non-genderqueer people.
But here's where my anger really lies. When bisexuals have to defend themselves from this hate, most of them default to the explanation above - that bisexuality does not just mean attraction to only men and women. They're so desperate to get away from the assumption that they're only attracted to men and women.
Yeah, here's the thing: There is nothing wrong with only being attracted to the binary genders.
It's that simple. If you think there's something wrong with it, then get a clue: You are biphobic. Don't try to spew some bullshit about "but...but...binarism!" or how we're inherently oppressing non-binary people with our existence. You can't hide bigotry under the guise of activism.
There is a complete double standard here with who non-bisexual people accuse of "oppression". Lesbians are only attracted to women - why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone who's not a woman? Hell, if asexuals are attracted to no one, why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone?
So please, stop with implying that there is anything wrong with only being attracted to two binary genders. It's biphobic, plain and simple. (And hey, fellow bisexuals: Next time someone makes the binarism argument, could you maybe take a moment to mention that some bisexuals are only attracted to the binary genders, and that's okay? Thanks.)
(If you'd like to see three of the posts that made me angry enough to inspire this, go here, here, and here.) But be warned: MASSIVE biphobia and ignorance abound.
In case you aren't familiar with the term "binarism", it's used within the context of gender to refer to the idea that there are only two genders. Now, there is quite a lot of binarism from people. But I have come to get seriously suspicious any time someone uses that word, because in my experience, that word has been used as an excuse to hate on and shame bisexuals.
The (failed) logic behind bigots who say that bisexual=binarist is apparently that the prefix bi- is used to indicate "two" of something, and somehow people make the leap from that to "ZOMG BISEXUALS THINK THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS!!111"
But here's the thing...that's not how it works.
For one important thing, not all bisexuals are only attracted to binary genders. Quite a few are attracted to those outside the gender binary. "Bisexual" does not, in fact, mean "men and women" - it can also mean "genders different from myself as well as my own gender". For example, a genderqueer person could be bisexual, being attracted to both genderqueer people and non-genderqueer people.
But here's where my anger really lies. When bisexuals have to defend themselves from this hate, most of them default to the explanation above - that bisexuality does not just mean attraction to only men and women. They're so desperate to get away from the assumption that they're only attracted to men and women.
Yeah, here's the thing: There is nothing wrong with only being attracted to the binary genders.
It's that simple. If you think there's something wrong with it, then get a clue: You are biphobic. Don't try to spew some bullshit about "but...but...binarism!" or how we're inherently oppressing non-binary people with our existence. You can't hide bigotry under the guise of activism.
There is a complete double standard here with who non-bisexual people accuse of "oppression". Lesbians are only attracted to women - why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone who's not a woman? Hell, if asexuals are attracted to no one, why don't you accuse them of oppressing everyone?
So please, stop with implying that there is anything wrong with only being attracted to two binary genders. It's biphobic, plain and simple. (And hey, fellow bisexuals: Next time someone makes the binarism argument, could you maybe take a moment to mention that some bisexuals are only attracted to the binary genders, and that's okay? Thanks.)
(If you'd like to see three of the posts that made me angry enough to inspire this, go here, here, and here.) But be warned: MASSIVE biphobia and ignorance abound.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Bisexuals Need Uniquely Bisexual Spaces
One of the reasons I haven't been doing very much blogging here in the last couple of months is that I've become more and more tangled up in the blogging community on Tumblr. In addition to finding an awesome fandom for foreign musicals on there, it's a great place to find LGBTQ blogs. They're all great, in their own way. But, I do have some serious problems with some so-called "bisexual" blogs.
A blog will call itself a place for bisexuals...then have tons of stuff about pansexual people. This bothers me, it really does.
Bisexual people have struggled for years to have their identities recognized as separate from gay and lesbian. Biphobia and bisexual erasure comes from the LGT community as much as it does from cis, straight people. We need spaces of our own, about our own identities - not other people's.
In case you've never heard of pansexual, it's an orientation usually defined as "attraction to all genders", or "attraction to personality as opposed to gender". Many pansexual people refer to themselves as "gender blind" or "loving people, not genders".
Now, there is an increasingly big community emerging for pansexuals. They have plenty of blogs to submit things to. Instead, blogs that I go to to find stuff about my orientation are increasingly dominated by pansexual things.
The fact that this is happening specifically to bisexual blogs instead of, say, lesbian blogs is a large part of the problem. There are so many blogs for only lesbians, only gay men, only pansexual people, only trans men or only trans women. If you submit something that isn't any of those things to those blogs, it won't be posted.
But bisexuals? Nope, we're again pushed aside from having our own spaces. It really bothers me when I see "Bisexual events" whose flyers invite "All bi and pansexual people!"
Because here's the thing: Pansexual people are not bisexual. Including them in a "bisexual" space is as ridiculous as saying "this is a place for trans* people only! But we invite cis people as well! In fact, why don't we have MORE cis people than trans people?"
Pansexual people have quite often also been guilty of blatant biphobia, claiming that our orientation is "binarist" or "transphobic". Not all pansexual people are biphobic, obviously, but many have said very VERY biphobic things.
I'm also confused as to why pansexual people would want to submit their pictures/profiles to bisexual spaces in the first place - given that so many of them have worked hard to not be seen as bisexual.
Now, if a blog wants to be a space for lots of different orientations, go ahead! That's fine! But I cannot stand that bisexuals claim a space, then have it - as always - dominated by other orientations.
A blog will call itself a place for bisexuals...then have tons of stuff about pansexual people. This bothers me, it really does.
Bisexual people have struggled for years to have their identities recognized as separate from gay and lesbian. Biphobia and bisexual erasure comes from the LGT community as much as it does from cis, straight people. We need spaces of our own, about our own identities - not other people's.
In case you've never heard of pansexual, it's an orientation usually defined as "attraction to all genders", or "attraction to personality as opposed to gender". Many pansexual people refer to themselves as "gender blind" or "loving people, not genders".
Now, there is an increasingly big community emerging for pansexuals. They have plenty of blogs to submit things to. Instead, blogs that I go to to find stuff about my orientation are increasingly dominated by pansexual things.
The fact that this is happening specifically to bisexual blogs instead of, say, lesbian blogs is a large part of the problem. There are so many blogs for only lesbians, only gay men, only pansexual people, only trans men or only trans women. If you submit something that isn't any of those things to those blogs, it won't be posted.
But bisexuals? Nope, we're again pushed aside from having our own spaces. It really bothers me when I see "Bisexual events" whose flyers invite "All bi and pansexual people!"
Because here's the thing: Pansexual people are not bisexual. Including them in a "bisexual" space is as ridiculous as saying "this is a place for trans* people only! But we invite cis people as well! In fact, why don't we have MORE cis people than trans people?"
Pansexual people have quite often also been guilty of blatant biphobia, claiming that our orientation is "binarist" or "transphobic". Not all pansexual people are biphobic, obviously, but many have said very VERY biphobic things.
I'm also confused as to why pansexual people would want to submit their pictures/profiles to bisexual spaces in the first place - given that so many of them have worked hard to not be seen as bisexual.
Now, if a blog wants to be a space for lots of different orientations, go ahead! That's fine! But I cannot stand that bisexuals claim a space, then have it - as always - dominated by other orientations.
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