Today marks the end of E3 for 2011 and I have chosen one of the best intro music for any game ever created. The previous two songs chosen were from Bethesda role-playing games and while I stick to the same game genre I’ve moved onto who I consider the best RPG developers currently working today. The latest “Song of the Day” is by music composer Jack Wall and is the “Main Theme” to that oft-overlooked, but a classic rpg nonetheless, Jade Empire.
The “Jade Empire Main Theme” just hints at the epic that would become the Jade Empire story. Jack Wall does a great job of not just sticking to the usual classical European orchestral sound. He brings in traditional Asian musical instruments from throughout Chinese history. He even brings in some Japanese taiko drums to give this theme just a touch of that martial sound. This main theme really highlights the Asian themes and influences BioWare used to create the fictional realm that Jade Empire takes place. The way the music plays out it wouldn’t be too farfetched to hear it scoring an Ang Lee or Zhang Yimou wuxia epic.
Jade Empire is one of those games, despite having not as big a following as some of the bigger and more popular rpg franchises, whose fans are very vocal about their love not just for the game but for the soundtrack which I consider one of the best soundtracks ever composer for a video game.
The next E3 2011 Edition of the “Song of the Day” is the intro and main theme to the follow-up game to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. This song is called “Reign of the Septims” and it sets the epicness of what was, and is, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
“Reign of the Septims” actually sounds similar in certain areas to the Morrowind intro of “Nerevar Rising”. Where this intro differs is how it’s less about hope (a term and emotion that Lisa Marie mentioned she felt listening to the previous song) but about rising up to take one’s destiny and become the leader the game’s storyline requires of the player. There’s a certain martial aspect to the song which could be heard in the brass section and strings working in concert right in the beginning and throughout most of the song until they begin to fade to give “Reign of the Septims” a simpler and more mellow ending.
I really can’t imagine any future games in this series having its soundtrack being composed by anyone other than Jeremy Soule. It’s a good thing that he will be on hand for the next game, Skyrim, and from what I’ve heard of the initial theme to that game it’s a nice progression from the intro for both Morrowind and Oblivion.
Even though Monday had several E3 Press Conferences by the industry giants like Microsoft, Sony, EA and Activision, in reality E3 didn’t really begin until today. So, starting today I’ll post one song a day of some of my favorite intro music from some of my favorite video games through the years. The first song will close off today’s E3 coverage and comes from the game which got me hooked on The Elder Scrolls rpg franchise.
The latest “Song of the Day” is from the third game in the TES series called Morrowind. The song is the main theme for the song and it’s title is “Nerevar Rising”. This track, like all of the music in the Morrowind soundtrack, was composed and arranged by Jeremy Soule who has become one of the top composers of music for the video game industry. I just love how this song begins with the deep drum beats which then fades into the background as woodwinds and strings come in gently. By the one-third mark of the song even more strings arrive in the form of violins. It’s when the song hits the halfway mark when percussion comes back to the forefront to join woodwinds and strings to combine and create an epic sound worthy of a fantasy epic adventure about to begin.
I still listen to this intro whenever the urge hits me and it still raises the hairs on my arms and shivers up my spine at just how epic it sounds. As an added bonus the song makes a reappearance in the end of the game once the player has achieved his goal and finished the game. It’s pretty much the same music but with some added sections.
This is a difficult song to introduce. It is not a gradual build-up to an overwhelming conclusion–an accurate description of my other favorite song by them, Wretched Wisdom. It’s not post-metal in that sense (granted most of their songs aren’t.) No, I want to say it reminds me first and foremost of Opeth circa My Arms Your Hearse. The styles aren’t at all alike, but in a similar manner it flows from movement to movement, each astoundingly memorable and neither oppressively aggressive nor tame, before winding down into a slow, apprehensive timebomb anticipating the final desperate explosion that catches you off guard no matter how convinced you are that it’s coming. And though the Drudkh influence is obvious, it’s much like Opeth in that there’s really very little it can be compared to.
If you are familiar with Krallice, the song should strike you from the get-go for beginning in stride rather than exploding out of a wall of feedback or gradually building into anything.
As a final note, notice how significant the bassist’s role is in this song. It’s a feature rather uncommon to the genre.
If you listen to only one version of this, I recommend the studio cut in spite of the poor sound quality on youtube. If you feel inclined to hear it twice though, this second, live video really lets you grasp what’s going on. It wasn’t until I saw them live that I was compelled to really dive into the studio version of this song and realized what a masterpiece it was.
I’m feeling a bit under the weather. I swear the crazy raining then sunny then raining split-personality of Bay Area weather will be the death of me. So, instead of a review of an animated film about a toothless dragon or a war zone where someone is punishing criminals I’ve decided on a new “song of the day”. This time the latest song is a short one, but what it lacks in length more than makes up for it’s epicness. It’s the Tyrion Lannister of epic music. The song I chose is from the production music company Two Steps From Hell: “Heart of Courage”.
What is a production music company?
It’s a company who makes nothing but music for trailers and tv spots for shows, film and video games. Yes, Two Steps From Hell makes trailer music. So, if you’ve ever watched a film trailer or even the latest video game trailer then you probably have heard one of their music. The fact that they make trailer music shouldn’t take away from the quality work they’ve produced through the years. The one piece of music they’ve done which have stood out for me is “Heart of Courage”.
This song begins with a bevy of strings creating an ethereal intro which suddenly transitions to the inclusion of the percussion section. The intro of the percussion section would soon be followed by the very strings themselves changing from ethereal to a martial tempo. It’s in the middle of the song where the choir joins in to complete what I consider one of the most epic-sounding pieces of music I’ve ever heard. It’s no wonder that people who make film and video game trailers often pick this song to complement the visuals they’ve spliced together to sell a product.
The song was most recently used in a fan-made trailer for the upcoming EA shooter, Battlefield 3. Watching that fan-made trailer one could see how the music added more drama and gravitas to the scenes being played out. While the trailer’s editing itself didn’t fully match every beat and crossovers in the song there were enough that did match to make the trailer become accepted and approved by the publishers of Battlefield 3. But it’s another video game which used this song that really used it best.
It was a game which came out in early 2010 and the trailer itself even premiered during the Half-Time of the Super Bowl. Some who saw the trailer thought it was a commercial for an upcoming sci-fi blockbuster. To their surprise it wasn’t but for an upcoming game instead. What convinced some that it was a film was the music. Just watch the trailer below and you’ll know why this song makes anything with drama and action very epic.
Here I sit in my room watching on Encore HD a running of Guillermo Del Toro’s sequel to Blade. As awesome as this film was it was the soundtrack to Blade II that continues to impress. It’s from this soundtrack that I picked the latest “Song of the Day”. That choice happens to be the collaboration between electronica/trip-hop duo Massive Attack with hip-hop artist Mos Def.
“I Against I” is the latest song of the day and I consider the best song in the Blade II soundtrack which was all about electronica artists and band collaborating with hip-hop artists. This song occurs early in the film where Blade and his crew joined by a vampire kill-team called the Bloodpack does their slo-mo march towardsa a vampire underground club. It’s a scene that needs to be seen to be appreciated. The massive and clear bass beat by Massive Attack lends itself well to Mos Def’s smooth lyrical flow even as electronic melodies and beats accompanies the rest.
This song could be listened to in it’s instrumental version and it would sound very good. Mos Def could rap it’s lyrics accapella style and he would also sound good, but it’s when the two combines that the song becomes great. It’s one of a few reasons why I consider Blade II the best in the trilogy and why I continue to watch it whenever it comes on cable.
I Against I
I-ya, I against I, Flesh of my flesh, And mind of my mind, Two of a kind but one won’t survive, My images reflect in the enemies eye, And his images reflect in mine the same time,
I-ya, I-ya, I against I, Flesh of my flesh, And mind of my mind, Two of a kind but one won’t survive,
Right here is where the end gon’ start at, Conflict, contact ‘n’ combat, Fighters stand where the land is marked at, Settle the dispute about who the livest, 3 word answer, Whoever survive this, Only one of us can ride forever, So you and I cant ride together, Can’t live or cant die together, All we can do is collide together, So I skillfully apply the pressure, Won’t stop until I’m forever… One!
A door step where death never come, Spread across time til my time never done, And I’m never done, Walk tall, why ever run? When they move if I ever come? Bad man never fret the war, tell’em come General we have the stock, the mad fire burn
I-ya, I against I, Flesh of my flesh, And mind of my mind, Two of a kind but one won’t survive, My images reflect in the enemies eye, And his images reflect in mine the same time,
I-ya, I-ya, I against I, Flesh of my flesh, And mind of my mind, Two of a kind but one won’t survive, Survive (x16)
Reign supreme in your U-N-I, V-E-R-S-E with the sharpness, Narrow row building no space for partners, No space for drivers, no space for walkers, No space regardless, Your on my path then get off it, Hardheaded and unresponsive, Get they lives put on target with harshness, Come with the canons sparkin’ they darken, Who am i? One man squadron, Ma stir the fire this time that’d snatch your tomorrow, The thousand yard spear that’ll pierce through your armor, You can get it on right now if you want to, But when ya front 9 get marched through, I warned you, You know who forever belong to,
I-ya, I-ya I against I, Flesh of my flesh, And mind of my mind, Two of a kind but one won’t survive, My images reflect in the enemies eye, And his images reflect in mine the same time,
I-ya, I-ya, I against I, Flesh of my flesh, And mind of my mind, Two of a kind but one won’t survive, My images reflect in the enemies eye, And his images reflect in mine, survive Survive (x16)
Okay, two quick confessions. First off, I really wanted to write this post in Spanish because it’s Cinco De Mayo but unfortunately, other than a few phrases I picked up from my mom, I don’t speak Spanish. Secondly, I’ve done some research and I’ve discovered that the band featured here (Santa Esmeralda) is actually a French group. So, despite the fact that Santa Esmeralda’s cover of Don’t Let Me Misunderstood is obviously influenced by Latin music, it’s still not exactly ideal for Cinco De Mayo.
But you know what? When I first heard this song on the soundtrack for Kill Bill Volume One, I immediately fell in love with it and I forced my mom to listen to all 10 minutes of it and she loved it too. And unlike me, my mom grew up speaking Spanish and actually had a very pretty singing voice. She was also very proud of her heritage. So, if this song was good enough for her, it’s good enough for me.
I have to admit, as well, that when I first heard Santa Esmeralda’s version, I assumed that the cover had been recorded specifically for the Kill Bill soundtrack. Well, turns out I was not only wrong, I was way wrong. This cover version was actually recorded way back in 1977.
I also thought, before I started writing this post, that the song was originally performed by the Animals. Wrong again. The song was first written in 1964 by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, and Sol Marcus and it was originally performed by Nina Simone. Then, in 1965, the Animals did their famous cover. The Animals’ version of the song is the one that got stuck in my head when I was dating this guy who worked at Mervyn’s because, oh my God, it was playing all the freaking time in that store!
But the Santa Esmeralda version is my favorite and it is today’s song of the day.
The latest “Song of the Day” was inspired by having witnessed on April 23, 2011 at the Hynes Convention Center during Anime Boston 2011 a performance by the Odaiko New England (ONE). This traditional taiko drum group performed both traditional taiko set numbers and more modern compositions. To say that the experience was quite primal would be an understatement. Since then I’ve searched and listened to many other taiko drum groups and I’ve come to realize that the band Kodo really shows the Japanese art of taiko drumming at its best. I chose their song “O-Daiko” as the latest song of the day.
“O-Daiko” by Kodo is traditional taiko drumming at its finest. It begins quite subtly and gradually builds up to the booming, heart-pumping bass beats that could only come from taiko drummers playing their instruments in perfect tempo. It’s difficult to listen to any taiko music and not have oneself brought back to a simpler time. Taiko drum music has been a mainstay with Shinto shrine rituals, but they’ve also been instrumental in warfare during the warring period of Feudal Japan. The drum beats would be used to signal coded information to allies and friendly forces. They could also be used to demoralize opposing enemy forces.
So, if you ever learn that a taiko drum group is going to be performing in your area I highly recommend that you attend said performance. It’s an experience everyone should have at least once in their life.
The latest “song of the day” comes in just in time to show that my major bout with the cold/flu last week and this weekend hasn’t taken me out. It’s also a proper choice with the release of Portal 2, Valve’s sequel to their very popular puzzle-shooter Portal. What better way to send me off to Anime Boston this weekend but with the very geeky and otaku anthem of “Still Alive”.
“Still Alive” is the end credits song which plays once the player has completed Portal. The voice who sings the song (written by songwriter Jonathan Coulton) is one Ellen McClain and she is suppose to be the AI-computer GLaDOS lamenting the player’s success and escape. The song became as big of a hit with gamers as the game it was part of. Pretty much a whole cottage industry of all things geek-culture sprung up around this song. Shirts were made, youtube videos of varying quality using the song were uploaded and comic book, gaming and anime convention goers worldwide adopted the song as their unofficial anthem.
The song is pretty cute and catchy. The way the lyrics were sung with such sweetness by singer Ellen McClain makes it such a happy ditty. But when stepping back from singing along one really has to look at the lyrics and see how dark and twisted “Still Alive” truly was and still is. And on that note, catch you allafter Anime Boston.
Still Alive
This was a triumph I’m making a note here HUGE SUCCESS It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction Aperture Science
we do what we must because we can for the good of all of us except for the ones who are dead but there’s no sense crying over every mistake you just keep on trying until you run out of cake and the science gets done and you make a neat gun for the people who are still alive
I’m not even angry I’m being so sincere right now even though you broke my heart and killed me and torn into pieces and threw every piece into a fire as they burned it hurt because I was so happy for you! Now these points of data make a wonderful line and we’re out of beta, we’re releasing on time so I’m glad I got burned Think of all the things we learned for the people that are still alive
go ahead and leave me I think I prefer to stay inside maybe you’ll find someone else to help you maybe black mesa that was a joke, haha, fat chance anyway this cake is great, it’s so delicious and moist look at me still talking, when there’s science to do when I look out there it makes me glad I’m not you I’ve experiments to run, there is research to be done on the people who are still alive
and believe me I am still alive I’m doing science and I’m still alive I feel FANTASTIC and I’m still alive While you are dying I’ll be still alive and when you’re dead I’ll be still alive STILL ALIVE, still alive…
I have never been to Russia. I imagine they have cities and cars and year-end clearance sales and pizza delivery just like anyone else. But that’s just being boring and realistic. I would rather think of Russia as that savage, untamed land to the east, from whence road the Hun and the Mongol–a mysterious, Dionysian place in which primeval landscapes produce warriors with the spirits of beasts. Arkona seem to perfectly capture this. Their music dances care-free about you but is poisonous to the touch.
There’s something about Slavic languages that sounds ruthlessly vicious when screamed–a very different vibe from the power and command of Germanic tongues. At the same time, that typical deep Russian chorus sound is always so encompassing, embracing everything around it except, perhaps, the listener. Arkona employ ample quantities of both, and fuse it with brilliant folk. If someone described a sound as “one with nature” to me I’d probably roll my eyes, but the nature here presented is a pack of wolves delighting in the kill.
I don’t know, this particular song has just really struck me lately. Ot Serdtsa K Nebu is one of my most listened-to albums, but perhaps because of the lengthy intro I never took sufficient notice of the opening track before. “Shrouds of Celestial Sage”, or “Pokrovy Nebesnogo Startsa”, or “Покровы Небесного Старца”, however you want to write it, isn’t Arkona’s most beautiful song, but I think it might be their greatest success at melding such meledies with a characteristically eastern savagery.
The explosion at 5:03 is one of the most epic moments in metal, and the sound quality of a youtube video cannot do it justice. Also, Miss Masha Arhipova is the most awesome person ever. Yes, that’s her screaming.
Through the Shattered Lens 