Rapid Fire: Tearaway Unfolded, Yooka-Laylee, Super Mario Odyssey

Another Rapid Fire post but this time, it's....
VIDEO GAME EDITION!
Similar to previous Rapid Fire posts, I'll be looking at three albums (or in this case, soundtracks) and briefly discussing them before giving them a rating and highlighting tracks that I thought stood out.
The three video game soundtracks I'll be looking at do share certain aspects. For starters, they're all from 3D platformers and they're all relatively recent releases (two came out this year). However, the musical style for each soundtrack is unique enough to warrant their choices for this post, in my opinion. Apologies if you're not into video game music but you might get some joy out of these soundtracks, if you can find them.


1. Tearaway Unfolded - Brian D'Oliveira and Kenneth Young

Tearaway Unfolded is probably one of my favourite platformers ever and if it weren't for A Hat In Time, it'd be my favourite platformer of the last decade (even if it is technically an adaptation/remake). It contains some amazing platforming segments unlike any other in video game history and brings out the creativity through innovative ways. Thankfully, the soundtrack is equally unique for a video game and doesn't fall into the trap of being too much like Mario, nor does it try to be grand like Skyrim. It's whimsical and at times a bit clunky but it works perfectly in the game.
There's a clear difference between the tracks composed by Kenneth Young and the ones by Brian D'Oliveira. Young tends to be responsible for the tunes that are more jovial and quaint, such as the first tune "The Hole In The Sky" or "Cutting Mat" and its variants whereas D'Oliveira is best at the harsher sounding, more dissonant pieces such as "The Barn" and "Scraps" (again, along with its variants). However, occasionally the two work together to give us some of the game's iconic tracks such as "Gibbet Hill Pilgrimage" or individually choose to blend styles to give us excellent pieces like "The Orchards" or techno-Folk track "Between The Pages, Page Two".
It's hard to accurately describe without getting stuck into the soundtrack (and game) yourself but the great thing about the soundtrack is the bizarre yet soothing nature to it. It's the musical equivalent of a claymation cottage with a roaring fire in a Tim Burtonesque forest landscape; quaint but with a hint of kookiness. It also doesn't fall into the trap of trying so hard to be weird that it forgets to be good. Many tracks are catchy and cute, just like the game itself, but overall the soundtrack for Tearaway Unfolded is delightful. It's not your typical sweeping Disney-lite score or epic World Of Warcraft feast, it's something eclectic and special for fans of the genre.

1. The Hole In The Sky
2. Scraps

3. Cutting Mat #1

4. Green Man Groove

5. The Orchards

6. The Squirrel Village

7. Renaissance Hop (Record Scratching Tune)

8. Pig Riding

9. St. Swithin's Moor

10. St. Swithin's Moor, Corvus Hexus

11. St. Swithin's Moor, Scraps

12. St. Swithin's Moor, The Big Tree

13. Enter The Barn

14. Rollin'

15. The Barn

16. Shouty Orange Head

17. Cutting Mat #2

18. Gibbet Hill Intro, Lament & Hornpipe

19. Gibbet Hill Pilgrimage

20. Gibbet Hill Scraps

21. Gibbet Hill Processional

22. Sogport Scraps

23. The Baby Wendigo

24. Squirrels & Scraps

25. Cutting Mat #3

26. Beach Bum

27. Heartless Reel

28. The Tavern

29. Wendigo Fissure

30. Elevate This

31. Gopher It

32. The Gopher

33. The Lab

34. The Lab Tick Tock

35. The Lab Scraps

36. The Caverns Scraps

37. The Caverns Scraps Chase

38. Scraps Crazy

39. Cutting Mat #4, Scraps

40. Scraps Reformed

41. Between The Pages, Page One

42. Between The Pages, Page Two

43. Desert Of The Mind

44. Desert Pig Ride

45. Desert Plane Ride

46. The Mislaid Message

47. The Tear

48. The You

49. Is This Goodbye

50. The Message

ALBUM RATING - 7/10

Next up is a platformer that everyone's saying was a disappointment even though people loved it when it came out.

2. Yooka-Laylee - Steve Burke, Grant Kirkhope and David Wise

Similar to the previous soundtrack, the duty of composing the music wasn't just given to one artist. Composers from a collection of classic Nintendo platformers were brought in to give the game that classic N64 feel; Grant Kirkhope provided music for levels, Steve Burke for multiplayer games and David Wise for minecart levels with each of them trying their hand at boss battle themes too. Whilst each artist brings their own specific flair to appropriate tracks, this can work against the illusion of creating a nostalgia fest.
Older games usually stuck with one main composer so the classic N64 or PS1 games often had their own signature sound. The problem with a modern game designed to evoke memories and feelings experienced when playing those classics BUT with multiple composers is that you're never really going to become fully immersed in the memory. One moment, you'll be back in your old living room running around in Banjo Kazooie as you listen to Kirkhope's marimba filled Tribalstack Tropics (or "World 1 Theme" as it's called on the soundtrack to avoid spoilers), the next you'll be riding a minecart listening to one of David Wise's minecart themes that sounds noticeably different, as if it's from a completely different game...because it is! It's from Donkey Kong Country.
As far as the soundtrack goes, it needed to be more consistent to truly achieve its goal. I appreciate that they tried to achieve this by giving different composers different responsibilities and I don't want to give you the wrong idea about the quality of the music; it's well crafted and aside from a few annoying multiplayer game themes, every song is catchy enough to keep you entertained as you play. However, as bad as this sounds, I almost feel like the soundtrack needed less variety. If you wanted a soundtrack that combines elements of the past with modern platforming innovations, this would've been the way to go. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn't quite go that far so in the end, it doesn't quite work as well as I wished it had.

1. Main Theme

2. Shipwreck Creek

3. Hivory Towers

4. World 1 Theme

5. World 2 Theme

6. World 3 Theme

7. World 4 Theme

8. World 5 Theme

9. Uphill Battle

10. Frosty Fray

11. Armed And Dangerous

12. Track Attack

13. Skiffy Skirmish

14. Final Beeting

15. Kartos Karting

16. Bee Bop

17. Hurdle Hijinx

18. Up 'N' Nova

19. Jobstacle Course

20. Glaciators

21. Blag The Flag

22. Gun-tlet Run

23. Minecart Theme (World 1)

24. Minecart Theme (World 2)

25. Minecart Theme (World 3)

26. Minecart Theme (World 4)

27. Minecart Theme (World 5)

28. Tropic Trials

29. World 1 Variant #1

30. World 1 Variant #2

31. World 2 Variant #1

32. World 2 Variant #2

33. World 3 Variant #1

34. World 3 Variant #2

35. World 4 Variant #1

36. World 4 Variant #2

37. World 5 Variant #1

38. World 5 Variant #2

ALBUM RATING - 6/10

Finally, we have a soundtrack from a game released to critical acclaim just a couple of months ago. It also contains a specially written song as its main theme and I hate it.

3. Super Mario Odyssey - Naoto Kubo, Shiho Fuji and Koji Kondo

Super Mario Odyssey is probably the most ambitious Mario platformer since Sunshine but sadly contains the least ambitious soundtrack since the DS game that basically ripped off "Gusty Garden Galaxy" for one of their levels. It's a collection of generic orchestra music that sounds decent in the levels but holds up poorly outside of the game, something that can't be said for the previous two albums I've looked at in this post...or indeed any video game soundtrack I've written about in length on the blog before. It has the basics covered (each level has its distinct theme, the first proper level has a grand feel to convey exploration, yada yada yada) but to me, it makes one crucial mistake.

When I think of Mario platformers of the past, I can always think of at least one specific tune that stands out and acts as a kind of representative of the game. More often than not it's the game's main theme or hub world music but occasionally it's from a level. Super Mario 64 has "Bob-Omb Battlefield", Super Mario Sunshine has "Delfino Plaza" and Super Mario Galaxy has the aforementioned "Gusty Garden Galaxy". Super Mario Odyssey doesn't have that instantly iconic level theme. The closest it has is the "Steam Gardens" music but even that doesn't grab you in the same way previous tunes do; if anything, it's notable for sounding like music from a series other than Mario. That's about it.

However, what the game DOES have is its own song with lyrics and everything. "Jump Up, Super Star!" or, as it's called on the soundtrack, "NDC Festival". This is the song that's used in the game's opening menu and in all the fucking promotional material for the game, emphasis on "promotion". I hate this song because I don't hear a colourful piece of video game music; I hear manufactured, soulless advertising in the guise of a song. The music's alright but when lyrics contain lines like "It's freedom like you never knew" and "I'm flipping the switch" that sound like they're trying to push a product instead of entertain gamers, the catchy tune doesn't mean shit.

There are a couple of decent tracks in this game but everything else just kind of blends into the scenery. Even 8-bit remixes of each level fall flat because...well, it's fucking 8-bit. It sounds like crap compared to a fully orchestrated score (although the concept is still neat). Iconic music has been replaced by undeniable corporate box-ticking, although the game is great so I guess it must have worked on me in some level. That doesn't stop me from pointing out how weak the soundtrack is compared to the last couple of proper 3D Mario platformers that also used an orchestra but had the benefit of being led by Koji Kondo, a much superior composer to Naoto Kubo.

1. Bonneton

2. Fossil Falls

3. Fossil Falls (8-Bit)

4. Fossil Falls: Dinosaur

5. Tostarena: Ruins

6. Tosatarena: Ruins (8-Bit)

7. Tostarena: Night

8. Tostarena: Night (8-Bit)

9. Tostarena: Town

10. Tostarena: Jaxi

11. Steam Gardens

12. Steam Gardens (8-Bit)

13. Steam Gardens: Sherm

14. Lake Lamode 1

15. Lake Lamode 1 (8-Bit)

16. Lake Lamode 2

17. Lake Lamode: Underwater Passage

18. Forgotten Isle 1

19. Forgotten Isle 2

20. Forgotten Isle 2 (8-Bit)

21. New Donk City: Night 1

22. New Donk City: Night 2

23. New Donk City: Daytime

24. New Donk City: Cafe

25. New Donk City (Band Performance)

26. NDC Festival

27. NDC Festival (Japanese)

28. NDC Festival (8-Bit)

29. Bubblaine

30. Bubblaine: Underwater

31. Bubblaine (8-Bit)

32. Shiveria: Town

33. Shiveria: Race Course Entrance

34. Mount Volbono

35. Mount Volbono (8-Bit)

36. Mount Volbono: Town

37. Bowser's Castle 1

38. Bowser's Castle 1 (8-Bit)

39. Bowser's Castle 2

40. Honeylune Ridge

41. Honeylune Ridge (8-Bit)

42. Honeylune Ridge: Caves

43. Honeylune Ridge: Wedding Hall

44. Honeylune Ridge: Collapse

45. Honeylune Ridge: Collapse (8-Bit)

46. Honeylune Ridge: Escape

47. Honeylune Ridge: Escape (Japanese)

48. Honeylune Ridge: Escape (8-Bit)

49. Peach's Castle

50. Broodals Battle

51. Madame Broode Battle

52. Knucklotec Battle

53. Torkdrift Battle

54. Mechawiggler Battle

55. Mollusque-Lanceur Battle

56. Mollusque-Lanceur Battle (8-Bit)

57. Cookatiel Battle

58. Ruined Dragon Battle

59. RoboBrood Battle

60. Bowser Battle 1

61. Bowser Battle 2

62. Run, Jump, Throw! 1

63. Run, Jump, Throw! 2

64. Run, Jump, Throw! 2 (8-Bit)

65. Subterranean 1

66. Subterranean 1 (8-Bit)

67. Subterranean 2

68. Caves

69. Ice

70. Another World

71. Ruins

72. Ruins (8-Bit)

73. Projection Room (Above Ground)

74. Projection Room (Underground)

75. Above The Clouds

76. Toad Brigade Member

77. To The Next Kingdom

78. Shop

79. Race

80. RC Car

81. Spinning Slots

82. Climactic Duel!

83. Staff Roll

ALBUM RATING - 5/10

Jesus, that was a pain to type out. The next blog post won't be so long or arduous on the scroll bar!

Taster Session #7

VIDEO GAME EDITION!
That's right, this time I'll be looking at five pieces of music from upcoming video games and discussing initial impressions along with whether I'm looking forward to the soundtrack (and, by extension, the game too). These games might be new releases or they might by HD remakes but the one unifying trend is that they all have brand new music recorded for the game. One thing to keep in mind here is that the quality of the music here will vary. Normally I can link you to a high quality music video on Youtube but this time, most of the tunes will be trailer rips or Soundcloud pages until the games come out themselves and someone can get proper OST versions.
Right then, time to tuck in!

"Trailer Theme" - Manaka Kataoka         (listen here)
From the game Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (03/03/17)

I'll admit that I wasn't impressed with the footage from this game shown off at E3 but after that story trailer was released, I was completely sold. I've already ordered a Switch and this game primarily based on this trailer alone (and my love of console Zelda games) but it's fair to say that the music is what makes the most impact. It starts off with what sounds like the score to an open world RPG game (anyone else hear a bit of Geralt Of Rivia from The Witcher 3 once the percussion comes in?) but slowly becomes much more dynamic and...fuck it, I'll say it; epic. When paired with the footage, the trailer could well be one of the best a video game has had to offer but thankfully it's still amazing on its own.
Zelda music has always (and I mean ALWAYS) been excellent so I can't see how this game will fail to meet expectations when everything else seems to be up to scratch. I am hyped to hear each piece of music even though it's not Koji Kondo at the helm (although I think he's still supervising) and eagerly await to get stuck into what could well be the best Zelda game yet, even if it's not your typical Zelda game.


"Tribalstack Tropics" - Grant Kirkhope         (listen here)
From the game Yooka-Laylee (11/04/17)

After something epic, we need to take a breather which means it's time to enjoy the Yooka-Laylee music again! I'm also a huge fan of Banjo Kazooie and other classic Rare platformers so I'm definitely stoked for this game when it drops in April. From what I've heard of Grant Kirkhope's compositions, it definitely sounds like they're going for a similar feel to the old Banjo tunes but this time with a full orchestra (thanks to Kickstarter backers!). This tune was one of the first pieces released and whilst it's probably going to be improved for the final game, it's a good taster for what the game's music will be like.
Whilst it's not as impressive as the Zelda trailer music, it sets the tone perfectly with that upbeat marimba and change in styles, presumably as you enter different areas in the level. I'm looking forward to playing Yooka-Laylee more than anything else about it but the fact that the music fits the game perfectly is a solid sign that the rest of the soundtrack will be strong too. Special shout out to these guys for actually releasing a CD/digital/vinyl soundtrack of the game with its release, proving that some developers/publishers know that players actually do listen to video game music outside of playing the game.


"Lady Layton's Theme" - Tomohito Nishiura         (listen here)
From the game Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone's Conspiracy (??/??/17)

I'm pretty sure they'll shorten that name down when it's released outside of Japan but Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone's Conspiracy is something I'd forgotten about until researching upcoming games this year. I'm a big fan of the Professor Layton series and love listening to music from the game (particularly Miracle Mask, even if I wasn't a fan of the plot). Whilst I wasn't thrilled to see Hershel and Luke absent from this entry into the Layton series, the gameplay (and music) appears to be similar to older games. There's a quaint feel to the theme and once again, subtle references to older Layton titles in the music.
Whilst I need to know more about this game for me to be as excited about it as I am with others on this list, I'll definitely be getting Lady Layton when it hopefully comes out this year and I look forward to hearing new pieces of music to solve puzzles to. Here's hoping the Professor and Luke will at least make an appearance somewhere, although I imagine it will be towards the end so as not to overshadow this new character in her debut adventure.


"Reveal Trailer Theme" - David Garcia         (listen here)
From the game Rime (??/05/17)

This game looks wonderful, let's just say this right now. I can talk about how it looks like Journey, Okami and Wind Waker but the trailer I linked up above speaks for itself so go ahead and check it out if you haven't already. As for the music, it's not as imposing as some of the other tracks on this list. I've a feeling it was picked to accompany the footage and not stand up on its own feet, which is fine. I like the music but it doesn't grab me in the same way the others did. The gameplay, however, does.
I'm excited more for the game than the actual soundtrack but I can imagine a title like this surprising me and giving me at least a couple of tunes I enjoy listening to whilst solving puzzles or just chilling out on my laptop. Hopefully it'll be engaging from start to finish and won't have long periods of tediously milling about on glorified scavenger hunts like Wind Waker.


"N. Sanity Beach" - ??????         (listen here)
From the game Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy (30/06/17)

Obviously I've saved one of the best for last! I am so fucking hyped for this, it's unbelievable. I don't think a day has gone by where I haven't thought about how awesome this is going to be since the first trailer was released, partly down to the soundtrack. I think I've said before that Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was what got me into video game music and it's fair to say that Crash Bandicoot: Warped also helped strengthen my love of the genre. When I found out the original music from the trilogy would be rerecorded in proper 2017 quality, I knew I had to own this.
So far we've only got a couple of pieces of music to sample but they're pretty damn faithful to the originals whilst sounding even better. The N. Sanity Beach theme sounds just as comical and wacky as the Mutato Muzika version so my expectations are pretty high. Between Breath Of The Wild and the N. Sane Trilogy, the gaming part of my brain is pretty fucking excited and it's heavily down to the soundtrack teases of both games. I just wish I knew who the composer was so I could give them credit but oh well, I'll find out closer to June.


Obviously there are other games coming out this year that will likely have stellar soundtracks (I would've included Final Fantasy VII Remake if they'd released new music for it) but for now, we've got a strong set of tasters right here.
Next week, normal Rock/Metal music shall be returning.