Once I decided to spotlight Sable‘s soundtrack this week, I was spoiled for choice. In the end, I opted for a dreamy, relaxing piece that I associate with what I liked about the game. Enjoy — and leave the playlist on!
Soundtracks
Musical Monday: “A Town with an Ocean View” (Kiki’s Delivery Service), composed by Joe Hisaishi
This week’s piece is the warm, beautiful “A Town with an Ocean View”, from Kiki’s Delivery Service. It is as good as you would expect a Studio Ghibli soundtrack to be.
Below, I’ve linked two different versions:
- The Youtube video and the first Spotify link are the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance from 2023.
- The second Spotify link is from the 1989 soundtrack collection.
Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Ode of the Black River” (X4: Foundations – Kingdom End), composed by Alexei Zakharov
This week’s piece is “Ode of the Black River”, the beautiful main menu theme from the “Kingdom End” expansion for X4: Foundations.
Years after I wrote about it, X4 remains a unique, impressive game that continues to receive ongoing support. Part of its appeal is the soundtrack — the ambient music tends to be optimistic, and pieces such as this are a joy to listen to. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “The Battle of the Pelennor Fields” (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), by Howard Shore
This week’s piece is “The Battle of the Pelennor Fields”, which plays as the Rohirrim charge in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It’s great:
- In its own right;
- In how it fits the occasion; and
- As a version of Rohan’s familiar leitmotif.
Below, I’ve linked it on Youtube and on Spotify. To find it if you are searching by album, you need to look for the “Complete Recordings” for ROTK. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: Allegro con fuoco from Dvorak’s Symphony No 9
This week, I’m smuggling in one of my favourite pieces of classical music: the fourth movement (Allegro con fuoco) of Dvorak’s Symphony No 9. It plays in Legend of the Galactic Heroes as alarms blare and a pivotal counterattack unfolds — so it counts!
Below, I’ve linked two versions: one from Youtube (performed by the Orchestre Phiharmonique de Radio France and conducted by Marzene Diakun) and one from Spotify (performed by the Vienna Philharmonic and conducted by Herbert von Karajan).
Musical Monday: “Chasing Daybreak” (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), by Rei Kondoh
This week is my favourite battle theme from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, “Chasing Daybreak”. When it kicks in, in the game’s second half, it helps shift the mood from “goofy anime adventure” to “high fantasy epic” — an epic I’m close to finishing after five years. Listening to “Chasing Daybreak” is a mighty push to get over the line.
Musical Monday: “Newtonian Approximation” (Terra Invicta), composed by Breakdown Epiphanies
One of Terra Invicta‘s standout features is its soundtrack, which is enjoyable and great at setting the mood. Pride of place goes to the main title theme, “Newtonian Approximations”, which builds to an optimistic conclusion at 2:20-2:30, before looping. It fits a game that’s about humanity gradually, doggedly coming from behind to fight off an alien invasion. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Ever-Flowing Rivers” (Total War: Three Kingdoms), composed by Richard Birdsall
We’re back with a lovely, gentle, relaxing piece that plays on the strategic map of Total War: Three Kingdoms. While I’ve tended to feature Total War music from Jeff Van Dyck’s era (up to Shogun 2), this is a gem from the more recent games. I think it’s great ambient music, whether choosing the next move in-game or focusing on a project in real life. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Restoration” (Battletech)
Battletech has excellent music, and below is one of my favourite tracks — “Restoration”, the main menu theme. I love the balance it strikes — it sounds heroic and epic, without bombast. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: The Mongolian Themes of Civilization VI
It’s been more than two years – Musical Monday is back! While Civilization IV‘s “Baba Yetu” is still my favourite Civ theme, for my money Civilization VI has the best in-game music since Civ II. Below is Genghis Khan’s theme as it evolves through the ages — enjoy. It is also available on Spotify if you search for the Civilization VI: Rise & Fall soundtrack.
Musical Monday: “Fuego de Pasion” (Tropico 4), by Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra
This week’s theme is another jaunty favourite from Tropico 4. As with the rest of the game’s soundtrack, it’s licensed music – the original can be found on the “Elementos” album. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “The Secret of Monkey Island” (composed by Michael Land)
This week’s song is Video Games Live’s performance of “The Secret of Monkey Island” theme (a studio recording is also available as part of VGL’s “Level 3” album). Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Together to the Stars (United Empire Theme)” (Endless Space 2), composed by FlyByNo
This week’s song is another case of “the music is better than the game”. While I was disappointed with Endless Space 2, this track is stirring, evocative, and — as an imperial leitmotif — suitably bombastic. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Through the Gates” (Conquest of Elysium 3), composed by Mattias Westlund
I encountered this week’s song a number of years ago in Illwinter’s Conquest of Elysium 3. To me, it’s a very “high fantasy” song, conjuring up images of bold heroes riding out into the great wild. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: The Music of Zelda: A Link to the Past
In honour of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this week’s music is a blast from the past. I’ve chosen three very distinct songs from 1991’s A Link to the Past – the Hyrule Overture, LttP‘s upbeat, “we’re off on an adventure” world map theme; second, the imposing Hyrule Castle theme; and perhaps the most interesting of the three, the Dark World theme, which for me always conjures up memories of Link standing atop that ziggurat, the sunset in the background. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Super Mario Bros Theme”, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
In honour of the release of the Nintendo Switch, this week’s theme is the Greatest Video Game Music orchestral version of the Mario theme. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “The Hyperion Overture” (Starcraft II), performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra
Musical Monday kicks off for 2017 with an orchestral performance of the Terran theme from Starcraft II. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Scarborough Fair” (Civilization VI), arranged by Geoff Knorr & Phil Boucher
Welcome back to Musical Monday! This week, I present “Scarborough Fair”, the old folk song used as the English theme in Civilization VI. There are two really cool things about the game’s music – first, the quality of the music itself, and second, how each civilisation’s theme evolves over the course of the game – you can hear the Ancient, Medieval (1:59), Industrial (6:08), and finally Atomic (10:07) themes below. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Amen” (Medieval 2: Total War), composed by Jeff van Dyck
For years, the music of Jeff van Dyck was a crucial part of the Total War games. Some of his tracks were thrilling; others stately. This, the menu theme for Medieval 2, is sombre and thematic – enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Cadiz” (Expeditions: Conquistador), composed by Leonardo Badinella
Back in 2013, when Expeditions: Conquistador was new, I featured a gentle, atmospheric overworld theme from its soundtrack. Three years later, I still listen to its excellent music. This week’s piece is the bold, triumphant “Cadiz” – enjoy!
Musical Monday: Video Games Live’s Okami
This week’s song is Video Games Live’s arrangement of one of my favourite soundtracks, Okami. It comes from VGL’s recently released Level 5 album, available in the usual places (and also on Spotify). I think I’ve backed or purchased every VGL album so far, and this is one of the strongest. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: The Faction Themes of Hearts of Iron IV, composed by Andreas Waldetoft
While on the whole I think the Stellaris soundtrack still represents Andreas Waldetoft’s best work, the best pieces on the HOI4 soundtrack excel at conveying the flavour of their respective factions.
The Western Allies’ music ranges from hopeful to wistful, reminiscent of the music from Band of Brothers:
Musical Monday: “Roll Me In” (Katamari Damacy)
Fittingly for such a unique game, Katamari Damacy also had some rather unique music (complete with rolling-themed lyrics). This is one of my favourite pieces, smooth and listenable – enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Faster than Light (instrumental)” (Stellaris), composed by Andreas Waldetoft
This is one of my favourite pieces of music in Stellaris, embodying the game’s – and the science fiction genre’s – spirit of exploration and discovery. At its start, it’s understated and almost ethereal; it takes on a questing, inquisitive tone around 0:45; and finally blossoms into liveliness at 2:40. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Brothers in Arms” (Mad Max: Fury Road), composed by Tom Holkenborg
Welcome back to Musical Monday. To celebrate the release anniversary of Mad Max: Fury Road, I present my favourite track from the movie. An action theme through and through (it plays during the canyon sequence), it begins all clash and discordance, before working up to the more hopeful note at 3:00. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Madrigal” (Emperor of the Fading Suns)
This week’s theme is taken from Emperor of the Fading Suns, a cult-classic 1990s TBS that I’ve previously raved about. EFS was – and still is – the defining video game implementation of “feudal future” science fiction, with a soundtrack to match. I’m kicking around ideas for a Let’s Play; until then, enjoy!
Musical Monday: Behind the Scenes with Shogun 2
Celebrating the fifth birthday of Total War: Shogun 2, this week’s Musical Monday is slightly different – a behind-the-scenes look at its taiko drum music. I was interested to learn it was recorded in Sydney by a local troupe, Taikoz. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Roses of May” (Final Fantasy IX), composed by Nobuo Uematsu
Welcome back to Musical Monday!
This week’s song is from a game I haven’t played — I know it from its appearance on the orchestrated Final Fantasy album below. Following the recent mobile re-release of Final Fantasy IX, the time seems right to highlight this lovely piece. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: The Music of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, composed by Michael McCann
Sometimes tense, sometimes exciting – what would Firaxis’ XCOM have been without its soundtrack? With the release of XCOM 2 imminent, I thought I’d highlight Michael McCann’s superb music for the original:
(Note that the versions above, from the composer’s Soundcloud page, appear slightly different from what plays in-game.)
Several tracks stand out. First off is the menu theme, “Enemy Unknown”; its low, ominous beat echoes the ambient music in the Gollop Brothers’ original game, before swelling into something more rousing.
“Ready for Battle”, the squad select theme, is one of the few “heroic” pieces on the soundtrack. I’ve heard it dozens of times and it still hasn’t grown old.
The intense “Combat 8” is my favourite battle theme. I love how it compresses the emotional beats of XCOM combat into less than a minute, from the warble at 0:15, through a harsher blare, to a few hopeful seconds around 0:40.
Finally, “Our Last Hope” is the other notable heroic theme. Enjoy!
Musical Monday: “Final Fantasy” (almost every game in the series), composed by Nobuo Uematsu
Welcome to the first Musical Monday of 2016! To inaugurate the year, I have chosen the warm, hopeful theme of the Final Fantasy series, as performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Enjoy the song, and may you all have happy listening.