SoundCast Ep. 34 - Music to Play By! with Sascha Dikiciyan, George Krstic

Ep 34 - Music to Play By!


Composer Sascha Dikiciyan and Writer/Director George Krstic join Chris, Marius and Tom to talk video game scores.  The battle continues to rage of The Chemical Brothers score for HANNA.  Several weigh in on their early TIN TIN impressions...and beware of the Cylon podcast invasion!


Episode Highlights

00:32 — Welcome and Intro: Sascha Dikiciyan, George Krstic
03:15 — Space Marine Gush session and Contest!
07:45 — What have we been listening to?
46:40 — Music to Play By! Talking video game scores
89:15 - Conclusion

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 — "Intro (Party Every Night)" (The Best Music) by George & Jonathan
03:16 — "Valkyrie Run" (Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine) by Sascha Dikiciyan, Cris Velasco
08:05 — "Flynn Lives" (Tron: Legacy)" by Daft Punk
09:34 — "Main Theme/End Credits" (The Thing) by Ennio Morricone
14:12 — "Planting the Beans" (Puss in Boots) by Henry Jackman
17:20 — "Main Title" (Straw Dogs) by Larry Groupe
20:06 — "Escape 700" (Hanna) by The Chemical Brothers
29:30 — "Battlefield 3 Main Theme" (Battlefield 3) by Johan Skugge & Jukka Rintamaki
41:45 — "A Distant Sadness" (Battlestar: Galactica S3) by Bear McCreary
56:45 — "Lair Main Title" (Lair) by John Debney
58:04 — "Manor House Rally" (Medal of Honor: Frontline) by Michael Giacchino
81:15 — "Toy Factory" (The Best Music) by George & Jonathan

Download the episode here

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Homefront (Game Soundtrack) by Matthew Harwood - Reviewed

Take Me Home
Review by Marius Masalar

Unlike many mainstream critics, I actually enjoyed 2008’s intriguing future shooter, Frontlines: Fuel of War. What it lacked in groundbreaking mechanics it more than made up for in polished gameplay, nice graphics, and some compelling combat scenarios. To have that team working on a game with a premise as provocative and important as the one belonging to HOMEFRONT seemed like a smart match in the making. The story itself, penned by Apocalypse Now co-writer and Red Dawn creator, John Milius, represents a strong look into one political fantasy that is chilling because of its willingness to bring the conflict home. Despite promising sales though, the game’s tepid critical response perhaps reveals a studio unable to do justice to such complex plot potential. The overall effect is one of having made no real progress from Frontlines.

Unfortunately, the musical score has also taken a step firmly in the wrong direction. Following the Frontlines score, which was at least moderately good if a little bland, MATTHEW HARWOOD’s music for HOMEFRONT delivers an overly long salad of mediocrity that does the game’s narrative almost no justice.

Read the full review

Super-Mario Galaxy Soundtrack Re-Recorded by One Man.

The legacy of Corey Vidal's Tribute to John Williams lives on through this pretty impressive one-man rendition of the music from Super Mario Galaxy.

Assassins Creed: Brotherhood feat. Score by Jesper Kyd

Are you looking forward to the next ASSASSINS CREED game?  You should be.  In addition to the fun to be had playing it's multiplayer option, the score promises to be something special, once again, with JESPER KYD at the composing reigns!

The incredible-looking Collectors Edition comes with the game soundtrack as well:

Look for more epic coverage of this title in the weeks to come, but for now...the official presser...

ASSASSIN'S CREED® BROTHERHOOD FEATURES MASTERFUL RENAISSANCE MUSIC SCORE BY WORLD-RENOWNED COMPOSER JESPER KYD

Original Soundtrack to be released November 16 on iTunes

Los Angeles, CA - October 27, 2010 - BAFTA award-winning composer Jesper Kyd has composed an original music soundtrack for Ubisoft®'s Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, the next iteration of the critically acclaimed, multi-million selling video game franchise. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is inspired by historical events during the occupation of Rome by The Borgias in 1503. Kyd's new music score for Brotherhood draws influence and authentic instrumentation from this Renaissance period, immersing players in Ezio's adventures to liberate Rome from a corrupt and tyrant regime. The Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Original Soundtrack will be available for digital download from iTunes on November 16, 2010, to coincide with the North American release of the game on Microsoft Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the Sony PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

"Researching the history of the Borgia Family it became clear early on that Assassin's Creed Brotherhood would require a very dark score in order to match the Borgias' aspirations to become the rulers of Italy. The music reflects the compelling story of Ezio as a Master Assassin going up against the Borgias," said Kyd.

Kyd's globally acclaimed score for Assassin's Creed® 2 continues to receive top honors for Best Original Music including the Gold Spirit Awards, Hollywood Music In Media Awards, GameSpot Readers' Choice, GameSpy Editors' Choice, Game Audio Network Guild Awards as well as recognition from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, International Film Music Critics Association, Golden Joystick Awards and Spike TV VGAs.

In Assassin's Creed Brotherhood the critically acclaimed single player experience of Assassin's Creed is back and better than ever as Ezio returns in an enduring struggle against the powerful Templar Order. Now a legendary Master Assassin, he must journey to Rome, center of power, greed and corruption to strike at the heart of the enemy. Defeating the corrupt tyrants entrenched there will require not only strength, but leadership, as Ezio commands an entire Brotherhood that will rally to his side. Only by working together can the Assassins defeat their mortal enemies. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is also the first time the franchise has featured a multiplayer gameplay experience, which has already received numerous industry awards.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a worldwide production effort led by the Ubisoft Montreal development studio in collaboration with Ubisoft studios in Singapore, Bucharest, Québec City and Annecy. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood will ship on November 16, 2010 for the Microsoft Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the Sony PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. For more information about Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, please visit, please visit www.assassinscreed.com.

Ramin Djawadi Composes Original Music for Next Medal of Honor (Video Game)

At long last, an official announcement has been made regarding the original score for the next MEDAL OF HONOR video game.  This bit of info has been kept fairly well under-wraps for quite some time (I should know...I've been begging for this for many months...to no avail.)

With the lock-down on this one would think that John Williams was writing the score.  Well, not quite, but after Djawadi's work for IRON MAN and CLASH OF THE TITANS, I have to say that it could prove to be a good choice.  In fact, if you want to get a glimpse of what is to come, Amazon already has clips available.  Listen to them here!



Official Press Release

ELECTRONIC ARTS RECRUITS AWARD WINNING COMPOSER RAMIN DJAWADI TO SCORE MEDAL OF HONOR


Composer Behind Iron Man, Flash Forward and Clash of the Titans
Creates Modern Tier-1 Auditory Experience for Franchise Reboot


Soundtrack available Tuesday September 28th, 2010


REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – September 23, 2010 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) has recruited award-winning composer Ramin Djawadi to create a deep and meaningful audio experience for the modern combat first-person shooter, Medal of Honor™. Known for his recent work on the Iron Man movie, the “Prison Break” television series and the remake of Clash of the Titans, Ramin Djawadi creates a score to match the intense soldier’s story and Tier 1 experience told throughout Medal of Honor, which takes place in the current war in Afghanistan. Medal of Honor score album will be available on iTunes Tuesday, September 28, 2010.


 "The new version of a landmark game always requires a next-level soundtrack," said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing. "But this 'reinvention' of Medal Of Honor demanded a composer who could create an epic score that brings the game into a whole new era. The intuition and skill that makes Ramin Djawadi one of Hollywood's top young talents in film scoring is exemplified in MoH. This is an incredibly intense score, and we're tremendously proud to have him in the EA family."


For the first time in its 11-year history, Medal of Honor leaves the World War II theatre and enters the modern day setting of war-torn Afghanistan told through the lens of a small band of fictional characters. Medal of Honor introduces players to the Tier 1 Operator, an elite warrior and relatively unknown instrument of the U.S. Military that operates under the National Command Authority, taking on missions no one else can handle. Composer Ramin Djawadi explains “The fact that it is modern day with various locations asked for a completely different approach both stylistically and thematically. The score is very wide spread from emotional orchestral to edgy modern action. Western and ethnic instruments are used to represent the different cultures.”


“Designing a score that defines both the scalpel-like quiet professionals that are the Tier 1 Operators and the bold execution of the sledge hammer big military, has been truly unlike any project I’ve had the opportunity to work on,” said Djawadi. “Between the fast paced action and the precise battle sequences, players will be kept on the edge of their seats the entire game.”


 “Ramin Djawadi has brought an incredible amount of creativity and emotion to his score for Medal of Honor,” said Paul Lackey, audio director for Medal of Honor. “His take on traditional middle eastern music with the incorporation of modern twists including sequences of heavy electric guitar and bass have helped create a unique and engaging composition that will help set the tone for the reboot of Medal of Honor.”


Medal of Honor launches on October 12, 2010 in North America and October 15 in Europe for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. Follow the game on twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/medalofhonor or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/medalofhonor.


About Electronic Arts


Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA Mobile TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.


EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and Medal of Honor are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Video Game Music by Julien-K

We all know the sequel to TRANSFORMERS is coming this Summer, but did you know that there is follow-up game tie-in as well? The game, TRANSFORMERS, did not get a very warm reception, but that hasn't stopped Activision from announcing that the TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN video game is coming as well. Along with the big, blockbusting film, we'll get the game sometime in June.

Now, STEVE JABLONSKY's score for TRANSFORMERS has become one of the most collectible scores in the last couple of years and remains popular among the Remote Controllers. It would stand to reason that utilizing his music for the game might be a good option. Seeing that he has experience in the world of video game scoring (Command & Conquer, Gears of War 2) too, it would also seem feasible to have him write some a couple of pieces specifically for game too. Instead that honor goes to the electronica/industrial group, JULIEN-K, who had a song featured in the TRANSFORMERS movie.

We'll see (or hear) how this all works out. You can find out more about the group here at Plugin Music, but you can check out the teaser trailer for the game below.

Composer Billy Martin to score Petz Sports: Dog Playground for Wii

The popular PETZ title from the Nintendo DS has broken loose and is coming to your Wii. In only the Wii-world can you play fetch will your virtual pet, race him against other dogs, skip rope with him, or just pet him. So just how do write music for something like this?

Composer Billy Martin knows, as he has signed to provide the music for the upcoming Wii title, PETZ SPORTS: DOG PLAYGROUND. Below is the official press release.



PRESS RELEASE

Billy Martin Scores Petz Sports: Dog Playground for Ubisoft

Los Angeles, October, 2008 - Composer Billy Martin (www.billymartinmusic.com.) has announced that he has composed all of the music for the upcoming Ubisoft game, Petz Sports: Dog Playground. Petz Sports will be available exclusively on the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo. Petz Sports gameplay will be designed to take advantage of the Wii system’s technology and full utilization of the Wii Remote™. Petz Sports is scheduled for release on November 4, 2008. A trailer for the game featuring Martin’s theme music is available at the Petz Press Portal.

Martin commented “the gameplay really lends itself to an upbeat, rhythm-section oriented approach for the music. I really enjoyed working with Ubisoft again on this title.”

Composer Billy Martin composes for new media with a range of projects for companies including Ubisoft, Sony Online, EA, and Disney Interactive. His recent scores include Petz Sports, Chicken Little, and EA Skate (additional music). A five-time G.A.N.G Award nominee, the Game Audio Network Guild presented Billy with a 2002 G.A.N.G Award "Best Edutainment/Children Audio" for his score to the PC game Disney/Pixar Learning 2nd & 3rd Grade w/Buzz Lightyear. For television, he wrote the theme for the long-running celebrity interview show Entertainers featuring Byron Allen. As a songwriter, he has contributed songs to feature films including Spiderman 2 and Selena while television series from Desperate Housewives to Sex and the City have also featured his lyrics and music.

Billy serves on the board of directors for the Society of Composers and Lyricists. He is represented by Bob Rice of Four Bars Intertainment. For more information visit www.billymartinmusic.com.

Music from Mirror's Edge Available

One of the major titles covered at this year's E3 was EA's upcoming MIRROR'S EDGE. The official trailer recently released contains some entrancing music that many have been asking about. The developers have made a "special mix." This mix seems to be a cut and paste job of several different remix versions. They are very short bits added end to end to make the total track length about 1:55. Before you download the mix, you should check out the trailer here. The game looks beautiful and is slated for a late 2008 release.

Check the trailer at the official site here

(The vocals at the conclusion of the trailer certainly have a Imogen Heap vibe!)


Download the remix here.


Despite apparent messages from the developers to the contrary the piece in the trailer does indeed seem to be a remix of SHINE by ALCORUS. You can listen to the original here as provided by IMEEM.

Since the purchasing options of Amazon.com and iTunes seem to be defunct, perhaps DICE has bought the rights for the music outright.

Enjoy!

Fallout 3 (Video Game Score) Composed by Inon Zur

One of the busiest composers in the world of video games is INON ZUR. Having already written score for popular franchises such as CRYSIS, LINEAGE, PRINCE OF PERSIA, and EVERQUEST, the composer is now attached to yet another famous game franchise - Fallout. The official game site now offers 3 streaming tracks from the score. Check them out here. Below is the official press release.


MEDIA RELEASE


FALLOUT 3® TO FEATURE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
BY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER INON ZUR


May 7, 2008 (Rockville, MD) -- Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that Inon Zur has created the original musical score for Bethesda Softworks’ highly anticipated post-apocalyptic video game, Fallout® 3. Zur, an award-winning composer, has created numerous scores for films, television, and new media.

“We’ve wanted to work with Inon for a long time,” said Todd Howard executive producer of Fallout 3. “He brings so much to the table, in terms of his talent, background, and the music that’s influenced him. He’s created a score that has epic sweep; from the lonely ambience of the wasteland to dramatic fights for survival.”

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

“Fallout 3 is one of the most engaging and demanding projects I've scored,” said Inon Zur. “It was very rewarding to put all my creative energy into supporting Bethesda's vision for the game. I’m very proud of the outcome, and look forward to sharing the music with the players."

In addition to scoring a number of best-selling video games, Zur’s music has been featured in many high-profile projects including Hollywood film trailers, network television productions, CGI movies, and symphony concerts. Most recently, Zur has composed music for CBS’ ‘Ghost Whisperer: The Other Side’ TV webisode series as well as the Marvel Kids webisodes for ‘IRON MAN’.

Currently under development at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of award-winning The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, the 2006 Game of the Year – Fallout 3 is slated for release this Fall on Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

Fallout® 3 has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout 3, visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.

For more information on Inon Zur visit http://www.inonzur.com/.

Prince Caspian Game to Bonus Footage and Score Info

In case you needed more PRINCE CASPIAN coverage today...Variety reports that the upcoming official game tie in for THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN will feature a couple of new scenes shot specifically for the game...a la ENTER THE MATRIX. It's a wonder more game tie-ins have not jumped into this.

Not sure how this game will fair in the end, BUT of note is composer MARK GRISKEY's score. Griskey has been quite busy this year with this project, IRON MAN (GAME), THE INCREDIBLE HULK (GAME) and STAR WARS: THE FORCE UNLEASHED. Is that a nomination for Breakout Composer of the Year...or Outstanding Composer I hear being made?

Check out the official video game site where you can hear some of Mark Griskey's score.

Top Stuff from 2007 #2 - Video Game Scores

Top Stuff from 2007 #2 - Video Game Scores

It's no secret around that video game music is receiving increased coverage here at Tracksounds. I'd have to say that 2007 was one the best years ever for the genre. Releases such as GOD OF WAR II, ASSASSIN'S CREED, CALL OF DUTY 4, CRYSIS, BIOSHOCK and LAIR were just about as highly anticipated as some of the major feature films of 2007. For those who continue to brush this genre of music aside, all I can say is that you won't be able to do that for much longer.

The sort of score that used to be quite common in Hollywood feature films, is now starting to dominate the video game genre. The game developers aren't so much looking for intricate subtlety as much as invigorating substance. Some of the best stuff of all of 2007 came from the world of video games. Garry Schymann's BIOSHOCK and JOHN DEBNEY's LAIR could easily be matched up with the best action film scores of 2007. I have even gone as far as saying that Jamie Christopherson's score for the tie-in game out-classed Alexandre Desplat's work for the film, THE GOLDEN COMPASS and I don't think that will be such a strange thing franchises include both films and games together.

In a year that some consider a "down" year for film music, the genre of video game music has taken another few steps forward and that trend looks as if it will move right through 2008.

High Score! The New Era of Video Game Music - Relaunched

Just relaunched the feature HIGH SCORE: THE NEW ERA OF VIDEO GAME MUSIC. Included in the relaunch is a total redesign of the feature page, but more importantly a couple new additions:

First - a new interview with COMPOSER JESPER KYD centering around his work for the upcoming game, ASSASSIN'S CREED (the game looks incredibly engaging and Jesper Kyd's score is fascinating.)

Second - a full review of JOHN DEBNEY'S epic score for LAIR. If you thought I gushed over the 5-track promo then wait 'til you read the review of the soundtrack as released by iTunes!

More cool game-music-stuff on the way, but don't wait...

CHECK OUT HIGH SCORE! HERE

2006 Cue Awards: Best Scores for Video Game and Television

Yesterday, we announced the winner

For Best Score for a Video Game

This year's nominees were:

Call of Duty 3 (Joel Goldsmith)
Black (Chris Tilton/ M. Giacchino)
Soul of the Ultimate Nation (Howard Shore)
Hitman: Blood Money (Jesper Kyd)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS YEAR'S WINNER

And today we announce the winner for Best Score for Television,

This year's nominees were:

Battlestar Galactica Season 2 (Bear McCreary)
24 Seasons 5 (Sean Callery)
Lost Season 2 (Michael Giacchino)
Path to 9/11 (John Cameron)
Heroes Season 1 (Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS YEAR'S WINNER