I've been saying it for quite some time now, but I'll state it again -- game music is where it's at for score lovers. To that end, a fantastic release by Game Music Central further cements this claim by its offering of, "Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music." In what is the first of hopefully many volumes, a pantheon of talented game composers are brought together to offer new recordings that are inspired by some of the most popular video games around. And by inspired new recordings, I mean just that -- original pieces that have been created specifically for this release based on characters and storylines from video game titles. While listeners who come from the arena of film scores may not recognize some of the composers who are involved with this, veterans of the game music world will instantly recognize the talents involved here, and happily so! Just to name a few, Inon Zur, Jesper Kyd, Colin O'Malley, Tommy Tallarico, Jack Wall are all present for this wonderful gathering.
The purpose of this album, as it's laid out, is to have each composer write and record new material for a specific 'game-inspired' track. Thus, there are 18 unique tracks that are on this release and all of which differ from one to next. You could almost say that this is a 'Greatest Hits' album, only with all-new offerings instead of existing material. Truly a welcome innovation that I heartily embrace.
Since the tracks all differ from one another, you'll hear music of all styles as the playlist goes from one cue to the next. Perhaps the flow of such variety made for a bit of a distraction, but it's something that's easily overcome. For instance, the album begins with Tallarico's track, which has a modern rhythm to it and even offers a rap verse in the presentation. This cue is followed directly by Inon Zur's "Conan" inspired material, which offers an action adventure style of music. However, after these initial tracks, the foundation is put in place that this musical journey is unlike that of any typical score release, thus it's easy to get into the groove.
For you Mario fans, you'll be delighted to hear a song devoted to the legendary game, performed merrily by Winifred Phillips, who hits on many of the popular melodies that made the audio portion of the game so addictive. While I admit it was a bit unusual to hear such a vivid musical interpretation of Mario's base music, it was also a lot of fun to listen to. Perhaps the biggest concern about it all is the need you will feel to play the game immediately after the track concludes. Makes for an interesting psychological study!
Perhaps the most engaging piece on this album is from Colin O'Malley, who is tasked to create the music representing "The White Horse" from "Lord of the Rings." Some of you may know O'Malley's work from the Superman Returns video game so you're probably aware of his wonderful talent going into this. If so, it's no surprise to find out that he delivers an absolutely engaging and mythic brand of music with his offering. "The White Horse" is evenly balanced, doesn't stray over the top and represents the magical world of Tolkien's with great sensibilities.
An interesting decision was cast in the "Medal of Honor" track by Chance Thomas, who is also a rising talent in the industry in his own right. While I was expecting militaristic melodies in the style of Giachinno or Lennertz, he instead wrote his cue for piano, delivering 'Medal of Honor' as you've never heard it before. While I'm still more of a fan of the traditional MOA offerings, I certainly appreciated Thomas' inspirations in doing what he did. Variations are often a good thing.
While I could go on and on with the different highlights that "Best of the Best" offers, I'd rather recommend it to you and have you explore it on your own. It's truly a fun journey that captures the positive enthusiasm that many film scores seem to lack. Also, there is something for everyone's tastes on here -- rock, techno, orchestral, etc. Needless to say, that after such a grand debut, I'm very enthusiastic about what Game Music Central has in store for us in the future.
Purchase Option: GameMusicCentral.com
