Dark Souls OST

Today I would like to present music from a videogame called “Dark Souls”. It was released in 2011 and was well received by both, the press and the gamers. What stand out is it difficulty level, which is just brutal, unforgiving and ruthless. The back cover of the game says “prepare to die” so really, what can you expect? And why music from a videogame and not just form an album? It think that a lot of people don’t appreciate this form of entertainment, categorizing it as childish and utterly useless. I find it completely wrong because we can find examples of games that could be considered art. Putting that aside, let’s concentrate on music. It was composed by Motoi Sakuraba (Japanese musician, arranger and compositor) and reflects the game atmosphere tremendously well, although it appears mainly during boss fights. Without further ado, here are two tracks. 

birds of passage - Winter Lady (2011)

The weather outside is reminding us which season it is right now. I wanted to follow that fact, so I’m presenting an album of Alicia Merz, a minimalistic masterpiece.

It starts with “Fatal Melody” a dark, sad and kind of depressing song. It doesn’t get happier as the album focuses on creating a desolate and icy world in our imagination. Many other songs use vocals as an additional instrument, but here the voice of Alicia is the key instruments in all the tracks, accompanied by piano, ambient drones, some fields recordings and so on. It’s really a unique music and I find it strange that listening to it always makes me experience peacefulness, even though it’s cover and titles such as “Hollow”, “Disaster Of Dreams”, “The Monster Inside You” are definitely not bound to do such a task. I love listening to it in the dark, laying down with my eyes closed, in fact I once or twice fell asleep while doing so, which just proves the calmness it produces in me.

Sorrow - Dreamstone (2013)

From a guy who’s nickname is Sorrow it’s natural to expect sad, depressing music, right? Not in this case, at least not in “Dreamstone”. None of the twelve tracks available on the album is filled with…well, sorrow. I know that’s a subjective thing, but still I will insist on the fact that this LP is devoid of sadness. The first track “Elixir” is a wonderful example of it as it makes me think about childhood, that carefree time when we were always playing about joyfully. Maybe that was the idea behind it, it was supposed to have that effect hence the title. “Dreamstone” and “Dalliance” on the other hand are, for me, the highlight of the album. The appearance of CoMa, an uprising female vocalist, had much to do with it. Her delicate voice adds another dimension to the tracks and makes them oneiric.

bvdub - The Art Of Dying Alone (2010)

Another one from bvdub, but this time something a little different. Brock Van Wey creates music using repetition, because of that his tracks are usually very long (up to almost 30 minutes), it produces a hypnotizing experience. Before recording the first notes bvdub thinks about an emotion he wants to evoke in the listeners, he reminds himself about past experiences he had and comes out with a title. “To Finally Forget It All”, “No One Will Ever Find You Here”, “The Art Of Dying Alone” - we can see that the titles have meaning and that this album is filled with isolation, melancholy and contemplation. It reminds me of the medieval theme “Ars moriendi” although it wasn’t related to music. Listening to it really makes you contemplate about your life and death, and about life in general. It isn’t just something to listen to in order to kill time, mere entertainment, it is something more, something deeper, something more profound.

Clubroot - Clubroot (2009)

Finally I’ve decided to write about a dubstep album. I really like this genre (or liked because it has changed so much over the years) because it focuses on the low frequencies, on the bass. Also because old dubstep tracks are known for the dark atmosphere and characteristic slow tempo. This album is the first of the trilogy and by some proclaimed as the best. I don’t totally agree with that statement, but I’ve listened to it quite a lot and even now I am not bored of it. For a long time  “Dulcet” was my favorite thanks to it basslines and choir-ish synth…and that hasn’t changed.

Igorrr & Ruby My Dear - Maigre (2014)

In this post I would like to present a unique EP from two breakcore artists: Igorr and Ruby My Dear. This 20 minute long mini album is fast and furious, as one would expect from breakcore music, but it is also atmospheric and emotional. While listening to the first track “Barbecue” I think of…Christmas, but not of an ordinary one. I have images of some crazy, weird, Tim Burton influenced Christmas. And I would have never guessed, not in a million years, that listening to breakcore may remind me of that time of year. The others tracks are definitely more aggressive than the first one, it is after all breakcore, and my favorite is “Biquette”. It gives you a feeling that the album is ending and what a great ending it is.
 

bvdub - Serenity (2012)

If you are listening to a lot of music it’s really hard to choose a favourite artist. But if someone would ask me „Hey what’s your favourite music producer?” I must admit that I would say bvdub. His work is just astonishing. In one interview he said that he spends almost all his free time creating music. One time, while he was on a barbeque with his girlfriend and some friends, an idea came to him and he felt such an urge to make music that he just left and went straight to his studio. “Serenity” may be his most famous album so I have chosen a tune from it. Precisely the last song which title is the same as the album’s name. And what can one say about if the name says it all?