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[bomma_man]

Thought people might be interested in what a "real" music publication thinks about VGM.

http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/837-gamings-best-ambient-tracks/

The list (in no order):

Koji Kondo - Ice Cavern [from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" (1998)]

"Ice Cavern" is a hollow wind blowing beneath twinkling keys falling sporadically like icicles breaking off a roof in succession. It’s a barren piece, best played loud to feel the bass-filled rumble of that cavernous wind.

Hirokazu Tanaka: "Moonside Swing" [from "Earthbound" (1994)]

In reality, the watery echoed claps and distant laser noises are a lo-fi loop of the intro to Ric Ocasek’s "Keep on Laughin’". Tanaka has cited A Tribe Called Quest as one of his biggest inspirations, and the influence of sampling in hip-hop bleeds through on the "Earthbound" soundtrack.

Akira Yamaoka: "Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me" [from "Silent Hill 3" (2003)]

Flying Lotus found its emotional pull sufficient enough to sample it on his remix of Kanye’s "Love Lockdown".

C418: "Subwoofer Lullaby" [from "Minecraft" (2011)]

The score by C418 (aka Daniel Rosenfeld) is equally as wondrous, full of hopeful piano compositions just sparse enough to not intrude on the peace of the surrounding atmosphere. "Subwoofer Lullaby" etches in swelling strings and is plucked hard to emphasize the vastness of the landscape facing the player.

Nobuo Uematsu: "Buried in the Snow" [from "Final Fantasy VII" (1997)]

It feels almost comical in its playfulness, not unlike Angelo Badalamenti’s "Twin Peaks" score, another work of art playing with magical realism and death in a frank way. "Final Fantasy VII" is full of phenomenal music, but "Buried in Snow" stands out for its minimal composition and placement preceding a devastating plot twist.

Dan Hess: "Hang Glider" [from "Pilotwings 64" (1996)]

Soaring through the sky in a hang glider, Dan Hess’ score was simultaneously wistful and hopeful, perfectly celebrating the newfound freedom that open worlds and 3D games provided.

Solar Fields: "The Shard" [from "Mirror’s Edge" (2007)]

"Mirror’s Edge" is a game where you’re often scrambling for dear life, leaping across death-defying chasms. Solar Fields dials back the music on a climactic moment and lets your heart provide the beat.

David Wise: "Forest Interlude" [from "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest" (1995)]

Working with the limited sound capabilities of the nearly obsolete SNES, Wise samples fractions of in-game sounds to fill in the percussion. Wooden claps, animal chirps, and metallic clinking are repurposed to make "Forest Interlude" one of the most beloved songs in gaming history.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

Were I to pick a Koji Kondo ambient track, it would be Dire Dire Docks instead of anything from OoT. Dire Dire Docks is among the five best tracks Nintendo has ever done.

 

[PGamer]

This article is over a year old and there was already a thread about it: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1077572

 

[Neoleo2143]

Phendrana Drifts from Metroid Prime is my pick.

 

[bomma_man]

This article is over a year old and there was already a thread about it: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1077572

For some reason it just came up in my FB feed.

fuck. sorry guys pack it up.

 

[The Dear Leader]

The Fields of Skellige, The Witcher 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokhBJWSjeM

Nothing beats riding around the Skellige on horseback with the wind blowing in the snow and this track kicks on, so good.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

For some reason it just came up in my FB feed.

fuck. sorry guys pack it up.

THAT WAS MY THREAD!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!

 

[Oblivion]

Koji Kondo - Ice Cavern [from "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" (1998)]

Of all the ambient tracks in OoT, they pick this one??!?!

 

[PixyJunket]

Having an article on ambient video game music and not mentioning Equinox feels irresponsible.

The list does seems to sway to very popular games though, so that's probably it.

 

[bomma_man]

THAT WAS MY THREAD!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!

please forgive me

 

[AgeEighty]

Eh. Pitchfork is basically an online thesaurus with a snotty attitude. It's a bunch of people with man buns and NYU bachelor's degrees competing to see whose hipster snark can outdo that of his or her peers and who can boost clickthroughs the most with a controversial takedown of whatever's popular at the moment.

They're what Polygon wants to be for gaming, and are equally obnoxious.

 

[Gaogaogao]

For some reason it just came up in my FB feed.

fuck. sorry guys pack it up.

facebook always does that

 

[bomma_man]

Eh. Pitchfork is basically an online thesaurus with a snotty attitude. It's a bunch of people with man buns and NYU bachelor's degrees competing to see whose hipster snark can outdo that of his or her peers and who can boost clickthroughs the most with a controversial takedown of whatever's popular at the moment.

They're what Polygon wants to be for gaming, and are equally obnoxious.

yeah, these are totally controversial picks. their last ten years of best ofs have been completely out there.

this hasn't been a true description for like ten years.

 

[blame space]

ice cavern is its own genre

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

Thank god they picked Forest Interlude.

I know people like to gush about a certain song from that game but Interlude is the best in the whole game.

 

[Team Alucard]

The entire list should be Yamaoka

 

[Yamibito]

For some reason it just came up in my FB feed.

fuck. sorry guys pack it up.

I work for Complex Media and when it's a weekend, we'll post older features on Facebook to get some traffic when news just isn't happening.

 

[Galang]

I mean it's an okay list, but I dislike "best of" anything lists especially when there are literally hundreds of amazing ambient tracks to choose from.

 

[Torokil]

Moonside Swing is the GOAT video game ambient track so this list is validated

 

[Gattsu25]

Before this gets locked...for those interested "Wandering Flame" from Final Fantasy X is another good ambient song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5lyc2gLri4

 

[Easy_D]

This article is over a year old and there was already a thread about it: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1077572

It's a damn fine list though.

 

[Outrun]

Jaguar xj220

Moody Breeze.

An oldie, goodie.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

Majora's Mask, Astral Observatory.

 

[RespectThySole]

The Fields of Skellige, The Witcher 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokhBJWSjeM

Nothing beats riding around the Skellige on horseback with the wind blowing in the snow and this track kicks on, so good.

YES

 

[ThanksVision]

Eh. Pitchfork is basically an online thesaurus with a snotty attitude. It's a bunch of people with man buns and NYU bachelor's degrees competing to see whose hipster snark can outdo that of his or her peers and who can boost clickthroughs the most with a controversial takedown of whatever's popular at the moment.

I remember being like you

 

[AgeEighty]

this hasn't been a true description for like ten years.

Sure.

 

[torre_avenue]

I work for Complex Media and when it's a weekend, we'll post older features on Facebook to get some traffic when news just isn't happening.

You work for Complex? Get your fucking lists together man. Seriously, the Complex "best albums so far" list was downright embarrassing.

 

[oneida]

takes a drag from my cigarette

man i read this article months ago

 

[Gattsu25]

The Fields of Skellige, The Witcher 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokhBJWSjeM

Nothing beats riding around the Skellige on horseback with the wind blowing in the snow and this track kicks on, so good.

OOOMPH

I'm pretty sure that this is the best track from 2015. Great choice.

 

[Arthr2ShdsJcksn]

I'm still waiting to hear what a real music outlet thinks.

Seriously though, fuck the pretentious snobs at Pitchfork. Fuck their 100 point scale, which really only measures how far up their own asses they are. Fuck their shitty reviews that focus more on how much trivia and narrative they can spew about the band and not about the music itself. Also, fuck them for being right some of the time. I wish they sucked worse for how much I hate them, but they often show good taste.

These picks are decent.

Water Cavern and the Minecraft track are great. Wish they would have picked Majula from DS2

 

[Brianimaniac]

Pitckfork is the site that published a review of Lateralus that gave it a 1.9 out of 10.

 

[Gattsu25]

Pitckfork is the site that published a review of Lateralus that gave it a 1.9 out of 10.

I just read the text of the review. The reviewer seemed to love it yet spent the majority of the review talking about things outside of the album.

Whatever. The music in the OP's article is all pretty good. Written by a different person, too.

 

[undead77]

Aquatic Ambience should have been selected from Donkey Kong Country (SNES).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4XCk2HFdNc

 

[Scythian]

Wow, didn't know Kanye did a Silent Hill sample, that's pretty cool.
This list is pretty good, a few of my personal picks.

 

[InfernoNR]

Glad to see Minecraft on there. First game I thought of, have always loved the music

 

[jmood88]

New Worlds. Final answer.

 

[Renekton]

Thought people might be interested in what a "real" music publication thinks about VGM.

"real" indeed...

 

[PillarEN]

Mirrors Edge should have been "Kate (Puzzle)"

Easily the best ambient track

 

[darkslayer101]

The Fields of Skellige, The Witcher 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokhBJWSjeM

Nothing beats riding around the Skellige on horseback with the wind blowing in the snow and this track kicks on, so good.

seriously any track in witcher 3 is ambiance defined

 

[RoKKeR]

The Fields of Skellige, The Witcher 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gokhBJWSjeM

Nothing beats riding around the Skellige on horseback with the wind blowing in the snow and this track kicks on, so good.

Damn, yes. Witcher 3's ambient music is incredible.

Also want to give a shoutout to RDR.

 

[Rich!]

the best of all time is the forest temple from OOT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmsZyC0UXUU

 

[ThanksVision]

Seriously though, fuck the pretentious snobs at Pitchfork. Fuck their 100 point scale, which really only measures how far up their own asses they are. Fuck their shitty reviews that focus more on how much trivia and narrative they can spew about the band and not about the music itself. Also, fuck them for being right some of the time. I wish they sucked worse for how much I hate them, but they often show good taste.

I wish I cared this much about anything

 

[D.Va]

I came here to make sure Mirror's Edge was on this list. I am not disappointed. The Shard is an incredible song. And that description/review of the song, holy crap, right on the mark and very well said. Here are some other standouts from Mirror's Edge:

Mirror's Edge - Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfpQjtTrCEk

Mirror's Edge Catalyst Theme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBAFUDqO_EM

I regret not preordering from the PS Store... that theme is gorgeous.

 

[bomma_man]

Sure.

Look at last year's top ten albums and tell me it's controversial.

Pitchfork is firmly orthodox these days.

 

[Strangelove77]

"Real" indeed.

 

[InfernoNR]

OH, how could I forget The Witness. Just "finished" it and, wow.

 

[EVO]

I just found this mix via Killscreen and it reminded me of this thread. Lovely stuff.

 

[djtiesto]

Pretty decent list, I'd have put on a Secret of Evermore track at the very least, though. Probably the first game that I recall of to have a soundtrack so heavily influenced by ambient (and Steve Reich minimalism). Was a big disappointment to me coming off Secret of Mana and Seiken 3 but over time I've come to appreciate Jeremy Soule's score a LOT more (though I could never come around on the game, I still think it's average at best).