Monthly Archives: December 2014

Reviews

Review: X’mas Collections music from BRAVELY DEFAULT

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I have a soft spot for Christmas music, and obviously game music. I generally break out the Christmas music on the ride home from Thanksgiving, and I have a playlist that contains lots of winter-themed game tracks to fit the mood. Square Enix has made finding game music to listen to for the holidays even easier with their annual X’mas albums, with two previous entries coming as compilations, and a surprise announcement this year: an entire album of remixes from Bravely Default arranged for the holidays.

The album is fantastic, and even more, Square Enix fans will appreciate guest arrangements by Junya Nakano, Motoi Sakuraba, and Yuzo Koshiro. The addition of bells, lots of reverb, and jingle bells could be viewed by some as gimmicky, but I certainly appreciate the effort. I particularly enjoy the bubbly opener, “Land of Beginnings,” the moving choir and piano in “Under a Hollow Moon,” and the majestic Christmas adventure, “Horizon of Light and Shadow.” There are a few picks that are more gamey and electronic in nature, such as “Baby Bird” with its quirky vocals, and overall, I couldn’t be more happy with this album and think it’s a perfect addition to any holiday play list. It’s out now on CD Japan, and here are links to the first and second X’mas albums from Square Enix if you want to dig deeper (Yuzo Koshiro’s arrangement of “Rydia” from Final Fantasy IV on the second album is my favorite).

Reviews

Review: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

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I’ve finally dug through the 400+ songs featured in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. I was particularly pleased with the Super Smash Bros. for 3DS soundtrack that I reviewed a couple months back, and the Wii U soundtrack is a staggering three-to-four times bigger.

Now, while many of those tracks are original soundtrack versions and returning arrangements from Melee and Brawl (which are excellent themselves), there’s still new arrangements to enjoy.

Let’s have a listen. Continue reading Review: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U →

Album Information

Special Order: Winter’s Hedgehog by Tellement

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We have a special release just in time for the winter season. Scarlet Moon Artists’s own Goomin “Nauts’ Nam started recording with a Korean indie pop/rock band called Tellement, who celebrated the release of their debut album, Winter’s Hedgehog, in early 2014. You can read reviews of the album on Higher Plain Music and VGM Online. The album features catchy melodies and a slow winter’s pace that is perfect for the holidays and beyond, but it’s been hard to get a hold of outside of Korea.

Scarlet Moon Records is pleased to announce that we’re now taking special orders for Tellement’s Winter’s Hedgehog. Ordering will be simple, with payment handled through PayPal. Email jayson[at]scarletmoonproductions.com for instructions and order total (international shipping rates will apply).

As an added bonus, we’ll be including special authentic Bar Oasis coasters with each order. For those who are unfamiliar, Bar Oasis is a popular iOS drink-making simulation title by Corners Studio with music by Goomin Nam. The game and soundtrack are definitely worth your attention, so check them out, and enjoy a free heavy-duty coaster with your order of Winter’s Hedgehog.