Jobediah Timberman Posted February 24, 2021 Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 I worded the title carefully because I'm not looking for replacement in-game music. I find the music to be very well done, and it fits the feel of the game, which is surprising because it's not quite the style I would expect. But that's one of the reasons I like it. I just want to make sure nobody wears the music out from playing this game so much before the whole soundtrack is complete. The same way that I try not to wear out a good album, like this one I'm about to introduce you to. I still haven't gotten tired of it after almost 2 decades, so I'm pretty sure I never will. Robert Rich is a long time producer of ambient, atmospheric, and very "introverted" music. After 20 years of honing his craft, he worked with a couple others to form a 'band' called Amoeba. Their only full release came out in 1999, and I'm still waiting for a sequel. In as few words as possible, I'd call it "Atmospheric Campfire Soft-Rock". I was surprised that wasn't the only one to compare his vocal style to Pink Floyd, so I guess I was accurate. That might be the closest band I could compare this to, but it's much more down-to-earth. I think that's the best I can do with describing it, I'll have to let the music speak for itself. This is a slightly reordered version of the album, starting with Sparks (Track 11), making the lyrics "Relight the fire..." connect directly to Fireflies (Track 1) "You saw the Fireflies...". So Track 1 becomes 2, and instrumental Track 12 ("To Other Days") layers over Fireflies, giving someone who's heard it a thousand times a new experience. Also, instrumental Track 6 "House of Rust" now layers over track 7, and 8 "Miniature" over track 9, so the music keeps flowing as best as possible. Those part often woke me up when I used to put this on to help me sleep. Plus I'm trying to avoid releasing the full album exactly as-is, if you get my drift. I wanted to pick out excerpts from the lyrics to illustrate just how many things about this remind me of Vintage Story, but there are so many, it's best to just read all of them. Or you might want to listen to the whole thing before reading any of it. So just to give you a taste of the whole album all at once: "Relight the fire", "You saw the fireflies", "I feel a change is in the atmosphere / I hear the Chimes of the Underworld", "Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival", "I am... lost in the underground". It's like the whole album was written for this game 20 years ago. And took 20 years to make, and very few people heard it until now, so everyone is going to be listening to an old album that aged over a long period of time. Technically, it's vintage music in every way. I would be tempted to suggest the idea of Robert Rich contributing to this game in some way, but it's not necessary because most of his work fits the game anyway. At the very least I'd like to see this become the catalyst that finally gives this album/band an audience. Maybe then I'll finally get to hear the sequel to it after 17+ years. (Enough babbling, I mean I thought I was gonna let it speak for itself already) Song Lyrics: Spoiler 11 - Sparks See a face in the window Looking on the day Sidewalks are empty Staying out of the rain Don't want to be cold Don't wanna be tired Don't wanna get old Don't wanna retire There's a place I know Take you there someday It's close to home Never far away Relight the fire, relight the fire, Relight the fire... Relight the fire, relight the fire, Relight the fire... Talking to the shadows Nothing left to say Taken to the gallows I won't run away Can't see in the dark And I'm getting tired Point the spark To relight the fire There's a place I know Take you there someday It's close to home Never far away Relight the fire, relight the fire, Relight the fire... Relight the fire, relight the fire, Relight the fire... 01 - Fireflies (+ Track 12 "To Other Days") You saw the fireflies Your own galaxy of stars You had a jar to catch a luna-moth Evening shadows in your hair You caught the fireflies And you held them in your hand You held the universe I'll never understand I wanted you to keep them And you wanted to let them go I wanted you to keep them And you wanted to let them go We kept the fireflies But they stopped shining The morning after, Lying dead inside a jar You caught the fireflies And you held them in your hand You held the universe I'll never understand I wanted you to keep them And you wanted to let them go I wanted you to keep them And you wanted to let them go Iridescent like a lunar moth You swim along the ocean floor Open all the oysters, putting pearls in every one Open up your hands, returning everything. 02 - No Empty Promises I feel a change is in the atmosphere I hear the chimes of the underworld And I keep saying things that haunt me over time No empty promises... No empty promises... And things look better now than yesterday I'll try to see beyond the mess I made I'll try to say things I could never say And you still touch me from a distance I want to see behind the curtain I want to see you changing colors Expose yourself and show me what you're hiding You are my only solace... You are my sea of silence... You are my raging sky... I'll try to look you in the eye... No empty promises... No empty promises... And you can see that I'm addicted to appearances And I keep saying things that I don't understand And I keep saying things that haunt me over time No empty promises... No empty promises... 03 - Traces So many holes, in my head The world rushes in Scanning for signals Before all the noise Gets under my skin It's only a weakness To be looking for traces A connection to everyone Give me an iron lung, to brace me for strangers And keep me away, from far away places Show me the signs, cause I'm looking for traces And show me the human behind other faces In the illusion of distance Mistaken for coldness I can't explain In the garden of silence I'm hoping to listen To your whispering You give me hope for the future Show me traces of life in this old crumbling shell Give me an iron lung, to brace me for strangers And keep me away, from far away places Show me the signs, cause I'm looking for traces And show me the human behind other faces I'm looking for traces Something to to hold in my hand I'm looking for traces Somebody, somewhere forgotten I'm looking for traces Something to fill in the gap I'm looking for traces Something that no one can take away I'm looking for traces (Give me an iron lung) Something to to hold in my hand (...to brace me for strangers) I'm looking for traces (...Keep me away... ) Somebody somewhere forgotten (...from far away places) I'm looking for traces (...Show me the signs) Something to fill in the gap (...I'm looking for traces) I'm looking for traces (...Show me the human) Something that no one can take away 04 - Pivot I'm stopping time... A life floats by... A memory in moments... Becomes a river A pivot on a day in transit, Here, alive... The pivot of an hourglass, Becomes a river... I wanna see the world Like birds can see I wanna fly so high No need for wings Like flying kites And broken string Come crashing down You've pulled me back to earth My tether in the wind A life entwined... I'm stopping time... A life goes by... A pivot on a day in transit... Becomes a river... I wanna see the world Like birds can see I wanna fly so high No need for wings Like flying kites And broken string Come crashing down You've pulled me back to earth My tether in the wind A life entwined... 05 - Moonlight Flowers She sings hymns to Horus Aphids on her roses Her sundial sits in shade On the longest day In a reverie of roses The colors all turn grey From the steel light of the moon She hides in her room Savor the daylight Savor the twilight hours Savor the darkness Savor the moonlight flowers Too far to come back Too far to come back home The flavor I see A question ringing The taste of honey Sirens singing Solitude, understand, I don't think I can stand up in the wind. Savor the daylight Savor the twilight hours Savor the darkness Savor the moonlight flowers Too far to come back Too far to come back home Watching water flow Wear away the stone As the trees fall in the wind Knowing time is stronger than will And fate and time, are sisters in crime. 06 - House of Rust 07 - Harvest Moon The moon suffocates the land Autumn paints it red and tan The rain falls in dusty pools The winds have come, it's getting cold Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival Pale skies on fallow fields The coming season of decline Tie the knot of winter's yield And we prepare for darker times The moon hungers over you Awaiting sign of coming ill The fading light of afternoon A warning, ready for the kill Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival Harvest Moon... Harvest Moon... Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival Long nights arrival, a ritual of survival 08 - Miniature 09 - Seasons Passing Asleep in the silence of winter The dim morning light Dreaming the passing of seasons From day into night Awaiting the heat of the summer To make it alright Only then, can I see you again Only then, will I be there again Seasons passing, time won't pass you by Seasons passing, time won't pass you by The spring in the evening is sweet I'm thinking of you The grey is returning to green I'll see you soon You leave in the cold autumn wind But nothing is new Oh when, can I see you again Oh when, can I be there again Seasons passing, time won't pass you by Seasons passing, time won't pass you by Never alone... Never alone... 10 - Underground Torn apart and far away Hoping to see another day I want it all to go away I want to find a better way I am... lost in the underground The river is dried up, the sun is in a cloud I am... lost in the underground Never... a sound... No way to see, no way around Try to find another route Calling out to anyone Try to find a new way out I am, lost in the underground The river is dried up, the sun is in a cloud I am, lost in the underground Never... a sound... 11 - Sparks 12 - To Other Days MP3: FLAC: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunbather Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 (edited) I have listened to your proposol and unfortunately I am not sold. I cannot help but think of some lo-fi version of Pink Floyd (and I don't really like Pink Floyd to begin with.) However, I just have to mention Joanna Newsom in this context. Starting to play this game last week coincided with an phase of relistening to all of her four albums and I can't express my feels eloquently but there is definitively some connection. And while her medieval, fairytaily and neo-pagan lyrics combined with all those strange instruments might not fit to the gameplay itself, I get very similar feelings when playing VS or listening to Joanna Newsom. What I mean is (as OP said as well): this is not music to listen to while playing the game but rather something to listen to when you crave this unique atmosphere. Just wanted to throw that in there. Maybe someone is interested. And of course it might very well be that I am the only one to feel this way. Edit: some words Edited March 20, 2021 by Sunbather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinReaper Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 I don't listen to music with lyrics while playing Vintage Story. I find that lofi fantasy, irish/gaelic, japanese instrumentals get me "in the zone" when playing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thalius Posted March 20, 2021 Report Share Posted March 20, 2021 4 hours ago, SinReaper said: I don't listen to music with lyrics while playing Vintage Story. I find that lofi fantasy, irish/gaelic, japanese instrumentals get me "in the zone" when playing. Same. No lyrics, please. That said, having a few different music options with regard to mood, tempo, and/or instrument(s) and such would be fantastic, with the option for the default setting that plays at random as it does now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted March 22, 2021 Report Share Posted March 22, 2021 (edited) My 4 Faves of Game Music (Film Music) Audiomaschine or similar would fit very good Battle for Wesnoth, similar would also fit very well for VS my very favourite game music, its hard to make such great atmosphere from music in a game is Return To Castle of Wolfenstein - Theme music. very similar is also the predator music with arnold schwarzenegger. Edited March 22, 2021 by RobinHood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunbather Posted March 26, 2021 Report Share Posted March 26, 2021 On 3/20/2021 at 8:22 PM, SinReaper said: I don't listen to music with lyrics while playing Vintage Story. I find that lofi fantasy, irish/gaelic, japanese instrumentals get me "in the zone" when playing. On 3/21/2021 at 12:49 AM, Thalius said: Same. No lyrics, please. That said, having a few different music options with regard to mood, tempo, and/or instrument(s) and such would be fantastic, with the option for the default setting that plays at random as it does now. You guys noticed that the previous two posts including the OP stated that this thread is NOT about music to listen to WHILE playing, right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thalius Posted March 26, 2021 Report Share Posted March 26, 2021 27 minutes ago, Sunbather said: You guys noticed that the previous two posts including the OP stated that this thread is NOT about music to listen to WHILE playing, right? Lol.. Got caught up in the other details of the post and the responses to it, and forgot the opening line. Point taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greatorder Posted April 6, 2021 Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 Personally I'm a fan of Wardruna's music. The "primitive" style very much suits the game. On the other hand, when Wunjo comes on and starts off with some creepy sounding children singing it can be a bit unnerving. Especially when you're already nervous because you're underground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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