Oxenfree- Soundtrack Vinyl Review

I love videogames and a huge part of the experience is often the soundtracks. In fact, sometimes the soundtrack can often be the only saving grace (NES Silver Surfer is the go to for this one) or can turn a good game into a great game (Nier). Certain game music reminds of places I've been and the people I've been with; game music is the sound of my personal journey and the many worlds I've visited.

One of the best and most recent examples of a videogame that resonated with me was Oxenfree. The epic soundtrack by SCNTFC fitted in so well with the teen horror thriller game about a group of teens trying to get off a haunted island. The quippy dialogue, that didn’t seem too try-hard or Whedon-esque, and the synthy music really landed for me and reminded me of my youth with my friends. Anywho, I pre-ordered the vinyl over a year ago and finally received it today. The tracklist is:

[SIDE A]
Lost (Prologue)
Beacon Beach
Epiphany Fields
Towhee Grove
Against The Rocks

[Side B]
Cleanslate
Alsos
Cold Comfort
Lantern
Argonaut

[Side C]
Catbird Station
Against The Waves
Dead Light
Catchpole Station
From The Leads
The Gate

[Side D]
Kanaloa
Argonaut Atalanta
Days Past
The Beach, 7AM

The soundtrack comes in a heavy cardboard gatefold cover which is embellished with orange foil. The vinyl pressing itself is on translucent bright orange and is good with no jumps or warping at all on my player. The tracks themselves are as gorgeous and eerie as you remember, taking you back to Edward Island.

The Oxenfree soundtrack is an electronica delight, full of whimsy and unsettling soundscapes that suits the moods and themes of the game well.

1. Lost (Prologue) - The first track has a distorted warbly effect, almost like a damaged and stretched cassette tape, to lend it a cursed artefact effect.

2. Beacon Beach - Deep melodic synthy beats pulsate throughout the track. It is slowly layered as it progresses, adding depth and perpetuating the sense of unease.

3. Epiphany Fields - An airy sounding track with a gorgeous chant that wends it's way through a light repetitive arpeggio. It creates a sense of freedom and exploration.

6. Cleanslate - An eerie track with a soft arpeggio repeating over a light mysterious synthy track. It really adds a sense of unease as you are unsure where the track is going to go. You go on a real journey with this piece.

8. Cold comfort - This track sounds glacial and cold, with the synths creating a robotic repetitive beat against a higher pitched arpeggio.

9. Lantern - A haunting melody, almoat like a music box. The sound is creepy and sends the hairs on my neck on edge.

10. Argonaut - The standout track of the album for me. It starts gently with a restrained repetitive thrum but then the main deep driving synth kicks in and sets the whole piece alight. It is euphoric and truly an awesome moody piece.

19. Argonaut Atlanta - A reprise of sorts of the epic Argonauts theme but without the driving synths. However, it does hold its own as an ambient soundscape piece.

I am glad to add Oxenfree to my collection now, it’s been a long time coming but has been worth the wait. Whilst the cost of living crisis and other adulting costs keep my hobby in check, I do continue to pick up a videogame soundtrack vinyl here or there and have amassed quite a good collection (currently 20). My most recent buys have been the soundtracks to Sable, Astro’s Playroom and Nier Automata. I’ve loved wrapping myself in a blanket and reading a book whilst listening to this genre of music as it takes me back to simpler times. Now, onwards with Sayonara Wild Hearts and the Ecco the Dolphin Sega CD OSTs at a reasonable price!

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Videogame Music and Vinyl

I love videogames and a huge part of the experience is often the soundtracks. In fact, sometimes the soundtrack can often be the only saving grace (NES Silver Surfer is the go to for this one) or can turn a good game into a great game (Nier).

Certain game music reminds of places I've been and the people I've been with; game music is the sound of my personal journey and the many worlds I've visited. The fact that videogame music can be diagetic and react to your actions also makes it seem personal and unique to your playthrough, even if it isn't really it seems personal to you.

I've attended a few concerts in my time including the Dear Esther (Barbican), Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses (Wembley Arena) and the PlayStation in Concert (Royal Albert Hall) and the sight of seeing some of the worlds most prestigious orchestras playing these iconic scores is truly amazing. I was lucky enough to see Anamanaguchi perform at Heaven, London, way back in 2014 and their chiptune inspired music and seminal Scott Pilgrim soundtrack brought videogame music to the mainstream as there was a cross-pollination of pop and chip tunes. Meanwhile, Austin Wintory's BAFTA winning score for Journey brought videogame music to the classical music aficionados, a venn diagram that doesn't often overlap. Ever since then, we have been living in a bit of a golden age of video game music with Sound of Gaming, High Score and Game Play offering radio airtime and podcasts for the formally niche genre on major radio stations like Classic FM, BBC Radio and the BBC Sounds app.

What was a cottage industry of VGM vinyl companies is now a thriving business with many companies including Black Screen Records, Data Discs and Mondo being a few amongst many. I personally buy the soundtracks to games I've played and loved or have fond memories of, thus my abundance of Sega Megadrive game soundtracks. Like my curated videogame collection, I only buy what I really want. I'm not a completist but just get what resonates and matters to me. What's wonderful is discovering arranged soundtracks where the composers are given another chance to rework their class scores with full orchestras or instruments that were unavailable due to technical limitations. It's great to see what the original composers and fans of these pieces come up with. The Grammy's seem to realise that this is a thriving scene that is here to stay and have created a new category for videogame soundtracks in 2023, whilst Kirby Super Star by the 8-bit Big Band won the Grammy this year. The statement of intent is clear; videogame soundtracks are here to stay. Add the fact that the Proms held their first ever VGM night and we can see there has been a change in attitude to VGM, no longer classified as bleeps and bloops.

I've bought a few videogame CD soundtracks in my time including Shadow of the Colossus and Ico but in England the availability of these was difficult. However, over the years, there has been a boom in video game soundtracks being sold, especially on vinyl. There is pleasure in having something so digital and ephemeral as VGM presented in vinyl, an old analogue format and I guess many people want something physical to show their fandom.

There are a couple of white whale soundtracks that I'd love to own including the Sayonara Wild Hearts and Ecco the Dolphin Sega CD soundtrack. Both ARE phenomenal yet prohibitively expensive and, whilst I played and completed Sayonara, I discovered the Ecco soundtrack whilst listening to a game music podcast.

Whilst the cost of living crisis and other adulting costs keep my hobby in check, I do pick up a vinyl here or there and have amassed quite a good collection (currently 18). My most recent buys have been the soundtracks to Sable, Astro’s Playroom and Nier Automata. I’ve loved wrapping myself in a blanket and reading a book whilst listening to this genre of music as it takes me back to simpler times. Waves of nostalgia wash over me but, importantly, the music is just amazing!

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Sonic Mania- Video Game Vinyl Soundtrack Review

Sonic Mania has recently released and has garnered rave reviews, with many complementing its throwback style and a return to the classic game play which made the series so popular during the 16-bit generation.
Classic Sonic the Hedgehog games always had great music and Sonic Mania, which has a mix of new and remixed songs, carries this tradition forward proudly.
Data Discs announced the Sonic Mania LP a few months ago and whilst I was conscious of the many missteps in the series along the way I took the plunge and pre-ordered the record as the music has, on the whole, been pretty solid.

Classic Sonic takes front-centre on the cover of this soundtrack

So what of this new album? Well the record features 16 new tracks selected by composer Tee Lopes, which provides an overall flavour of the diverse music in the game.
The cover is suitably 90s with classic Sonic front and centre and random colourful shapes thrown around, reminiscent of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or Saved by the Bell introduction credits. The record comes as a single 180 g LP which is available in 3 colours; blue, black or red, orange, white and blue splatter. I ordered the splattered vinyl and was pleased with how it looked, it does look very smart indeed.

On the vinyl the tracks are:

  1. Discovery (Title Screen Theme)
  2. Lights, Camera, Action! (Studiopolis Act 1)
  3. Wildstyle Pistolero (Mirage Saloon Act 1 K Mix)
  4. Tabloid Jargon (Press Garden Act 1)
  5. Danger on the Dance Floor (Mini Boss Theme)
  6. Built to Rule (Titanic Monarch Act 1)
  7. Dimension Heist (Special Stage)
  8. Ruby Delusions (Eggman Boss Theme 1)
  9. Comfort Zone (Main Menu)
  10. Prime Time (Studiopolis Act 2)
  11. Blossom Haze (Press Garden Act 2)
  12. Rogues Gallery (Mirage Saloon Act 2)
  13. Hi-Spec Robo Go! (Hard Boiled Heavies Theme)
  14. Skyway Octane (Mirage Saloon Act 1 St Mix)
  15. Steel Cortex (Titanic Monarch Act 2)
  16. Ruby Illusions (Final Boss Theme)

The tracks are very good with a tinge of nostalgia but also are uniquely modern. They just fit right in the world of classic Sonic with upbeat chiptune music but with added trumpets, drums, epic electric guitar solos and super fast boogie woogie piano. For fan of the original series this record is a must have as it feels like a natural progression musically to what had gone before in Sonic and Knuckles. Current standout tracks for me include Studiopolis Act 1: Lights, Camera, Action! and Mirage Saloon Act 2: Rogues Gallery, which sounds like a modern rendition of Morricone's Spaghetti Westerns mixed with an upbeat chiptune. Other tracks may come to the fore but these two are the ones that appeal to me out of the 16 at the moment.

The soundtrack is a triumph and I would recommend it highly to anyone with even a passing interest in the original 4 games from the days of the Megadrive.