Gravity Falls Soundtrack- Vinyl Review
Gravity Falls was a phenomenal animated series. Over 39 episodes, i grew to love a town that felt like it was just a stones throw from Twin Peaks and a hop skip and a jump from the island in Lost. In this land oddities including rainbow vomiting gnomes, mermen and ghosts roamed free. With a narrative similar to The X-Files in structure in that there is an overarching story, as well as Kolchak’s 'monster of the week' episodes, the many questions and mysteries came to a stunning and satisfying conclusion.
There are very few series that are as well conceived, written and executed as Gravity Falls was. When an animated series leaves you thinking about parallel dimensions, alternate universes and man's place in the cosmos then you know there's something special. Beyond all that, the soundtrack for the series was phenomenal. I loved the music as it added so much to the series so when the vinyl soundtrack came up I bought it on pre-order. I had to wait a while to get it, due to Covid slowdown, but when it arrived I was ecstatic.
The package is handsomely homed in Ghostshrimp's superflat art style which houses red vinyls. It also has hidden cyphers which adds to the prestige of the whole piece.
So what of the tracks themselves? Well, there's a lot over 2 LPs. The track list is:
A Side
Gravity Falls Main Title Theme
Let's Rewind
Gobblewonker Chase
Pig Is Soos
Book Discovery - Gideon's Theme
Wax Battle
Boyz Crazy Medley
Let's Do This
Is It Bottomless - Triangulum Entagulum
ybmaL A stnaW ohW
Fight Fighters - Battle Suite
Blanchin
B Side
Finally I Have Them All
Gideon's Song
It's All Let Up To This
Working Girls
Gnome Chase
Gideon Rises - End Credits
Who's That Girl
Fiddleford Hadron Magucket
Stan Wrong Song
A Very Tricky Triangle
C Side
A World of Enchantment or Whatever - I Came Up With A Plan
The Two Kids Who Ruined My Life
Everything Changes Today
TIME BATTLE!!!
Blackened Skies
Don't Let Them Escape
I Wanna Be Exes
I Need That Machine To Stay On
Yeah Dude Friends - Your Fighting Only Makes Us Look More Rad
Takin' Over 2 Nite
D Side
Mabel It's Bill
Goat and a Pig
Weirdmageddon Pt. 1 - Suite
Giggle Creek
Bill Tricked Me
My Heart Is Made of Rainbows
I'm a Flippin' Corduroy
Saying Goodbye to Gravity Falls
Weirdmageddon Pt. 4 - End Credits
Grvatiy lFals ehTme (s'lliB deppohC dna dewercS ximeR)
We'll Meet Again
I've listened to the album a few times and have some thoughts on some of the tracks:
Intro- A wonderfully start to the album and with a spoopy sound mixed with a poppy vibe.
Let's do this (score)- Wonky electro cheese that sounds like wonderful chiptuney games music. It's just over half a minute but it's great!
Is It Bottomless - Triangulum Entangulum- This captures the essence of the show, starting off quite layed back with gentle strumming then gets all shimmery horror-like. It then gets into John Carpenter/ Stranger Things heavy driving synth with a discordant wailing sound. Very unsettling in the best possible sense.
Fight Fighters - Battle Score- This is like a loving mega mix to fighting game music of old starting with an 8-bit chip tune to Street Fighter-ish 16bit music, then boombastic Mortal Kombat music (the one where toy feel the need to shout out the name of the game really loudly) then to full on Yuzo Koshiro Streets of Rage love-in. It's epic in every sense of the word!
Blanchin'- One of the standout tracks from the series. It's so memorable for its happy rap styling.
Finally I Have Them All- a dramatic Hans Zimmer-esque score where the driving rhythm carries the melody forward to a crescendo.
It's All Led Up To This- A dramatic theme with a chugging strings sound that is dramatic and powerful. Beautiful.
Fiddleford Hadron McGucket- This is a beautiful twinkly track full of yearning and sadness. A light arpeggio plays over a wending synth sound, adding a winsome nostalgia to the piece.
Don't Let Them Escape- This tune slaps HARD! It sounds like an 80s hair-metal track in places as it is frenetic and chaotic.
Yeah Dude Friends - This is a cheerful whimsical piece that is only 30 seconds or so long but is emotive.
Takin' Over 2 Nite- A great ensemble song from the three main characters and full of joy.
Weirdmageddon Part 1 (suite)- This is a trippy prog-rock track which consists of about 4 pieces which move from spooky to energetic to cautious. Its a great track.
Saying Goodbye to Gravity Falls- This is a beautifully written piano piece which is full of sadness and feels full of memories.
The album is gorgeous and was well worth the wait. Obviously, it isn't the compete soundtrack of the entire series but what is here is gold. I love how they created 'suites' to connect themed tracks together. I do miss the absence of Disco Girl as that was one of my favourite tracks from the series but I'm not going to be too upset as this album is a magnificent gift that I don't think anyone was really expecting after so many years of the series ending.
LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review
Kolchak: The Night Stalker- Cult Series Review
LINK- Twin Peaks Retrospective
LINK- Twin Peaks: The Return Series Review
LINK- God of War: Ragnarok- Videogames As Art
LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’ LINK: Elden Ring- Videogames As Art
LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)
LINK: Japan- My Journey to the East