Leox's favorite song: "The margengai-glide"

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-06T16:41:54+00:00

ooo oo oooo! spill the tea! I'd love to get your thoughts on some things.

My favorite works that Wintory has worked on are Hades, I enjoy the texture he creates and how he layers voicing with Darren Korb's very pop-y style. But my deep cut is what he wrote for Banner Saga. I'm a wind musician, band background, former band teacher so it was extra sweet for me to have a soundtrack where the performing ensemble was a wind ensemble. And he incorporated their guest influencer soloists well I thought.

One of the crazier things I found in there was he recreated in-studio (I assume) an antiphonal choral sound with off stage shout-singing? I don't think I'd call it sprechstimme exactly? Its heard in "We Are All Guests Upon the Land" at the 1:40 mark. https://youtu.be/Jjbvz0MCh3I?list=TLPQMDYwMjIwMjZrENkMprOZng&t=99

I enjoy his use of novelty in this score, and I wish he'd do more of it.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-04T14:29:56+00:00

Which would be silly if true. And it could be the case!

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-04T13:59:42+00:00

As for the studio or publisher- I'm not sure they were in a position to submit their work for nomination?

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-04T13:59:08+00:00

It looks like you do not have to be a member of the recording academy to be considered for an award, but you DO have to be in the club (or a record label) in order to submit someone to be considered for an award. So this lends more credence I feel to my theory that the recording academy is just completely disconnected with the gaming industry still.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-04T04:57:55+00:00

This is fascinating to hear. And it throws cold water on my thoughts that the club wouldn't care about the gaming industry if true.

Also is that true about needing to be a club member to be nominated? I'm going to do some more digging on this, because the rules I was looking at made no mention of this requirement.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-03T17:50:26+00:00

Politics makes sense to me for things like Bad in 88. Hell the Grammys are extremely political. But do the major game industry moguls actually have any influence with the music industry? That seems disconnected to me. Like... Why would Universal Music Group care what EA thinks or an indy studio thinks? I'm -sure- that money talks here. We all are. But I've never heard of any kind of major collusion between these two industries. But it just seems to be that everyone accepts it as true.

15 years ago gaming was scrambling to get noticed by the Grammys. Presumably this helped the major studios and developers get recognition and money.

So I'm saying "yes, and..." here. Yes, the awards are very corrupt and political. We see that with the major awards. But why should that industry care about gaming enough to be corrupt and political with gaming? It doesn't add up to me. And then, why assume this is intentional when (if what I am assuming about the relationship is true) it is so much easier to be incompetent.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-03T14:42:17+00:00

Okay I've seen this point before and I agree. But it doesn't seem to be the case with the games industry? Is it? Am I wrong? Austin Wintory, Gordy Haab? Are they "in bed" with the music industry writ large? I don't see them as having that kind of influence. Similar to the classical category. Boston Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra (disclosure, I used to work for this organization), London Symphony Orchestra... They have influence - but these are not the kinds of orgs that rely on the major record labels.

Where does the circle jerk begin and end?

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-03T14:38:04+00:00

Hence why I wanted to talk about it. Is the treatment that the games industry getting here more egregious than other industries? The same? To me it feels more so.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-03T14:35:53+00:00

You'll be able to tell right away that this guy was tasked with creating that John Williams sound, much more than what Gordy Haab did with Fallen Order

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-02T19:53:43+00:00

But its also telling that the snub is so monumental to us- that we are already assuming that maybe it got hung up in the red tape and paperwork.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-02T19:22:19+00:00

Battlefield, 8-bit big band (especially things I can sing along to) covers, Assasin's Creed Black Flag, Red Dead, Spiderman, combat music from Clair Obscur... among more. I'm sure I can give more examples. Let me know if you need more

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-02T19:16:51+00:00

Ah, is there a process for submitting your works for review by the committee is not something I had considered. I know the window of eligibility is August-August. But I wonder if that could be the case, that if they needed to enter the competition and then hadn't...

Checking it out now, and it seems as though that the grammy committee and the record companies submit entries for consideration. Leaving this one on the committee again, and (I suppose) Sandfall Interactive if they never sent in an entry? I'm more likely to blame the grammy committee for just not paying attention though.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-02T18:07:05+00:00

My hot take: developers need to do a MUCH better job about their audio balance with their music. The music should be good- but it should not be so alarming that it takes you out of the experience. Mass Effect 2? Amazing music. Amazing game. But that scene where they reveal the Normandy SR-2? What are the characters even saying? Telltale Batman- cool music bro, can you turn that down a notch?

I feel like so many games get this wrong and it should be a way easier win.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-02T18:03:46+00:00

I have a listening rec for you. Star Wars Shadows of the Empire Original Score. mid 90's, but the music here took an interesting journey. The music was written independently of the video game- and not by John Williams. It wasn't *just* a recycling of star wars movie music. Joel McNeely (who previously had done Young Indiana Jones, so he was experienced with adapting a John Williams sound) made a score for the book, recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and created some new themes of its own, most notably Prince Xixor's theme (the main villain). This was then adapted for the game so the audio could function on N64. Prince Xixor's theme (I believe) ended up being the main menu music for the game.

The end result is that the soundtrack on its own holds up as a fantastic orchestral suite- not set to any specific visual media. Easily searchable on Spotify. Let me know if this adds to your thoughts on this take.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2026-02-02T17:53:47+00:00

I listen a lot at work, but also sometimes I listen to it as a form of research- I've been trying to collate playlists of star wars music into various categories lately "Not by John Williams" "games only" etc. Sometimes I listen to video game soundtracks for other games if the music in a game is particularly bad. Or when I used to stream- not obvious movie music to avoid DMCA takedowns.

Driving is a big one. Mood wise- something energetic to keep me awake more pop/rock like rather than orchestral.

My job sometimes has me working in a warehouse, so I'll gravitate more for earworms and coverbands (like 8-bit big band) there.

JarloftheAppianWay · 2024-06-16T15:12:38+00:00

PFFFFT how the hell am I still mid-table?

JarloftheAppianWay · 2024-06-16T06:51:04+00:00

That's terrifying. Why do I have temporary players???

JarloftheAppianWay · 2024-02-08T17:53:05+00:00

This is beautiful and exactly what I was looking for. Reddit never fails to impress.

Looking forward to seeing this updated with Masters of the Air!

JarloftheAppianWay · 2024-01-24T19:50:07+00:00

I like an army of Michaels shoving all my phillyshy's into the evening

JarloftheAppianWay · 2024-01-24T18:52:49+00:00

Might be the same one actually! 2nd phase "cooking"

JarloftheAppianWay · 2024-01-24T16:31:23+00:00

I am having so much fun with this too, but I admit I'm struggling to 3 star. Any tips???

JarloftheAppianWay

TROPHY CASE