Cicada rocking the Metroid, telling us why, offering more.
While blundering aimlessly around the Internet as I so often do, I ran into a site offering remixes of some classic Metroid tunes. Never one to turn down anything Metroid related, I clicked, and downloaded. It turns out what I downloaded is the work of a guy who goes by the name Cicada, who’s got quite a lot of music on offer. Very little of it, in fact, is from the Metroid franchise, but it would all be of interest to gamers like us.
Impressed with the audio, I dropped the artist a line, and here’s what he had to say.
I’ve always been fascinated with game music. As I’m sure is true of most gamers, the greatest body of musical work I was exposed to during my developmental years is what came out of my NES and Super NES. I guess it’s no surprise that video game soundtracks weight so heavily on my work these days. The Metroid Project was actually the first overtly video game-related music I worked on. I was always baffled at how wonderful of an atmosphere Super Metroid was able to communicate using 16bit technology and that was thanks in part to the music. So I set out on a mission to recreate some of my favorite works from the game using modern synthesis and vocals (which, depending on how you look at it, is either ridiculously cheesy or… no, it’s just ridiculously cheesy). The end product definitely came out unique, though, and I’m happy with it overall. The entire thing was recorded over a weekend in the tiny bedroom I was living in back in 2005.
He also recommended some of his other music that goes in the gaming direction for us to check out. For starters, he suggested Technology Crisis and Technology Crisis II.
That’s the work I get the most esteem for and the gaming community seems to love it like a child. They’re both, essentially, soundtracks to video games that don’t exist. Meant to replicate a weird fusion between 8bit, 16bit and modern style and also meant to be listened to in order from start to finish to feel the linear flow and develop a narrative in your head.
Beyond that, there’s his Choralseptic album, which has “a capella covers of mario paint, chrono trigger and megaman.” Sign me the hell up.
For those interested, there’s an interview with Cicada over at Destructoid that he pointed me at. The man’s a class act, and talented to boot. I’d like to thank him for his time.
See also:
Game music is the only music that matters.
Melodic Metroid Music For the Masses
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That’s one of the things that I always loved about games from yonder years: their soundtrack. Not too many of todays current generation of games have memorable soundtracks where one can hum the tune and other gamers can readily guess the game’s title. The music has definitely influenced new indie bands as well. I’m 99.9% sure that the main riff in Silversun Pickups – Future Foe Scenarios is heavily influenced by one of the songs from the original Metroid.