Review: Unsung Heroes An Over Clocked ReMix Album (Music)

Unsung Heroes An Over Clocked ReMix Album
OCRemix.com

Written by Erik Twice.

Video games have an unusually rich musical background compared to other forms of media, with soundtracks like Contra and Lords of Thunder commonplace in many a gamers’ playlists.
Role playing games tend to be huge hits in that regard but only partially. Beyond Square’s titles and perhaps the Pokemon series, the truth is that most game music doesn’t ever get the love it deserves, quickly being forgotten in the sea of more well-known titles.

Unsung Heroes is OC Remix’s tribute to all these games. The latest in OCR’s long series of releases in an endeavor to validate video game music as art features fifteen tracks from games as diverse as Suikoden and Legacy of the Wizard along with a really involved production. These more obscure selections are a refreshing change from the tunes we are used to hearing over and over again.

One thing that’s particularly great about this album is the lack of bland “epic” songs that slowly creep into video game music. Too often we see the same pompous battle tracks and corny Latin choruses that make so many soundtrack albums feel flat. The OC Remix artists have instead decided to explore the themes of role playing games in a much more mundane matter — through inns, towns and dungeons that really form the core of the games’ personalities.

The themes of adventure and walking the earth are perfectly captured in these tracks that, even though they are quite different, blend one with another quite perfectly. You can really see yourself wandering through unexplored lands, far from your small little village and seeing the world for yourself.

But in the end, the main draw of the album is the quality of the remixes themselves and it doesn’t disappoint at all. The use of simple instruments makes for a very clear melody and the sound is perfectly clean, without ever sounding shallow — an unfortunate curse in many similar albums. Instead here, all the samples are subtle and appropriate resulting in such tracks as “Hero of Celceta” from Ys IV sound incredibly romantic, in the artistic sense of the word.

While most tracks are instrumental, a couple of them, including the namesake “Unsung Heroes” have vocals. Though these songs don’t sound bad, the biggest distraction is that the lyrics bring the themes of role playing games too close to be explored comfortably. Though surely some listeners will enjoy this aspect. And once you get to the last track, “Hymn of the Eternal Empire” — a wonderful closing to a great album — one thing becomes apparent: this soundtrack deserves to be on your shelf.

Erik Twice keeps a blog at http://eriktwicedoesitagain.wordpress.com