Thursday, May 26, 2011

Songs to Grow On: Rosalina and the Lumas (aka I'M STILL HERE)

I know it's been a while. I'm ashamed of myself too. But life has been kind of pulling me in many directions, and I haven't had time to put my best effort into my next article (which is currently a work in progress). In the meantime, I thought I would share with you a song that has been helping me get through some nerve-wracking moments I've had these past few days. Somehow, listening to this always seems to calm my nerves. I also adore Mahito Yokota (lead composer for both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2). I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

"Rosalina and the Lumas" - Super Mario Galaxy 2

Friday, May 13, 2011

Songs to Grow On: Super Mario World - Ending Theme

I haven't really paid homage to any classic games in this blog yet, so I figured it was about time. This song plays during the credit sequence of Super Mario World, composed by the prodigious Koji Kondo. It's characterized by a simple, straightforward tune that, halfway through, is colored in a "stage show extravaganza"sort of way.

Credit Sequence - Super Mario World

I also happened across this rendition of the ending theme today. It's played by a band of six cousins, all on different instruments. It's not a professional recording by any means, but it's exciting to hear the song played live (especially by a family band).

RobinLSL - Super Mario World Ending Theme

Have a wonderful weekend! I hope to have my next full post up by next week, so stay tuned!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light - Something Old and Something New

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light came out for the Nintendo DS in America in fall of last year. While the game garnered generally good reviews, it hasn't gotten very much attention in the states. It's not a perfect game, to be sure, and perhaps the older style of early Final Fantasy games was not something that a younger generation of gamers had any interest in returning to. Or maybe the game was just too gosh darn cute.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Songs to Grow On: Basic Step

I apologize for not having a full-length post in a while. A deluge of work in school on top of recovering from this illness has left me without much time. I did want to share a neat song shaped by a fantastic arranger, though. This song is from the Basic Step aerobics portion of Wii Fit. This tune, originally composed by Toru Minegishi, is catchy in and of itself, but expert arranger Aivi Tran took this piece and jazzed it up with her own unique flavor. I absolutely adore her music, and I plan to write a post about her eventually. More people need to hear her stuff!

Happy Friday! Go out and play!

"Basic Step" - Wii Fit (as arranged by Aivi Tran)