Soul Fjord Original Video Game Soundtrack
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Album Title: Soul Fjord Original Video Game Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Bandcamp |
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| Catalog No.: N/A |
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| Release Date: May 1, 2014 |
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| Purchase: Download at Bandcamp |
Overview
Soul Fjord, developed by Airtight Games for the Ouya console is an interesting experiment, being both a combination of rhythm and fighting gameplay, along with a mixture of Norse mythology and 70’s disco-styled campiness. The music, headed up by Austin Wintory, essentially mashes up these two styles: Norse and 70s, making for a very humorous approach and another departure for the composer. What results is interesting and different, to say the least.
Body
The essential style that Austin Wintory is going for can be summed up within the first two tracks of Soul Fjord, “Magnus Jones,” and “Grüvheim Streets.” The former opens up with grunts and vocals from Joel Virgel, before moving into a funky guitar led theme, performed by Tom Strahle, and backing basses and flute from Pee Wee Hill and Laura Intravia respectively, “Magnus Jones” is a pretty great throwback to 70s classic funk, and in fact its main melody line wouldn’t be too far removed from an old cop show.
Likewise, “Grüvheim Streets,” reuses a segment from the main melody, before going into a laid back jam session, focusing once more on the guitar performance. It’s actually quite a mellow piece, while keeping the humorous mash up intact with the soft vocal grunting in the background. The final piece of the soundtrack, “The Dörman Before Club Valhalla,” again capitalizes on the “Magnus Jones” theme, serving as a good expansion on it before capping off the short album.
Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything else to say about Soul Fjord. The soundtrack really doesn’t accomplish much else aside from its opening and closing tracks, and despite its very short 15-minute length, it actually manages to overstay its welcome. You see, the music never changes, nor develops further than its first tracks, making for a very uninspired and strangely repetitive listen. Despite some great recordings of all the soloists, Strahle’s funky guitar playing really overpowers anything else in the soundtrack. Worse yet, there’s no further integration of Norse-like music besides random grunts and percussion pounding.
Summary
This soundtrack is purely a throwback to 70s funk, which is an odd choice, considering the effort Mr. Wintory put into The Banner Saga’s Viking-inspired music. A lot more could’ve been done, even with Soul Fjord’s short running time. If there’s anything positive to say about Soul Fjord, it’s that Austin Wintory remains a very flexible and creative composer, and he can mesh humor into his music quite effectively. Soul Fjord is not a bad album, and the music is produced well; it’s just a shame that Soul Fjord really doesn’t do anything else rather than call attention to its 70s throwback. It is currently available to stream for free from Mr. Wintory’s Bandcamp page, and it can be purchased by naming your own price on it. For those who want something completely different out of Austin Wintory, this soundtrack may be worth checking out. For everyone else, this is neither the best the composer has done, nor does it really accomplish anything at all, funkiness notwithstanding.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
2.5
Posted on November 13, 2014 by Julius Acero. Last modified on November 13, 2014.
About the Author
Julius Acero I recently graduated with a BA in Cinema & Media Arts from Biola University in LA, and am currently attempting to break into the film and television industries. I grew up listening to and learning from classical music and famous film scores, and absolutely fell in love with the orchestra at a young age. When I was 10, I began playing Nintendo games and became enamored with the music from Super Smash Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and the Mario series, just to name a few. Now, I continue to follow scores and composers, both eastern and western, and am continually surprised by the power and emotions behind their works. Above all, I am blessed to be part of such a creative community, and hope to further hone my own skills through this wonderful art form!
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