Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
Dead Space 1 & 2 are widely considered some of the most innovative game scores in recent years.
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By who exactly?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
they're hardly derivative
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In a sense i described in post #3, they are: action tracks are mostly interchageable in Tomb Raider and any Dead Space. For a counterexample, look at Hitoshi Sakimoto's Breath Of Fire V vs Odin Sphere vs Final Fantasy XII. All recognizably his style but distinctly different approaches, each acutely matching the subject matter.
By Graves' lack of originality i didn't mean he copied someone else (though i can hear some Bioshock in there), but rather by definition (the lack of) "the ability to think independently and creatively, the quality of being novel" in his slower non-action tracks, and the thing that all of his action tracks sound alike.
Novel is not just
different or
new, it has to be those in an interesting way. When one comes up with something that sounds much like something else he often heard or made or it's just boring, he should have the restraint and be able to throw it away.
Anyway, in defense of western composers, I've found plenty of game soundtracks that i really liked:
Jesper Kyd - Assassin's Creed series
Garry Schyman - Bioshock series
Chris Tilton - Black
Russell Shaw - Fable series
Mark Morgan - Fallout 1, 2
Andrew Hale & Simon Hale - L.A. Noir
Paul Arnold & Andrew Barnabas - Medievil
Harry Gregson-Williams - Metal Gear Solid series
Solar Fields - Mirror's Edge
Need For Speed 2, 3, 4, 5 - various
Stewart Copeland - Spyro
Patricio Meneses - Zeno Clash
And also plenty more by
eastern composers, that i
didn't like. Overall, in music, i've encountered fewer genres i didn't like than those i did. I'm not biased and there's no point in dealing in extremes.
There are many factors to blame for single-purpose or vapid music: lack of talent, taste, and self-restraint; time, budget, uninspiring subject matter, limiting instructions from the producers or developers, and approach. Movie soundtracks mostly consist of event music that closely follow what goes on in the scene, while video game soundtracks are often made up of background music for levels and themes that are looped or recur, which make for more listenable tracks on their own. Western composers of VGM tend to more often approach games as movies, probably becuase they and the producers/developers are heavily influenced by Hollywood, or even come from the movie industry; they like to go safe and conservative. On the other hand, eastern composers of VGM are apparently more influenced by the history of their own medium, and Japan's big heritage of video games and unadulterated video game music; they're also much more playful, colorful, adventurous and willing to entertain.
Nonetheless, i know of some nigh infallible western composers like Jerry Goldsmith, Elliot Goldenthal, Alberto Iglesias, Philip Glass, John Williams, Howard Shore, who consistently deliver soundtracks that are not only outstanding but also work in and out of the subject matter; opposite of people like Jason Graves. I also can't understand things like Austin Wintory's 2013 Grammy nomination for Journey, and Dario Marianelli's 2007 Academy Award for Atonement and 2005 nomination for Pride & Prejudice, all of which were a torment to sit through, i must've really missed something. Before someone says it's because i'm unsentimental or even emotionally unreceptive, i'll say Joe Hisaishi or John Williams can really tug at my heart strings.
Being experimental is not enough in itself. If a certain music works in a movie or game, that's commendable indeed, but it doesn't guarantee it will be entertaining or even listenable in and just by itself. This is why, for example, that while i love 2001: A Space Odyssey with all its superbly integrated stylish eerie music, i don't listen to the soundtrack, unless i want to be outside alone at night and experience existential fear.
People like Masashi Hamauzu can regularly walk a thin line and pull off universally great works (of art) on demand, people like Jason Graves are just very far from them.