Horse Isle 2 Original Soundtrack Volume I

[Jormungand]

Finally got around to releasing this album! To do: album cover art, and liner notes if they're in demand. I'd love to hear some reviews!

[Muzza]

I've been unable to shake a headache all day today. I've had a busy day and was glad to get home. While perusing VGMdb, I came across this album. I thought I'd give it a sample and so I played the first track. I didn't press the pause button from that point. I listened to the entire soundtrack in one sitting, at the end of which my headache had completely disappeared.

Some beautiful Mitsuda-esque soundscapes at work here, Jormungand (and some fine channelling of Morricone in parts). I dare say it's more consistently high-quality than some of Mitsuda's efforts and while it doesn't have the same striking melodies, the various rhythms, instruments, atmospheres and penetratingly beautiful harmonies you've assembled certainly put this soundtrack a level above the rest. My favourite tracks include:

• "Welcome to Horse Isle" (the pedantic charm of the piano with soothing pastoral contrasts that remind me of some pieces from Zwei)
• "Lizard Dance" (the curious rhythms make me want to both dance and relax at the same time)
• "Solution" (I actually find this the catchiest track in the score; really dig the pizzicato and the inquisitive tone conjured)
• "The Sound of Snow" (faint tracings of impressionism which seem to illuminate the image of snow)
• "Blue Field" (gorgeous and superlative: the guitar ostinato gives me chills)
• "Dive" (simplistically complex and complexly simple, and I imagine one of the steps in an effective insomnia treatment program)
• "Sleigh Ride" (a positively radiant wonderland of joy featuring some dazzling piano work)
• "Festival" (strong Mitsuda vibes present which give favourable impressions of his work in Tsugunai such as my personal favourite "Happiness"; the accordion climax is truly uplifting and is in my mind the single most memorable moment in the score)
• "Autumnal Wind" (immaculate production of the guitars, accordion and strings which provides great dramatic juxtaposition)
• "Saudades" (almost as catchy as "Solution", and a track which I believe showcases the tuned percussion particularly well)

Superbly produced and effortlessly relaxing, with not a single bad track (not even the Latin tracks which I weren't sure about at first). I will purchase a download presently; and eagerly await a 'Volume II'.

Well done, and thank you!

[jdkluv]

Coincidentally, like Muzza, I randomly clicked the link in your sig, went into it with a bit of a headache and came out of it cured. The first track is all I really needed to hear to seal the deal. It's clear who your influences are (not only because you've explicitly described them)!

Originally Posted by Jormungand

album cover art, and liner notes

They'd be much appreciated.

[Jormungand]

Thank you for the wonderful comments Muzza. I'm glad guys you enjoy the music.

Liner notes incoming, but don't expect too much from the cover art!

[jdkluv]

Originally Posted by Jormungand

Liner notes incoming, but don't expect too much from the cover art!

Coming along nicely, I hope!

[Jormungand]

Originally Posted by jdkluv

Coming along nicely, I hope!

Hmm, I did sort of let this be forgotten didn't I? So, as it turns out, someone who I had written some music for agreed to create cover art in exchange. Unfortunately they only got as far as a WIP (though it's a very pretty WIP) and then stopped responding to my emails.

So, maybe I'll just forget about the cover art for now and finish the liner notes. Would that be a fair compromise? I really should have done that from the beginning.

[jdkluv]

Sure thing! I kinda forgot you forgot actually, but either of those things would certainly make this wonderful album feel more complete, to me. It's not a biggie either way really; already have my money's worth!

[Jormungand]

Somewhat of a relaunch of the album, at the request of the developer. The sales link has been updated accordingly. In addition, covert art (provided by the developer) and liner notes are now available.

https://ddsoundtracks.bandcamp.com/

If you have already purchased the album and would like copies of the covert art (.png) and liner notes (.pdf), please PM me and I will send you links.

Soundtracks for the original Horse Isle, as well as the second and third volumes of HI2, will be added to the same bandcamp page in the future. The wait will not be nearly as long as it was previously.

Because of the digital structure, I may combine Volumes 2 and 3 of HI2 into a single large volume. I guess if anyone has any strong feelings either way, you can let me know so I can plan accordingly. I would estimate such a collection to be at least 50 tracks.

Enjoy!

[Jormungand]

Is it possible to delete distribution links? I'm trying to get rid of the Bandcamp link that redirects to my personal artist account--I want it to go directly to the horseisle.bandcamp one instead.

[dissident93]

For some reason, trusted editors aren't allowed to remove "Available at" links.

[SerenissimusDux]

I saw the recent update for Horse Isle 3 and it reminded me of this lovely album

I think I'll let my foobar stats speak for themselves (though minor note, these statistics only started recording since 2016, as opposed to 2010)

I actually haven't checked out the other Horse Isle albums yet, but hopefully will do soon - looking forward to it