Tag: soundtrack

‘Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition’ Ultra Combos Its Way Onto Shelves This Fall!

by The_acz

Out of all the exclusives to come out for the Xbox One, Killer Instinct has been the most successful. With over 7 million downloads, and over 3 seasons worth of content, the game has been very successful.

It even just recently launched on Windows 10. While positive, there have been demands to release a complete version of the game, and it just so happens that Microsoft was listening. Enter Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition. This version of the game comes with all 3 seasons worth of characters and stages, a behind the scenes making of video, a copy of the complete soundtrack, and even a code for a special edition Gargos skin.

KI Definitive

Now usually when you hear of an amazing deal like this, you’d expect it to cost somewhere upwards of $60 or $70 right? WRONG! This entire dream package is coming to you for the extremely reasonable price of only $40. What a steal! You also don’t have to wait much longer for the game, as it releases September 20th! Check out the announce trailer for yourself and get excited!

James Horner, ‘Titanic’ and ‘Star Trek II’ Film Composer, Dies in Plane Crash

by Eric Francisco

James Horner has tragically passed away. He was 61.

Reported on Monday by his assistant Sylvia Patrycja on Facebook, the Oscar-winning film composer was piloting a plane 60 miles north of Santa Barbara. The plane was reported down by police, but it was unknown what happened to its pilot until now. (Source.)

Not much is known beyond that, including what happened during his flight, but I personally think that stuff is irrelevant right now. We’ll know that when we’re told, let’s not speculate. We lost a great artist, and that’s what’s important.

To say James Horner had a stellar career is an understatement. In his short 61 years on Earth, Horner earned himself immortality by leaving his mark in the world of cinema. He scored countless of iconic movies we’ll remember until our civilization is dust.

You can scroll through the long list yourself, but some key works you’ll probably be most interested in include Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens, A Beautiful Mind, An American Tail (which he earned an Oscar nom for), Field of Dreams (another Oscar nomination), Apollo 13 (yet another Oscar nom), and Titanic (an Oscar WIN). His career certainly doesn’t end there, not when there are more Oscars to get nominated for, but to list them all would be a chore. The upcoming Southpaw will be his latest work.

James Horner was just one of the best. There is comparison, but that’s not the time or place for that now.

There’s one work in particular of his I’d like to highlight: Casper.

Let’s be clear: Casper is kind of a shitty movie. It’s sweet but tonally confusing, with numbingly slow pacing and flawed direction. But if there’s one saving grace, it’s James Horner’s score. Fusing together an ethereal, angelic mystique over a sleepy northeastern harbor town resulted in a beautiful, utterly haunting score that deserves both adjectives. Puns be damned. Most of the soundtrack takes on a whimsical flair — with some tweaking it could score a romantic comedy set in Manhattan — but Horner hits his stride on the Casper soundtrack with “Casper’s Lullaby.” I guarantee that if you play this song to anyone who had any kind of memory with Casper, this is the one that will trigger every sensation and memory.

I thought I’d share this one with you today. It may be tasteless, given that it’s a movie about ghosts and it plays at every scene that tugs so hard on your heartstrings it feels disingenuous, but I really think it’s one of Horner’s best and most under appreciated compositions. Whatever memories you attach to this or to any of Horner’s other work, I hope they are pleasant enough to make you smile when the day is difficult. And not to drag in the ugly outside world right now, but for many of us the very recent times have been testing our patience and tolerance. We still don’t know how to live with each other peacefully, but if art makes life worth living then I hope there’s some art in Horner’s work that inspires you to keep on going. This one is mine.

‘Pokemon X and Y’ Soundtrack Now Available on iTunes

by Josh Jackson

Pokemon fans around the world were greeted with a surprise this morning. A quick search over at the iTunes store shows that the entire Pokemon X and Y soundtrack is available for purchase for a modest $9.99. Consisting of 202 tracks straight from the game with an additional ten tracks from the Pokemon Origins series, a couple of hundred tracks for the price of a couple of Starbucks drinks isn’t bad at all, especially when the soundtrack is so freaking great!

Typically, we’re lucky to see game soundtracks released on our side of the world, and usually have to resort to importing or downloading to get our game music fix. In line with the latest game’s first ever simultaneous worldwide launch, this is the first time a soundtrack from the franchise has been available for purchase around the world. Sure, it’s not a boxed version, but beggars can’t be choosers, now can they?

The Pokemon X and Y official soundtrack is available for purchase now, with Origins making its English debut on the free Pokemon TV app this Friday, so make sure to swoop it up while you’re at it.

Source: Operationrainfall.com

Love The Wii U System Music? Download It (Unofficially) Now!

by Derek Kraneveldt

The Wii U menu music is pretty wonderful. It’s groovy, relaxing, and genuinely makes you not mind the time you spend wandering through the Wii U’s sometimes slow (for now) menu system.

DJ CUTMAN thought the music was great too. Great enough in fact, to collect the tunes and release them as an unofficial 9-track album! The album is called WiiU Grooves, and if you like the style of music (or if you simply want to feel like you’re near your beloved Wii U while away from home), it’s certainly worth the download!

Check out the album below and let us know what you think! If you feel like downloading it for offline play, simply head to DJ CUTMAN’s official website! The album of course, isn’t endorsed by Nintendo, so it may be taken down at any time!

Source: Engadget

Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ Now Available For Your Listening Pleasure!

by Derek Kraneveldt

After a false start from a french radio station, MGM has decided to release the full musical theme for the upcoming Skyfall. The track was originally set to premiere later tonight.

As expected, Adele pretty much knocks the track out of the park. It’s great (though even if it wasn’t, her voice is so fantastic that you’d likely forget that fact).

Take a listen below, and if you like it, Skyfall is of course available for purchase on iTunes.

Skyfall, James Bond’s 23rd adventure is set to hit theatres on November 9th.

Let us know your thoughts on the theme below! How does it compare to previous title tracks?

Did You Like The Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut? Get The Music FREE!

by Shane O'Hare

The chaps over at BioWare have another positive move in order to please fans. The release of the extended cut ending that was released Tuesday, that offered players 1.8 Gigs of new cut scenes, choices and most importantly CLOSURE. Along with it, the developer has released the “Extended Cut Soundtrack“.

Consisting of seven songs created by composer Sam Hulick for the new content, it is FREE for any and all who wish to have some delicious Mass Effect sounds on their Zune.

An account for BioWare’s social site is required, but after that it is fairly painless to get the songs. Take a gander at the awesome, albeit short soundtrack here!

Fuck me that is good. I always loved the music from this series, the first one had a real big Blade Runner vibe and that sold me SO hard on the game.

The Avengers Soundtrack Announced!

by Shane O'Hare

Today on the official Avengers Twitter, they announced the official soundtrack for the movie. Here it is below.

A weird combination of 2000 era bands. I am having flashbacks from middle school looking at this list. Which I believe was their thinking putting this group together. It was a emotional attempt to bring the people my age who aren’t into comics to check this movie out, as the soundtrack is aptly titles “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE”. Is this really the best AVENGERS OF MUSIC they could think of?

The same day also marks the release of the Score written by Alan Silvestri.

 

The Geekscape Staff Roundtable: Our Favorite Movie Soundtracks

by GeekscapeStaff

Movie soundtracks. They’re the soundtrack to our lives… so for this week’s roundtable, we checked in with our writing staff to find out what their lives ideally sounded like.

Eric Diaz

What it sounds like when doves cry…

In my opinion, Prince’s soundtrack to his 1984 movie Purple Rain isn’t just the greatest movie soundtrack of all time, it is one of the greatest albums of all time, period. I admit, the movie itself is fairly terrible overall, but remains totally watchable today as a kind of pop culture/ fashion time capsule. Not to mention, about 50% of the movie is on stage performances from Prince and others, and that helps A LOT. But the album is another story all together: from the spoken word opening of Let’s Go Crazy (“Dearly Beloved…”) to the final fading melancholy strings of the title track, all nine songs on this album are pure pop perfection. Spawning four top ten hits and two number ones (“Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry”) Purple Rain showcases Prince and the Revolution at the very peak of their musical powers.

Back in 1984/85, everything associated with this soundtrack turned into radio gold. It didn’t even matter if the songs from the album were even released as singles, many got massive radio play just the same. Even Erotic City, the B-Side to Let’s Go Crazy, got significant play. The two songs performed by Morris Day & the Time included in the movie became hits, as did Apollonia’s Sex Shooter, and none of these were even considered good enough by His Royal Badness to actually include on the actual final album release. While many consider Prince’s 1987 double album Sign O’ the Times to be his crowning achievement, the truth is there are still a couple of filler tracks on there. Purple Rain however, is lean mean perfection from start to finish. Over the past twenty eight years, I’ve owned it on vinyl, cassette, CD, mp3 and will probably have it directly downloaded straight into my brain one day.

Random Trivia: Track #5, Darling Nikki, was considered so obscene that it caused Tipper Gore to form the Parents Music Resource Center which is why you have all those annoying black and white Parental Advisory labels on your albums today.

Ben Dunn

When his mind’s made up…

One of the best soundtracks that comes to mind for me is from the little indie that could, Once. The movie is billed as a modern-day musical, but it’s not the traditional type with the characters breaking spontaneously into song. Instead you characters that are actually musicians trying to create music together. And boy does it ever do its job. The feelings that are expressed in the lilt of Glen Hansard’s voice and the way it mingles with Marketa Irgolva’s is heart breaking. Listen to the main theme or “Falling Slowly” and if it does not move you I would definitely go to the doctor and check to see if you have a heart.

Matt Kelly

Stands outside and yells at the rain…

Over the years Garden State has become the go-to joke for ‘Hipster movie’ and ‘Indie by Numbers’, but for me it’s always been an important movie. It reflected my post-high school, pre-college worried and concerns and became a huge comfort to me. The soundtrack is no different. Each song is so lovingly picked for each sequence. They all fit in the context of the scenes and flow beautifully on the album. My favorite track is the somber I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You by Colin Hay. I’d never heard of him before this album but the song made me go out and purchase more of his music and he’s now one of my favorite artists of all time. Whenever I’ve had a rough day I can still put on the Garden State Soundtrack and relax.

Molly Mahan

Understands who makes the rockin’ world go round…

When it comes to best film soundtracks THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE. With original music (and a few covers) by Queen, Highlander is the clear winner. It has no rival. No other collection of sound can be its equal: 26 years have passed since it was given to us and it is still the future of sound. From the epic “Princes of the Universe” (later used as the opening theme to the TV show) to the somber power ballad “Who Wants to Live Forever?” (Which I plan to have play at my funeral), the Highlander soundtrack is rife with music for any occasion and it’s bound to make your day better.

It also shows what kind of lasting power a soundtrack can have on a film. I mean, seriously, without music written and performed by Mercury, Taylor and May, where would Highlander be? The soundtrack is so blindingly amazing that not only does it make me forget the horrible experience that is the film proper, but I will rewatch it constantly and proclaim it as one of the greatest movies of all time. It’s just amazing. Not to mention that hearing Freddie Mercury halfhearted cry of “Bring on the girls!” makes me smile every time I hear it. It truly is A KIND OF MAGIC. So, GIMME A PRIZE, my fellow Geekscapists, as I do my best Kanye impersonation and proudly state that I’m gonna let you finish, but Highlander’s soundtrack is the greatest soundtrack of all time!

Shane O’Hare

Loves this Monday to Friday soundtrack…

Snakes on a Plane gets my vote for BEST movie soundtrack. It is one of the most odd amalgamations of music I have ever heard. The opening track is a scary, snakey sounding piece written by Trevor Rabin of YES fame. And then things get odd.

The main hit single by Cobra Starship, Snakes on a Plane (Bring It) was my ringtone all throughout my Junior year. It has a freakishly fabulous guitar riff and the best line in musical history ever: “We got a free upgrade for snakes on a plane/Fuck ’em, I don’t care.” Next, we have not one but THREE remixes by Tommie Sunshine of popular 2006 radio hits from Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy and The Hush Sound.

Then the Teddybear Remix of The Academy Is takes the mediocre existence of that band and elevates it to next level status. Then out of literally Nowherevilles, a township of Leftfield County, Cee-Lo Green drops an original track about the fear of snakes aptly called Ophidiophobia which includes a chorus only Cee-Lo could sing: “Send me an angel, an angel/No sign of the times, instead I’ll take it to mean I’m a stranger, to danger/But I’m scared ’cause I swore I saw a snake on a plane”.

SOAP soundtrack is HANDS DOWN the best movie OST on the planet. Feature epic original tracks, crazy ass remixes and epic genre flip flopping. Where else are you going to hear “Final Snakes” by Shranky Drank? HMMM? WHERE?

Noel Nocciolo

Still trying to make ‘fetch’ happen…

Clueless is the blueprint, in motion-picture soundtrack-form, for my music schizophrenia. Not only is “Clueless” one of my favorite movies from the 1990s, the soundtrack was my jam…and sort of still is.

The soundtrack, like the movie, begins with The Muffs’ straight-forward, solid version of Kim Wilde’s 1981 hit, “Kids In America,” a fine thesis in which to introduce Cher Horowitz.

Much like what I constantly have on current rotation in my headphones, this soundtrack is all over the place. And yet somehow it works. There are gorgeous acoustic versions of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” and Counting Crows’ cover of The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost in You,” and randomness from the Beastie Boys and Coolio. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones make an appearance in the movie as themselves, playing two songs at a frat party; one is on the soundtrack. My favorite track, which I think holds the most water in current times with regards to the evolution of what we (probably) now call “indie-rock” is “Alright” by Brit-pop group, Supergrass. I find myself listening to that cut about once a week.

The first day of classes at Fordham University, I met Rachel, whom I still count as one of my closest friends. Soon into our friendship, she told me about this incredible off-Broadway musical that was playing downtown at the Jane Street Theatre, called Hedwig And The Angry Inch, and that we must pick a night to go see it, as soon as humanly possible, because it was going to change my life.

We went, and she was right. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen on a stage. It was sort of a rock show; there was a multi-media component with the stage, but it was a play with a beginning, middle and an end. I was seventeen and a freshman in college in the biggest theatre-city in the United States, from a small town…and it blew my mind. It resonated for me in a way nothing had ever and nothing has ever since.

“Hedwig” was made into a feature film that I enjoyed immensely, but nothing duplicates the eccentric electricity of seeing it on stage. Beautifully, it forces empathy for sad, passionate and brilliant Hedwig, who is (partially) transgendered and searching for a place in a society that doesn’t quite know what to do with her. Both the movie soundtrack and the original cast recording are really incredible.

Joe Starr

One shall stand, one shall fall…

On behalf of geeks everywhere, I’d like to apologize to our readers that no one has given the correct answer to this discussion yet: TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE. No Michael Bay to be found here: it is the year 2005 and the treacherous Decepticons have conquered the Autobot’s home planet of Cybertron. But, from secret staging grounds on two of Cybertron’s moons the valiant Autobots plan to take back their homeland. And they plan to do so with the POWER OF STAN BUSH.

The album kicks off the most inspirational song ever written, The Touch, followed by the Ironhide killing Instruments of Destruction (this soundtrack kicking everyone’s ass was almost too easy, mighty Megatron!). All true movie soundtracks should be judged by the movie version of their theme song, and Lion’s version of Transformers is more than meets your eyes. And your face. And your god damn soul. Do you need more lifting up? The second most inspirational song ever written, Stan Bush’s Dare is be your hero. It will hold you up when you’re feeling down. It will make you smile in times of darkness. It will pull a triplechanger’s cannon out of the way so that you can avoid a swift death outside of Autobot City when you’re outside of Autobot City facing a swift death at the hands of a triplechanger. All of this plus Weird Al and Vince DiCola’s score makes the rock of this soundtrack stronger than unleashing the power of the Matrix. Also, I like Transformers.