Lovely Planet Original Soundtrack
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Album Title: Lovely Planet Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: Bandcamp |
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| Catalog No.: N/A |
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| Release Date: July 31, 2014 |
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| Purchase: Buy at Bandcamp |
Overview
Lovely Planet is a new first person shooter game known for it’s bright and playful Katamari-esque visuals. Accompanying the game is the eclectic soundtrack penned by Calum Bowen, who has scored a few other indie games in the past. Here Calum Bowen offers another bout of charm and lyrical melodies for a soundtrack that is both fitting to the game and enjoyable as standalone listen.
Body
The first track is the menu music, a short and bright theme with several East Asian elements. It’s nice and peaceful but not at all boring, moving along at a good pace. The instrumentation makes it interesting enough, and these elements pervade most of the rest of the soundtrack. From here, the remaining tracks accompany each of the areas that the player progresses through.
If there is any track that will make a listener think of Katamari, it’s “Lovely City”. The track is reminiscent of some Katamari opening tracks, opening lavishly with some jazzy piano elements, upbeat percussion and a small choir. However, the track heavily features cute chiptune elements, which also take the central melody. The melodies and harmonies are written like a pop song, and overall the song is delightful. “Lovely Village” changes up the meter to a waltz and is considerably more laid back. The mix of bright synths and jazz is used again here to great effect, and like the track before it oozes charm.
The next songs shift from jazz and bring back the asian instruments to mix in with the synth. “Lovely Forest” is a dance-inspired track that manages to combine Asian percussion and plucked strings with chiptune sounds to make an enjoyable mix. “Lovely Swamp” keeps the instrumentation but slows things down almost to a stop as a more atmospheric track. The track uses droning synths with reflective chords on the piano to make for an effective and unique song.
“Lovely Mountains” returns the soundtrack back to upbeat territory. As the final stage track, the song encompasses all of the instrumental elements from the previous tracks, and even incorporates some of their melodic and rhythmic elements. Doing so, it doesn’t really separate it self much from the rest of the soundtrack, but it is a welcome and fitting addition. Last is the “Maxo Fightermix” of “Lovely Forest”. Most of the elements of the original are intact, but there are some light dubstep elements added in. It doesn’t do a whole lot for the soundtrack, but it doesn’t sound out of place on the album as many bonus remixes can tend to either.
Summary
The soundtrack for Lovely Planet is a pleasant little gem that is crucial to the atmosphere of its game, and fun to listen to outside of it. Calum Bowen uses an interesting mix of jazz, chiptune, synths, and east asian instruments with catchy melodies to craft a soundtrack that is wonderfully playful. Each track is well-crafted and enjoyable, coming together in a cohesive little package that will entertain listeners from start to finish.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on August 22, 2014 by Christopher Huynh. Last modified on August 23, 2014.
About the Author
Christopher Huynh recently finished an undergraduate degree in Physics at McMaster University. He has some proficiency in singing, piano, organ, cello, and gaming. He hopes to continue exploring the vast world of music while sharing it with others however possible.
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