Mahchi Nooo
- I like how you can add in these weird timbres (like the kinda-cat-purr - thing in this one, or bubly-chirps, or subtlty add a flanger on drums upon re-introduction... and so on)
- SUDDDEN INTRODUCTION OF A STRONG MELODY IN 3:30!! AND 4:00!! I spotted it!! Maybe bird spotting is THIS fun too IRL...? Sudden epiphany. But I really like how you can now sort of ... add a "strong" melody, but then let go of it when necessary / let piece develope elsewhere... that's the spirit.
sidenote: vidcon osts have a problem with making the harmonies, arpeggios, melodies, etc a bit too "strong"... you don't have this problem.
but you used to idk "forefront" the cacophonous modal harmonies way more before?
-> now there's more variety in multitude of ways, eg rhythm, the density or sense of space, etc.
oh yeah THANK GOD YOU DON'T HAVE REVERB-LADDEN SONGS, or like, you really put a lot of thought into the "room sound" or the overall production??? like i really love just the overall BALANCED reverb and sense of room in the songs. it's super-balanced. Chrono Trigger forest theme looks amazed at Ragmar.
utt Healer 2
- Again, i immediately like this _a lot_ on the get go... there's a- ahhahah "squiiirt" synth appeared, awesome timbre!!
- what i was saying? oh yeah, so there's that sweet spot bet- my god, did you just introduce a NEW MELODY in 1:00?! non-joke shock- WHAT!! .... 1:35 another one!? and squirt is back next?! (so yeah not messing around with you, but YES these all elements and melodies work together WELL. M-maybe finally Donkey Kong water level has met it's winner...? David Wise looks in shock, y... you finally came, hero. Take this 808 and use it wisely...
- so WHAT I WAS SAYING WAS that you have a really good balance between game ost + actual electro + background music + something else ... it sorta reminds me if Oblivion was actually a scifi game? That's a good thing in a weird but sophisticated way.
Theme From Bob Ross Mind Palace
- I like this alot!!!!
- I like it that unlike modern IDM-ambient etc commercial stuff you have, like, BORDERS to your music. It sounds FOCUSED, like eg deus ex soundtrack (not production wise tho). The Headquarters theme from D-Exlooks approvingly at Ragnar...
- like, it's a GOOD THING it doesn't sound "up to date" but more like Ragnar. eg. the next autoplay that came after this song (some other artist's song) immediately starts with the usual modern electro-tropes, gah. It's like "youtube" has become a legit electro genre (unfortunately).
- also i noticed the syclical yet soothing melody and arpeggio, which pleasantly overlaps with each other. music theory mathematics at it's finest.
Bellthing1
- i listened to others first, so i found this less exciting (progress of an artist in works?). please don't kill me.
- good bass synth-timbre again.
- and i noticed and liked the "SNES" like hazy-crispy quality of the main melody
- imho dare i say it...? needs maybe different drums (1:30)? mainly noticed that the piece is cyclical, but it's almost as if like the drums also need to be something SOMBER or more nuanced? GAH i bet you worked your ass of on that, feel free to ragequit, but anyways like, EVEN TABLAS MIGHT WORK timbre wise... something bassier and more organic / more in-tune with the "vibrating sounds" feel of the song. I only mean we- *BLAM BLAM*
- apparently Machi nooo had like... more quicker, and specific pattern drums -> sounded like "chatter that comes on" like I described the feel about Deus Ex soundtrack at times?
In general i like this more playful and focused Ragnar!! it seems less "wow future is horrible, prematurer jadedness" but it almost approaching some kind of organic-ness. like... really sophisticated introspective music, not for exactly games or movies or irl installations ... like... it's HONEST, more honest music than most music you hear typically in those contexts. maybe background for serious discussions or something? not new age tho, but something... something serious and reflective.
I could think of multitude of use for these tracks...
you do know that Deus Ex main purpose of the songs was to sort of "add a atmospheric chatter" behind all those long dialogues? so it was used to drive the bureacracy feel home, the feel of "bureacracy/workplacetalk" etc... so you got really immersed into the no-nonsense sensibilities of the politics and workplace banter etc.
sometimes i feel scifi music misses it's point by being too on the nose, but then sometimes artists fuck up by trying to make a very ... self-contained music? like it's too "message-sful" or "chockfull"? like it lacks the "lightness" that charactises some of the really good, serious videogame osts (like fantasy genres... BoF2 Biggie mashup nods wisely)... and then lot of the background music for podcasts etc is really throwaway / non-effortful and really detracts most of the time.
Eg I think what really drew me to SNES music was how SERIOUSLY THE MUSIC TOOK THE GENRES ITSELF? like it didn't sound like "here's folky guitar for folk location", it was usually "HERES A REALLY GOOD WRITTEN FOLK-PIECE, WITH WEIRDO TIMBRE PRODUCTION" etc. Donkey Kong's water level is really good, for the sheer balance of things - you honestly could say that "holy shit, im in some underwater location, it sounds heavenly" with a straight face in a biker gang bar, and everybody would just idk SLAP YOUR BACK approvingly? all men secretely dream of swimming with a sword fish +2000m deep undawada.
but that usually required a certain amount of also LIGHTNESS / REPEATEBILITY and ANONYMITY? so you could properly put yourself into the place? now that's a hard quality to crack, since it's polar opposite of being an music artist usually. but ANYWAYS i feel like you kinda have that quality? you sorta havta govta full-Bach on it and sorta give up on the piece, in order to actually make it "born properly".
gah. im just talking outta my ass for the longest time.
