Level with Emily Reese

It's always a joy catching up with composer Cris Velasco! This time around, we chat about his epic music for Lords of the Fallen, a souls-like action RPG with plenty of boss battles. He also clues me into another one of his recent scores, for a game called Fae Farm, He and I will talk more about that in a future episode, because it's delightful. Also couldn't be more different than his music for Lords. Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Cris on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. PLAYLIST by Cris Velasco for Lords of the Fallen unless noted otherwise 00:00 Aphotic Judgment 06:29 Warmaster 06:56 Orian Ascendance 08:22 Deathless Duty 11:01 Molten Heart 12:30 Archnemesis 16:39 Bloodletter 19:44 Call to War 20:05 Howl of Devastation 23:02 Archnemesis 26:05 Maw of Faith 27:23 Maw of Faith 33:02 Bloodletter 37:13 Fiery Malice 43:15 Welcome to Azoria 45:00 Warm Winds of Adventure 45:55 Maw of Faith 46:41 The Sun on Your Back 47:28 The Market Dance 53:53 Rotting Whispers 54:25 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

During our Next Level discussion about this very episode, our friend Sacha counted up how many times we've had Jason Graves on an episode of Level, and Level's friend, Top Score. Six times on Top Score, six times on Level, and this marks the 13th ep dedicated to his music. Best part is, we know there will be many more! This time, it's all about battle royale and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II DLC called Warzone. The Warzone maps are DLC for Modern Warfare II players, and Jason's released a soundtrack of the music from them. It's always great having him on the show - I always learn something about his approach and I can't wait our next conversation! Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Jason on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. PLAYLIST by Jason Graves for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone unless noted otherwise 00:00 Welcome to Al Mazrah 5:10 Unearthed 10:54 Unearthed 14:06 Enemy Anthem 15:07 Welcome to Al Mazrah 15:35 Power Broker 21:22 Resurfacing 24:13 Perilous 27:10 Controlled Chaos 38:11 Welcome to Al Mazrah 38:42 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Ross Tregenza is back for a deep dive into the music and sound he created and composed for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. We also talk about his music for Deathloop, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, and his ubiquitous music in Cyberpunk 2077. I love every minute of all of it. And I loved talking with Ross about these projects, including his industrial band Goteki. Hot tip, all of their music is available as a FREE download on Bandcamp. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Ross Tregenza for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre unless noted otherwise 00:00 Who Will Survive (Overture) 10:53 Bizarre Crimes 14:15 Blunt-Headed Hammer 16:26 And What Will Be Left Of Them (Credits) 18:28 And What Will Be Left Of Them (Credits) 20:08 And What Will Be Left Of Them (Credits) 27:04 The Gas Station 33:20 Cyberpunk 2077 Ads 34:10 Cyberpunk 2077 Ads 35:06 Cyberpunk 2077 Ads 39:00 Wrong Side of the Mirror from Deathloop 39:46 Sun Goes Down from Deathloop 41:05 Sun Goes Down from Deathloop 42:03 Heartbreaker from Deathloop 42:45 Heartbreaker from Deathloop 43:44 The Dahlia’s Lounge from Deathloop 45:29 Wolves by Goteki from Songs from the Void 49:35 Wolves by Goteki from Songs from the Void 50:45 Saucermen by Goteki from MMXX 52:38 Boneshaker by Goteki from Boneshaker 1:11:58 The Massacre (Main Theme) 1:12:47 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Darren Korb's music for Hades properly beloved. It's a great blend of metal with acoustic Mediterranean instruments to take you through the deep story of the game. Darren adds his voice acting talents to the game as well, voicing the main character, Zagreus, and the training dummy, Skelly. Hades is one of my favorite rogue-lite dungeon crawlers, and the music is the best. Darren and I had this conversation about his music and acting in November 2021. For a handful of reasons, none of which have anything to do with Darren, we are sharing it now, with sincere apologies for a nearly two-year delay! Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and subscribe to Level with Emily's YouTube channel. PLAYLISTby Darren Korb for Hades unless noted otherwise 00:00 No Escape06:44 Scourge of the Furies10:06 Out of Tartarus10:54 Out of Tartarus12:29 Through Asphodel13:54 The King and the Bull14:56 Mouth of Styx15:50 God of the Dead16:56 On the Coast17:32 In the Blood (feat. Ashley Barrett)23:14 Final Expense26:22 In the Blood (feat. Ashley Barrett)31:02 God of the Dead33:24 God of the Dead34:14 The Unseen Ones (feat. Daisuke Kurosawa and Masahiro Aoki)49:27 In the Blood (feat. Ashley Barrett)51:56 Good Riddance (feat. Ashley Barrett)54:54 The Unseen Ones (feat. Daisuke Kurosawa and Masahiro Aoki)57:48 From Olympus58:40 Primordial Chaos59:56 Primordial Chaos1:01:34 The Bloodless1:03:50 Field of Souls1:04:46 Rage of the Myrmidons1:05:38 The Painful Way1:06:24 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

It's always a fascinating discussion with composer Maclaine Diemer. In this episode, we talk about Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the newest expansion in the MMORPG. The last time he was on Level to talk about Guild Wars 2, we spoke of the End of Dragons expansion. Maclaine's music for End of Dragons was heavily influenced by Korean traditional music (called gugak) with synth undertones. The music for Secrets of the Obscure is quite different, as you'll hear Maclaine discuss, driven by a tight timeline. It's beautiful orchestral music - a very traditional Western orchestra - with few soloists, just beautiful sweeping melodies and mysterious turns, colored by polytonality and the influence of Debussy. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Maclaine Diemer for Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure unless noted otherwise 00:00 Secrets of the Obscure 07:46 Whispers of the Misplaced 08:59 A Future Carved in Jade from Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons 10:09 End of Dragons from Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons 19:38 Opening Titles from Jurassic Park by John Williams 20:50 Curious Allies 23:53 A Fractured Horizon 25:12 A Fractured Horizon 29:30 Memories Forgotten 38:04 The Beast Emerges by Maclaine Diemer and Michael Paraskevas 44:59 Amnytas in Peril 49:43 Curious Allies 53:41 The Wizards 1:03:57 Secrets of the Obscure 1:09:14 Malaise by Jaimee Jimin Park 1:10:17 Malaise by Jaimee Jimin Park 1:12:31 The Beast Emerges by Maclaine Diemer and Michael Paraskevas 1:14:36 Otherworldly Threats by Bobby Rose 15:44 Courage and Regret by Bryan Atkinson 18:15 These Ancient Halls 22:56 Memories Forgotten 23:24 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

This is Part Two of my chat with scntfc / Andy Rohrmann about his music for Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. And it's another episode packed with music and back stories. We can't wait to have Andy on the show to talk about more music in the future! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST / PART TWOby scntfc for Oxenfree (I) or Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (II) unless noted otherwise00:00 Epiphany (I)05:09 Lost (I)06:36 music from the ARG for the cult Parentage06:48 Lost (I)11:14 The Beach, 7AM (Magnetophone) (I)11:48 The Beach, 7AM (Magnetophone) (I)13:38 The Beach, 7AM (Magnetophone) (I)16:12 A Block A Rock A Grave a Cave (II)17:42 A Block A Rock A Grave a Cave (II)18:51 A Block A Rock A Grave a Cave (II)20:15 Cleanslate (I)23:27 Cleaned Slate (II)24:48 Kanaloa (I)33:03 Catbird Station (I)34:48 Towhee Grove (I)35:34 Epiphany Fields (I)37:52 Epiphany Fields (I)38:36 Baby Carrots (II)39:30 Epiphany Fields (I)41:26 Against The Rocks (I)42:08 Against The Waves (I)44:37 To The Summit (I)47:49 Cold Comfort (I)48:58 Cold Comfort (I)50:48 Found (II)53:35 Beacon Beach (I)54:38 ***Changed Beacon Beach*** courtesy scntfc58:08 Beyond the Space Gates by Morgan Kuhli from Infinite Psychic Translations58:55 ***audio of Morgan Kuhli on the radio***1:00:17 Can You Hear The Quiet Flames by Morgan Kuhli from Infinite Psychic Translations1:01:19 The Hanford Reach by Burn A Pale Fire (scntfc + Morgan Kuhli) from Undone1:06:07 Arcadia Station (II)1:07:07 Catchpole Station (I)1:10:29 Best Friends from Virtual Virtual Reality + AR + 21:15:45 Towhee Grove (I)1:16:42 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Doyle Donehoo wrote a fantastic score for the newest game in the Alien franchise, called Aliens: Dark Descent. His music shares several hallmarks but is uniquely his music, and his fandom for this franchise runs so deep it comes off as a gorgeous, if not appropriately creepy, love letter. Doyle saw the first film, Alien, in the theater in 1979. I've told many friends about the story of his experience that night - hilarious. And much later in our conversation, we chat about how he was one of the first in the world (yup) to see Star Wars, an equally engaging tale. If you've played Warhammer, you've likely heard Doyle's music. This score is just as epic yet in the most delicate way possible - the dynamic range alone can put you in that terrifying universe. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLISTby Doyle Donehoo for Aliens: Dark Descent unless noted otherwise 00:00 Aliens: Dark Descent Main Theme07:18 They Keep Coming08:26 Main Theme13:00 That’s Just Creepy16:52 Desperate Escape26:20 Running Battle28:31 Industrial Disaster Aftermath31:37 Alien First Encounter35:37 The Queen Must Die40:08 Check Those Corners50:25 Revelations in the Dark54:48 Desperate Escape1:05:48 Running Battle1:06:20 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan