Colorado Symphony Orchestra v. Nobuo Uematsu

So I wasn't going to post about this, but I figure if I've been harping on something for weeks, perhaps writing it down is a way to get it out of my system so I stop bothering all my friends with it.

Final Fantasy

I suspect many of my readers are familiar with this genre-defining series of games, and if you aren't you can read about it here. Even if you are familiar with the FF series, the number of foot-notes and cross-references in the article might be surprising.

One of the cornerstones of the Final Fantasy game series is it's original scores; orchestrated first on 8 and 16-bit MIDI, and later with full symphonies by the musical genius Nobuo Uematsu (No-boo Uey-maat-su). It would not be much of a stretch to say that a Final Fantasy game without Nobuo's music would not really be a Final Fantasy (which is partly why this author believes FFXII felt a little off).

Even in it's original 8-bit form, you can hear a sense of epic grandeur in Nobuo's work. A feeling that despite the technological limitations, he could hear entire orchestrations under the simple beeps and hums of the first game soundtracks. It's a testament to his musicality and innovation that he would invest so early in such a new artistic medium. A dedication which has paid off tremendously, making him the most recognizable composer for the entirety of an art form.

So it is with great anticipation that I went to see the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in Boettcher Hall in Denver perform Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy. Having been an amateur musician, I understand that a professional symphony may only get a few days to work on a project before they begin performing. But that is standard for the caliber of musicians that they are composed of (some of the best symphonies sight-read their performances!). It is also in the norm of musicians to be rather critical of other musicians, and it can get a bit snobby. So imagine yourself an accomplished musician, you've landed a symphony chair (the holy grail for classical musicians), and your director tells you your next performance will be playing music from a video game. You'd scoff. right? Well, I wouldn't scoff, but imagine if you were 50 (the average age of a symphony musician) and hadn't grown up in the video game age. Pretty easy to shrug off the music as a "piece of cake." I have a feeling that the CSO was surprised by the musicality of what they were trying to play.

Having left the performance, after hearing snares more than 1/2 beat off from the symphony, a guitar virtuoso fail almost completely and a choir that more than likely had no idea what was going on, I was understandably disappointed. I hadn't really realized the full potential of Nobuo's music yet. My good friend bought the CD (which I avoided because I was turned off by the performance), and I later realized that the CD was not performed by the CSO, but the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra!! I begged and he obligingly let me rip the CD so I could listen to it.

Since then, I can not count how many times I've listened to the whole CD, beginning to end. You could tell the Stockholm Philharmonic practiced, and didn't assume the music would be easy. In the CD, the full potential of Nobuo's epic themes comes to life, perfectly represented and faithfully executed by Sweden's finest musicians.

I have since re-fallen in love with Nobuo's work and feel a little guilty that I didn't get in on the whole Final Fantasy craze until college. It's sort of ruined me, my first real RPG (if you don't count Pokemon) was FFVII. The undisputed champion of the genre and one of Nobuo's crowning achievements. I have since been looking for that contender game that can knock FFVII from the top spot: it is yet to happen, and music is one of the deciding factors in my favorite games list.

What have I learned from all this?

1. Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra > Colorado Symphony Orchestra
2. Nobuo Uematsu = Visionary = Genius
3. Author of this blog = music snob.

I think it's clear that the final verdict is:
Colorado Symphony Orchestra - zero.
Nobuo Uematsu - Win.
-Ty

image via music4games

It Can't Be Contained

Well, its happened: my embarrassment, modesty, and slim hope of remaining cool can no longer stifle the enthusiasm I feel toward the re-boot of Star Trek.

If you haven't seen the new trailer yet, its a must-see here.

Now that you've seen it, you won't mind if I riff a little.

It's a re-boot. Keep that in mind. When I first saw the teaser for this movie a few months ago, there was in an image of the enterprise being built (its on my site somewhere, but the exact location eludes me at the moment :D) and it looks like it's being built in an atmosphere. I was pissed.

"The enterprise is too big to be built on earth and then reach orbit! They specifically said that in the show! Its been that way forever! What about the Utopia Planetia shipyards? Are they just going to ignore that?"

Well, the answer appears to be yes. But I'm OK with it. Because its been made clear that this is a re-boot. Meaning, they are starting over. Loosely based in its origins, this new Star Trek has a new cannon, a new direction, and the potential for an entirely new take on the Trek universe.

A few years ago, I would have been pissed because a re-boot meant that they were stealing an idea and just doing whatever the frack they wanted with it. But then a little show called Battlestar Galactica came out. It was a re-boot, in the best definition of the term. Tenderly cared for by my hero Ronald Moore, it expressed how awesome a re-boot could be. And now that the community has seen what it takes to have a successful re-boot, I don't think JJ will do it wrong. A fan-boy can hope anyway.


A few things I noticed about the new trailer:

1. Kirk jumping out of a sports car that skids off a cliff....why? but adrenaline junky seems to fit his persona.

   'is the rolling necessary?' 'It helps.'

2. Apparently Spock and Kirk had a bit of a rocky start, judging from the shouting and choking we see. An interesting development, I always suspected Spock was a little annoyed at Kirk from time to time
   
3. A new enterprise. Interesting. I'm OK with it. Similar enough to look familiar, but different enough to look new.
4. A goofy Scotty. I know he was being serious in the original series, but something was always hilarious about him. I'm glad they've embraced that humor.

I've heard a lot of other fan-boys trading around the phrase "raped my childhood" when referring to this movie. I disagree with them. While it is well known that I have a harsh view on un-original ideas, a good friend of mine made the point that something, while based in an old idea, can still be original. What we need to do is not view this with the same fondness we reserve for the Trek of our childhood, but instead with the open-minded curiosity that we would approach any new sci-fi, it just happens that some of the things here will look familiar. We should view all the things we recognize as salutes those heroes of our childhood, but not let them get in the way of what this new thing is trying to be: a new Trek.
-Ty

spock pic via startrekmovie.com
enterprise pic via Big Yellow Taxi

'Twas Bound to Happen

Open warfare here in Old-Man Town (Lockheed Martin/ULA).

A group of older republicans over the cube wall started talking (a bit too loudly to be natural) about how the economy is going to tank, how we are all going to have to pay more taxes, how we will have to sell our cars and get tiny ones, and how we will have to stop having personal possessions now that Obama has been elected president.

The younger guy who sits in the cube near me just started busting out laughing, and I have to admit, I laughed too.

Of course then all hell broke loose.

We just finished a 30 min shouting match about Sarah Palin. They said they liked her, and asked why didn't we? It was brought up that she didn't understand that Africa was a continent. It was brought up that she would have preserved the great country of America for Americans. It was then argued that the previous statement doesn't make any sense. One quote sticks quite prominently in my mind: "She has way more experience as the governer of a state than Obama does as a senator. That level is where all the work happens, where shit gets done."

Lawl.

The general atmosphere around here is subdued, quiet, embarrased, and pissy. And I have to say, I am loving every minute of it.
-Ty

BTW: I recommend reading the entirety of the page I just linked to in this article. Lots and lots of juicy tidbits, including many that I feel sort of redeem McCain.

Welcome to the New World America

Welcome my friends, to the first day that we can truly hope for a 21st century America.

I have no words that can better describe my hopes and dreams for what our nation can be than those already spoken.

I know that the rest of the world feels as we do when we say "finally, the chance for CHANGE."
Europe, Africa, Asia, and even international markets, breathe a sigh of relief as America takes another progressive step in shaping its own destiny.

Today I can hold my head up high and say "Yeah, I'm an American," and today I have seen first hand evidence of the American Dream that was so talked about while I was a child.

To those of you who are still afraid of what CHANGE may bring, I offer these words that were not mine, but had I been more eloquent, would have been.
-Ty

pic via AFP

Vote!

Are ya Votin yet?
After a 7-1 win for the Browncoats at midnight last night, I woke up surprisingly bright and optimistic today. And that is because today is the day that I re-start being proud to be an American. With the GOP's chance of taking the House, Senate, and Presidency appearing to dwindle, it is looking more and more likely that my country will finally start reflecting my views.

Its not all rosy shit and sunshine however. Lets not forget how we got here: President Bush, the GOP's policies for the last several years, and the paranoia, elitism, and fear of the American person. Its easy to line up behind quite possibly the greatest choice for president that we've had in my lifetime, and even easier to blame all the problems we face on his predecessor. But we have to remember that we live in a democratic state. And so the actions of our government reflect on us. The choices it makes can be directly attributed to the choices we make. Far too often have I looked on the actions of our government with shame and disbelief. And just as often I am reminded that everything that has happened, has been allowed to happen. Has been a reflection of the fear that Americans feel and the distasteful acts that arise when fear takes over. We can not allow ourselves to shunt our shame on our government. Because the American system is built such that America as a country acts similar to America as a people.

What I say to you today is Fear No Longer. Act, but not from fear. Act from responsibility, from the goodness of your heart, and America as a nation will act accordingly. Our savior is here, and its not Barack Obama, its not the democrats, its not a bailout package, it is a CHANGE in the hearts and mind of the American people, and because of that, we can all be...Proud to be American.
-Ty

pic via picoodle