Wednesday 20 March 2013

Crowning Music of Awesome: Scott Pilgrim vs the World by Anamanaguchi



There was a time when I didn't like Scott Pilgrim. I thought the premise was stupid and with the movie around the corner starring Michael Cera, that just made me not want to enjoy it even more. However a friend suggested I try the PSN game and to humour him, I downloaded the demo. Needless to say I dropped a good 2-3 hours on the demo alone, trying each character out and just listening to the World 1 theme. All it took was the one song for me to get hooked. I bought the game and the soundtrack and still I cannot get tired of it.

So today on Crowning Music of Awesome, I will be taking a listen to two songs from the album. I know normally I only focus on one song, but with this soundtrack, I couldn't choose between Another Winter (how apropos) and Gideon's Wrath Part 1.

Another Winter can be considered the anthem for the kids born in the early to mid 90's. This is a song that exemplifies freedom and striking out on your own, no longer under the rules of your parents. You want to just want to hang out with your friends or go to the clubs and watch some amateur band play. You want to push the limits of social norms and make your mark on the world.

This song is great for getting you into the world of Scott Pilgrim and makes you feel like you are witnessing the events of the comic. From being at Club Rockit, where Scott and his friends battle Matthew Patel and his Hipster Demon Chicks (that is the official name, I am not joking) to being at the Chaos Theatre where Scott confronts Gideon for the first time, fighting to save the girl he loves. While to other songs may override Another Winter, it was that song that drew me into the world. When I re-read the comics, when I start the first book, I always have Another Winter playing in the background.

The second song on today's list is Gideon's Wrath part 1. Last year I paired this song with Gideon's Wrath part 2 and upon reflection, that was a mistake. Both songs are great, but honestly they are two separate and unique songs that reflect two different boss fights.

Gideon's Wrath is a fantastic song because like Another Winter it draws you in, but unlike the song, it only draws you in for the climactic fight between Scott and Gideon. There is energy in this song, unlike Roxx 300 where it felt spastic, the energy coming from this song feels far more focused. In the game itself, you hear this song during the final battle against Gideon and it truly draws you as a player into the fight.

Another Winter and Gideon's Wrath are both important songs. Another Winter draws you into the world of Scott Pilgrim while the latter song depicts a clash of rivals in a do or die scenario. For a simple game, the final battle is quite exhilarating and I haven't experienced something like that in a long time. Not even Mass Effect has brought around the same energy while fighting the final boss. Amazing that a ten dollar PSN title can trump a AAA 

These two songs are, in my opinion, the best on the album. The former song is a feel good song that can lift ones spirits while the other is the perfect song to depict a clash between rivals as the fuchsia flames of hell burn all around us. Anamanaguchi did a phenomenal job on this soundtrack and is easily in my top 5 of best video game soundtrack of all time.

If you are interested in purchasing the Album you can find it on Amazon.com

This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.

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