When
I am feeling at my lowest, there are two things that help me get
through. It's my friends in my Dungeons and Dragons group and my
music. As I said last week, musical therapy has been becoming more
and more accepted to help treat clinical depression. Using music
while coupled with other forms of counselling has been proven to
help. However that was last weeks article.
This
week I am counting down the top 10 songs I use to help shake the
blues away.
10:
Mega Man X/ OCRemiX: Braving the Storm by Metal Man (Original by the Mega Man X Team)
As
of late, Capcom has not been on my good list due to several reasons
which i don't feel comfortable talking about. So when i was going
over my lists, I found it odd that I had Capcom, and most noticeably
Mega Man tracks on the list. I guess it shows that even if you don't
agree with the company, you can still find joy in the music.
Braving
the Storm lives up to it's title. A song of grit and determination
and forcing your way through a winter wasteland. When you succeed in
your mission, there is no better feeling. I find this song to be more
seasonal given it's name. I find myself usually thinking of the
original Chill Penguin's theme when I am out shovelling snow. Of
course when Maverick Rising came out back in March, taking one listen
to this song made me remember tackling the snow.
I
find that once you are finished shovelling, you may be tired, but
it's a good tired. Braving the Storm helps put me at ease after hard
work and I can finally relax and not worry about anything.
9:
Cave Story: Moonsong by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya
Cave
Story started my love for Indie Games. With it's retro graphics, fun
gameplay and story, and lastly, great music, there is nothing to
critique about the game. For those who grew up in the Nintendo Hard
era of gaming, this is your game. But I am not here to gush about
this game. There is one particular song that has grabbed my attention
from this wonderful game.
Moonsong
is a wonderful little tune and one of my favourites from the game.
This is one of the rare times that a song makes me grasping for words
to describe this song. This song plays when you are given a choice.
You can flee on the back with a single survivor, or you can continue
to risk your life and climb upward to put a stop to the madness. The
song pretty much makes your choice for you. If you flee, the song
makes you feel like a coward, so by climbing the song reminds you
that you have an obligation to set things right.
8:
Final Fantasy VI/OCRemiX: Ruined Skies by OrkyBash (Originally by Nobuo Uematsu)
Ruined
Skies is an arrangement of Searching For Friends, one of single best
tracks Nobuo Uematsu has ever made. It can still hold its own against
the later tracks like One Winged Angel and You're Not Alone. I know I
have said how much I loved the Final Fantasy IX, and they are
incredibly awesome, nothing tops that feeling of taking to the skies
and searching for your friends.
So
why have I chosen Ruined Skies by Orkybash over the original. It's
the fact that the feeling of hope is building. The song does not
instantly know you are going to find your friends. It fills you with
equal parts wonder and dread. It has you questioning everything. What
has happenned to this world, where are your friends, are they even
alive and finally, can we stop Kefka?
7:
Donkey Kong Country 2: Jib Jig by David Wise
When
one is feeling depressed, there is one thing that is a sure fire way
to feel better. Going on an adventure. Be it taking a cursed ring
into the land of evil, conquering some pale haired bishonen or going
to the local ice cream shop. Having the mindset for an adventure is
one of the best ways to take your mind off your current situation.
From
the Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack, Jib Jig is the ideal adventure
theme. It makes you want to sign on with a crew, hoist the sails and
go into lands beyond. With this song playing you cannot help but say
it's adventure time.
6:
Persona 3 Portable – A Way of Life (FemPC Map Theme) by Shōji
Meguro
My
first foray into the MegaTen games was Persona 3 Portable and with
that one game, I fell in love with the series. The Characters are fun
and I really find myself getting engrossed in the story. One of the
things about the PSP Remake of Persona 3 was that you could play as a
female PC which I find fun. It's not just a simple re-skin, but a
completely different game. Different dialogues, different sub quests
and even different music.
I
find A Way of Life more...upbeat then the Male PC's theme. Given the
rather dark nature of the game, having a a more peppy, upbeat theme
helps alleviate the more depressing themes. The FemPC can be played
like this as well as the choices you have with your character can
make her mood reflect her Map Theme. It is a fun tune and defiantly
worth a listen to. In fact, Persona 3 Portable is a game worth
playing.
5:
Tie! Illusion of Gaia: In the Earthen Womb/Will's Journey by Yasuhiro Kawasaki
Illusion
of Gaia is one of the most underrated games on the Super Nintendo. It
has one of the most complex, if down right depressing stories from
the 16 bit era, wonderfully detailed graphics, and best of all, a
solid soundtrack that can rival the heavy hitters from the SNES era.
I
had a difficult time choosing between these two songs. On the one
hand In the Earthen Womb has brought me to tears and is quite
possibly, one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. The way
the song is produced, it sounds like an angelic choir singing. It is
such a hauntingly beautiful song and it does make me teary eyed. But
not for sad reasons. I will save you the reasons why however.
Will's
Journey however is a song of fun and adventure. Whereas Jib Jig is a
song for a pirate adventure, Will's Journey is a song of leaving
your home, going out into the world and finding your destiny. This
song is an incredibly simple and doesn't have much emotional backing
to it like In The Earthen Womb, but I can't help but like it.
4:
Radical Dreamers: Star Stealing Girl by Yasunori Mitsuda
I
do not know the importance of this song in Radical Dreamers or Chrono
Cross. I could never get through Chrono Cross without throwing my
hands up in frustration and I have never played Radical Dreamers.
However I have heard this song and I don't know why I like it so
much. I prefer the original version of this song but the Chrono Cross
version is good as well.
Radical
Dreamers feels like a song of love to me. It is a soft and relaxing
song. When listening you just want to close your eyes and focus on
all the good that has happened in life. This is a great theme and is
worthy to use. I prefer the Radical Dreamers iteration of the song
because it is more simple in design. I love complex songs alot, but
when you are feeling down, sometimes it is easier to keep it simple.
3:
Legend of Zelda ~ The Wind Waker: Dragon Roost Island by the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker team
Legend
of Zelda: The Wind Waker may be one of the best Zelda games in recent
history. When you compare it to Twilight Princess, it is leaps and
bounds better. Better music, better characters, a better story and
they actually gave Ganondorf a backstory. I can only compare the game
to Twilight Princess as I have not gotten far in Skyward Sword yet.
In my opinion, Twilight Princess was a let down off a Zelda game.
One
of the more popular songs in Wind Waker would have to be Dragon Roost
Island. With a solid mix of stringed instruments, and woodwinds, this
gives the are a great feeling of island adventure. I often find
myself whistling this tune to myself or using it for background
noise. With this sort of music playing it is easy to get lost in.
Just goes to show you that you don't need fancy realistic graphics to
have an epic adventure.
2:
Mario Kart 64: Rainbow Road by Kenta Nagata
The
notorious Rainbow Road. If you beat that course without dying, you
were considered king of gaming. Of course when Mario Kart jumped to
the N64, it brought Rainbow Road along with it. They had since nerfed
the course by giving it guard rails (blasphemy) and the only real way
to get knocked off was if you tried to do a short cut. Still, this
was and still is a fun game.
I
had an entire album of different versions of this song to choose
from, but the one I came back to always was the N64 version. This
song is fun incarnate. Nothing beats getting 3 of your friends and
having a race on Rainbow Road. I just love this song so much. But it
doesn't invoke the same emotions as the next song does.
1:
Super Mario 64: Dire Dire Docks by Koji Kondo
I
remember January 4th 1997 very clear in my mind. My
brother Matt and I were given an ultimatum by our parents. Nintendo
64 or the Playstation. I remember going to Toys R Us and getting
ourselves the N64. Now we didn't have alot of money at the time, but
I remember renting Mario 64 and the first time I saw that Lakitu
cameraman come into focus, that changed my gaming life.
I
was blown away by the ground breaking 3D, the smooth controls and the
music. It was the music that finally solidified my love for game
music. The song that did it was as you guessed, Dire Dire Docks. When
I think about that song, I am transported back to a simpler time. At
heart I am a 90's kid and this song sometimes makes me yearn for
those simpler days. Dire Dire Docks deserves it's spot as my number 1
list, and any person who grew up with the song can easily a special
place for it on his list.
As
I have said in my last article, there has been breakthroughs in
musical therapy and I can attest that music does help me bring me out
of a deep funk. The songs I have listed is just the tip of what I use
when I am feeling down.
If
you are experiencing clinical depression, there is no shame in
seeking help. It is hard to do so, but there is no shame in asking
for help when you need it the most.
Thank
you for tuning in for Healthy Listening month and I would like to
thank Dustin VanCour over at 1up Your Life for doing this
collaboration with me. For more healthy living ideas with a geek
twist, visit 1up Your Life today.
This
has been Daimo Mac and am lost in the music.
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