Friday, August 24, 2018

Music to Game to: Walker Harris English - Walker Harris English [OF013]

I listen to a lot of music (over 40 days worth in 2017 according to last.fm) and I find that few things help me keep the mood of a game foregrounded in my mind like a good soundtrack. Plus, I’ve discovered that when I’m playing music to a speaker via Bluetooth, I’m less likely to be on my phone, lest my players hear any stray sounds, letting me better model engagement during a game. To that end, I want to share some of my favorite music to game to; the albums that inspire and inflame my imagination and that I’ve found work well as background music for games as well. I’ll do a mini-review and cover the basics of what mood it helps me set.

WALKER HARRIS ENGLISH – WALKER HARRIS ENGLISH [OF013]

Few things are finer in life than listening to Thor Harris playing the dulcimer, which makes this album a delight, but the archaic feel that a dulcimer evokes for most players will also make this album great for gaming too. In addition to the dulcimer (both acoustic and electric), Thor plays bass clarinet and is joined by field recordings from Conor Walker with bass drum and electronic treatments by Lawrence English. The sparse instrumentation lends the album an eerie feel, suspenseful without relying on intense spikes in dynamics and the lack of traditional rock instruments gives the music a ghostly timeless feel. This music would fit right in for a more subdued session of Call of Cthulhu or Ravenloft.

  • Vocals?...No
  • Music Genre(s)… Drone, Experimental
  • Perfect for…Any game that could benefit from etherealness and low-key eerie suspense.
  • If you only grab one track, make it... “The House Part II”, which opens with a haunting electric dulcimer melody, that then splits and divides like an amoeba, cleaving apart and back again.



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