Level with Emily Reese – Details, episodes & analysis

Composer Lennie Moore wrote such gorgeous music for Outcast - A New Beginning that it made me mad, no exaggeration. It's so pleasing harmonically with fantastic melodies and transitions, and outstanding musicianship from the soloists and performers.

Live choir, live soloists, live orchestra - and you can tell. The music has breath and life.

Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Lennie Moore on the Level with Emily YouTube channel.

PLAYLIST

by Lennie Moore for Outcast: A New Beginning unless noted otherwise

00:00 Outcast Main Titles

03:54 Tower of Humanity

06:08 Galenta

16:53 Bidaa

18:27 Outcast Main Titles

20:05 Okksanar

22:24 Daokas

29:25 Galenta

34:05 Okksanar

38:53 Outcast Theme (featuring Manu Delago)

40:20 Outcast Theme (featuring Manu Delago)

41:48 WFA Fortress

42:52 Pillars of Saar

44:51 Almayel’s Prophecy

54:12 Desan

1:13:47 Plains of Sanon

1:15:26 Kizaar

1:21:03 Prokriana

1:25:08 Heights of Adoron

1:28:08 Sappa

1:37:56 Danger Ahead!

1:40:52 They’re Everywhere!

1:41:20 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

We're so happy to have Zac Tiessen back on Level to talk about a new project he worked on with his fine artist brother, Josh Tiessen!

Zac wrote music for a series of paintings called Vanitas + Viriditas. You can hear the music here (and elsewhere). It's really gorgeous music, with outstanding live performers like singer Julie Elven, the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and more.

Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Zac on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. Find Level with Emily on Patreon.

PLAYLIST by Zac Tiessen from Vanitas + Viriditas unless noted otherwise

00:00 Sophia

04:53 Harbinger from Streams in the Wasteland

06:26 Memento Mori

09:54 Sophia

10:48 Qohelet

12:58 Sophia

18:49 The Kairos Stones

19:58 All Creatures Praise

22:02 Auguries of Innocence

25:41 Vanitas + Viriditas

30:48 Vanitas + Viriditas

38:21 Qohelet

39:39 In This Birch Grove

41:29 In This Birch Grove

42:18 In This Birch Grove

46:11 The Kairos Stones

48:05 Memento Mori

51:53 Auguries of Innocence

54:30 Vanitas + Viriditas

55:08 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Tom Salta talks about his extremely frightening music for The Outlast Trials, the third installment of the Outlast series. It's always a joy to have Tom on, and I manage to learn something new every time we talk! 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 Tom Salta for The Outlast Trials unless noted otherwise 00:00 Let the Trials Begin 05:03 (in background: John Carpenter, Halloween Main Title) 06:00 Let the Trials Begin 07:24 Let the Trials Begin 08:16 Let the Trials Begin 08:42 Let the Trials Begin 10:00 Let the Trials Begin 14:37 Little Angels 15:49 The Root Canal 18:40 Motherless Children 23:18 The Weight of Memories 24:45 Come to the Fair 26:54 Brush Your Teeth 28:01 Brush Your Teeth 30:27 (recording of the Thomas Edison doll) 32:53 Can’t Get it Out of Your Head 37:12 Burden of Skeletons 40:26 Killjoys Aren’t Allowed Here 45:50 We’re All Getting Better Together 53:29 Well Done 53:53 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Peter McConnell is such a master of cinematic music. He recently scored Psychonauts 2, a game released by Double Fine Productions. At the time I interviewed Peter, I had only gotten a few hours into the game and the soundtrack wasn’t out yet, so I hadn’t even heard all of the music. I finished the game, and now that I’ve heard all of the music in Psychonauts 2, I can tell you that it’s so fantastic. I wish I could put it all in this episode. And the game is great too. The game is a breath of fresh air in its treatment of dark issues in a light way. Please consider supporting Level with Emily on Patreon!  

 

Joel Corelitz composed more than 70 tracks for the game Eastward, scheduled for release later in 2021. The music, like the game, pays tribute to the 8-bit and 16-bit era of games, with Joel's musical voice and a modern twist at times. It's colorful, nostalgic, creative and enjoyable. Here's a link to the soundtrack! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

This is music by Sergio Ronchetti for Eldest Souls, a boss rush souls-like game with beautiful pixel art and a fun battle style. So you’ll die a lot!! But the music is great incentive to keep slashing away at oversized, overpowered bosses. Please consider supporting us on Patreon!

We love getting caught up with Jason Graves to hear what he's composed lately! He's been working on The Dark Pictures Anthology, composing for the first chapter, "Man of Medan" and now for "Little Hope." It was fun to speak with him about the stark differences in those 2 soundtracks, and how he created the spooky soundtrack for "Little Hope." Support Level with Emily and see a playlist on Patreon!

Composer Kenny Young talks about his music for Astro's Playroom, which comes on all PlayStation 5 consoles. It's a sequel to Astro Bot Rescue Mission, which was for PlayStation VR. Learn more and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Oleksa Lozowchuk composed music for Horizon Forbidden West. The game isn’t out yet, nor is the soundtrack, but Sony Classical - the label for the soundtrack - released a 4-track EP of music from Forbidden West, including one of Oleksa’s tracks, “Eyes Open.” So Oleksa and I had a chance to talk about that.

But also, Sony released a State of Play video with about 20 minutes of gameplay, including a battle with a machine animal called a tremortusk. Oleksa wrote the music for that battle, and we chat about that track too. Support Level with Emily on Patreon.

The Soundlings, a composition duo of Sonny Rey and Matt Naylor, just did the music for Knockout City, which is, at its essence, multiplayer dodgeball, just out at the end of May. The music is energetic and colorful, with a lot of great live musicians and the three of us had a great time talking about their music! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.