Review: Bailey Records’ "The Dawning", "Future Echoes (Pulp Mix)", "Snakes on the Playground", and "Zombie Nation"
This is going to be a very different type of review than what you’ll usually find here at Dane of War.
I am used to reviewing tangible items – books, miniatures, terrain – that sort of thing. These are all items you can touch and look at.
This time I’m faced with a bit of a challenge.
I was asked about a week ago by Bryan K. Borgman (known to the world as “Stratos”) if I would be up for reviewing some music. “Sure”, I said. “Why not?”. I mean, my musical tastes range from film soundtracks to Il Divo to Rammstein (with a whole lot of 80′s rock mixed in). I figure that I could be able to give it a good shot, since I think I’m open to a wide variety of sounds.
Of course, if you ask my wife about it, I’m a close-minded music snob. Both of these opinions are probably correct.
But it’s hard to review music. It really is. When I’m looking at a 350-page rulebook and playing combat sims, it’s easy to point out specific things that I like and don’t like about them. If I see a miniature that looks like a coin that a train ran over on the tracks – it’s as simple as that. But music is something different. You have to allow your ears to take in everything and let it process.
Caveat emptor: I’m not a composer.
I have, however, been a musician and singer for over 25 years as well as a music teacher. While I don’t necessarily know what it takes to create an original piece of music, I know what it takes to perform one – and to analyze what I’m listening to. Music is a very personal thing on all levels, so with this particular type of review my views my be entirely different from yours.
In this review, I will be focusing on the four songs sent to me by Bryan – each with the standard observations that you’d come to expect.
About Stratos
Bryan K. Borgman founded Bailey Records in September 1999 to serve local independent bands with promotion, management, recording and production work on the road and in studio. In October 2000, Borgman adopted the persona “Stratos” as his new techno-music alias when original club music was needed for an independent film, The Screen. Since then, Stratos has released numerous soundtracks for games (such as the CyberNet Official Roleplaying Soundtrack…) and independent films (The Charnel Gospel), has been featured on several compilation discs and is currently working on television and film placement for various songs.
In early 2005, Borgman teamed up with friend and co-producer Billy “Capt. Futura” Cory, and together the two re-envisioned Bailey Records to extend into Composition and Sound Design for all markets. Recently, Stratos finished up four months in the studio recording music for The Chronicles of Ramlar, a fantasy roleplaying game by White Silver Publishing, and Mecha Vs Kaiju, a “Godzilla versus Power Rangers” sci-fi roleplaying game by Big Finger Games featuring the True20 game mechanics created by Green Ronin Publishing. Both new soundtracks are now available on CDBaby.com and iTunes.
In addition to running Bailey Records and being a composer, producer and remixer, Stratos is a stay-at-home father of two beautiful girls, a husband of ten years and serves as the Media Director for We Have Issues! Publishing. We Have Issues! Publishing, or WHIP!, as it’s also known, was formed in late 2005 by John Vogel, Justin Nyland and Stratos. WHIP! is gearing up to release its first series of original comic books in 2007. Slade Chronicles: Riftwalker made a preview “ash can” debut at GenCon in August 2006 alongside its own original soundtrack by Stratos. The full-color, extended version of the preview issue will hit the convention circuit in 2009, with follow-up issues to be released regularly.
The Dawning
The Chronicles of Ramlar – Official Soundtrack
Many influences went into composing The Chronicles of Ramlar – Official Soundtrack. First and foremost, the music is based on what appears within the pages of the game’s Core Rule Book and Alana Abbott’s novel – Into The Reach. Both are so rich in detail that inspiration literally oozed forth from the pages. Addition inspiration came from outside sources such as the fantastic film scores to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Kingdom of Heaven.
The Good
This song indeed sounds like it came from a movie soundtrack. It starts very slowly and powerfully and builds into a pumping, high-speed sequence – then shifts towards a very darkened end movement. The first and last movements of the song were the favorites for me, relating an ominous tone
The Bad
It’s hard to put my finger on, but it was slightly too electronic for my tastes for the fantasy genre during the middle movement. This may be due to my lack of knowledge of The Chronicles of Ramlar, so your experience may differ.
The Ugly
None.
Product Summary
Name: The Dawning
Length: 5:09
Composer: Bryan K. Borgman
Publisher: Bailey Records
Category: Fantasy / Adventure
Rating
Future Echoes (Pulp Mix)
Pulp City – The Soundtrack
Pulp City – The Soundtrack will be a collaborative effort by TW Cory (aka Capt. Futura) and Stratos and will feature themes, cues, and compositions highlighting the various locations and factions found within the fantastic world of Pulp City.
As a bonus, Pulp City – The Soundtrack will also fully compatible and authorized by Green Ronin’s Mutant & Masterminds superhero roleplaying game under the Superlink OGL.
Pulp City The Soundtrack will be available August 18th, 2009.
The Good
This was awesome! There was more than bit of John Carpenter in there with a funky latin beat – I can really feel myself transported into a techno club while listening to this song (and while I’m no fan of techno, the fact that I got that impression shows how cool the song is).
The Bad
While not a “bad” thing as much as an observation, I didn’t get a “pulp” feel from this song.
The Ugly
None.
Product Summary
Name: Future Echoes (Pulp Mix)
Length: 3:16
Composer: Bryan K. Borgman
Publisher: Bailey Records
Category: Future Heroic
Rating
Snakes on the Playground
Warlands – The Soundtrack
Warlands – The Soundtrack is the accompanying score for Warlands: Battle Box, the first release by Aberrant Games, Inc. for the new 20mm miniatures game.
Warlands The Soundtrack will be available on April 21st of 2009.
The Good
This song was completely made of win. It was very hard – like Motörhead meets Rammstein.
The Bad
None!
The Ugly
None.
Product Summary
Name: Snakes on the Playground
Length: 2:55
Composer: Bryan K. Borgman
Publisher: Bailey Records
Category: Dark Future
Rating
Zombie Nation
Warlands – The Soundtrack
The Good
This is a very sexy dark piece. Trevor Peters’s amazing guitar work is akin to a man making love to his six-string and it fits very well into this extremely erotic song. In my head I was in some post-apocalyptic strip bar (which could say a lot about me, but that’s not really the point here).
The Bad
None.
The Ugly
None.
Product Summary
Name: Zombie Nation
Length: 3:15
Composer: Bryan K. Borgman
Publisher: Bailey Records
Category: Dark Future
Rating
