P-Vock's Music Box: Drop the Heat, and the Bass
Hello and welcome back to P-Vock's Music Box, the weekly blog where I provide some sweet tune recommendations to get you set for the weekend. December is here and it's about to get cold. No worries though, I got some hot beats to warm you back up. Just in time for an anniversary no one but me cares about, let's get turn up the heat.
Four years ago, on December 1, 2017, a game I was extremely excited about was released. After years of waiting, my favourite game of all time had a direct sequel as Xenoblade Chronicles 2 hit store shelves. I was blown away at how much it lived up to my titan-sized expectations. The world was vast and wonderful, the cast was fantastic, the story and themes were thought-provoking, and the combat was excellent. But, of course, the music absolutely delivered.
After a few hours of exploring the world of Alrest, you reach the Kingdom of Tantal. A depressingly cold winter tundra within the body of a massive turtle. Already you got my favourite season and favourite animal, but because this series is basically just made for me, this also happens to be the home of my favourite character in the game. Zeke von Genbu, Bringer of Chaos, also known as Zeke, or the Zekenator is a wonderful character from a wonderful land. His partner, Pandoria, is someone I would stab for because she's perfect. She's as perfect as the music within their homeland.
We have multiple amazing tracks from this world, so let's begin by chilling out to the night variant of Tantal's legendary tune.
Oh hot damn that is a cool beat. Makes me want to just grab a nice hot cup of coffee and vibe in the cold weather I am all too familiar with having been born and raised in good ole 'Berta. An instantly memorable track that served as a wonderful welcoming tune to greet me in this frigid frostscape.
That said, I did promise to heat it up in here, did I not?
In the world of Tantal, the story heats up and takes a dramatic shift as the turtle you are in basically tries to kamikaze itself and nuke everyone inside. What was once a relaxed romp through the snow quickly becomes a mad dash to save everyone (Unless you spend hours doing sidequests because RPG). This is where I think the day theme really fits.
Top 10 bass drops of all time amirite? This is my jam and is easily one of my top tracks from this game. It really feels like you're climbing a mountain. As you ascend, the choir mimics the sharp winds aggressively holding you back and the music feels almost oppressive (perfect for a world literally contained within a giant turtle). After a minute and a half, it suddenly shifts to become extremely dense and high energy, as if you were faced with a snowstorm and you best hustle if you wanna make it. And after a while, a hush falls over and it clears up once again.
Usually, pieces of music set in winter just include jingle bells and some chimes. The two absolute gems that grace your ears in Tantal perfectly capture what I love about winter. Damn cool world with a damn hot collection of music.
I know I'm the only asshole that loves winter, and I'm usually the only one who loves winter worlds in video games. That said, I hope this selection of beats helps warm you up if you're feeling cold and helps get you ready for the weekend. Thanks as always for tuning, and I'll catch you back here next week with another suggestion from my Music Box. Stay Brutal.