#And most of its perfectly loopable

[toesterdragon]

I think if I made a show the soundtrack would consist of songs entirely from the Hypnospace Outlaw OST

[thepixelbard]

So I just finished playing The Pathless

Anybody who knows me knows I'm Austin Wintory's biggest fan. I've studied the score for the music intently for the last year when it first became available, but only now have I experienced it in its full context. I have several thoughts on it so how can I describe it?

In a word: Alive.

In many words: Wintory has crafted a music that is born of the earth, pulling musical sounds and shapes and colors from all over the world, and meshed into a sound that is primal and comes from deep within the human spirit.

The Tuvan vocals, to me, are the first striking quality of the score. This style of throat-singing has the uncanny effect of being uniquely human and entirely alien. The instantly recognizable gravelly vocals with the overtone whistling pierce the skin in a way reminiscent of hearing some hunting call on the wind; to some, it might be terrifying and to others, it might even be reassuring

The combination of instruments feels like the instruments the member of the listener's tribe picked up and started playing to accompany the story of the game; found and put together on the spot and yet exactly what the story needed. Each chosen solo instrument (oud, nyckelharpa, Irish whistle, and bass clarinet being the most prominent ones to my ear), along with the Tuvan vocals, all create a sound that is distinctly foreign and unheard of by the ear and yet are inviting, like hearing the music of your childhood on the wind and knowing you’ve come home.

The music while wandering the landscape of the island is minimal, suiting the rather desolate and cursed land but as one traverses it (with a method of transportation that is simply exhilarating) the music picks up in intensity and adds an entirely new level to the enjoyment of the game. at times, I almost wanted to lift up out of my seat. It’s just FUN.

The boss battle music is probably my favorite music of the entire soundtrack. Wintory said it in this video but, since the Hunter is not slaying these beasts but freeing them from a curse, the music for the boss battles is not intense and fiery; it feels like a dance, like a dance with these creatures that frees them of their affliction (music cures all diseases?) each boss theme has such a strong GROOVE to it. often times I dread boss fights but hearing the music kick up put a smile on my face every time. additionally, from a technical standpoint, each section of the piece is so perfectly loopable that it never feels clunky to the player.

Contrasted with this, there are some moments in the score that are just so suddenly serene (spoilers ahead). After the Eagle Mother is corrupted and the hunter goes into their realm to seek the aid of the other Tall Ones, the otherwise harsh and combative music suddenly switches to a serene and peaceful oboe melody, a variation on the main theme. the harmonies along with the texture of the oboe against a soft upper string section are like a splash of cool water on the face. following this, there’s a moment in freeing the eagle mother of the curse where the Hunter and she have reunited and the remaining tall ones circle around to pledge their aid. during this moment, there’s this almost lurching long string melody on a low E that builds back into what is a combat section in the game. when I first heard it, I thought it was a moment of the enemy readying itself for another attack, but in the context of the game, all I could think was “oh it’s over for the Godslayer now.”

Outside the brilliance of the music itself, I can’t help but think about the cultural implications of this. often times when a composer wants a sound of non-western European culture, they might simply insert that instrument into the score, which can work but often has little respect for the culture that instrument and music come from. Wintory’s OST for The Pathless comes from the opposite direction. his score for the pathless is BUILT upon this nonwestern music. his melodies are woven into the fabric of the story to be sure, but they are each told through the lens of this Tuvan music and the amalgam of culture’s he’s brought to this score. one might also think that using these instruments at all ignores the function that that instrument serves in its culture, BUT the instruments Wintory chose are ubiquitous and commonplace to wherever they come from. the oud is a common instrument of turkey and the middle east; the Irish whistle can be found in just about every ceilidh band in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, etc; the nyckelharpa, an uncommon instrument in much of the world today, was equally common in its day in northern Europe. Not only does this add to the organicness(?) of the music and its feeling of being born from the common folk, it demonstrates a desire to find and use music that is recognizable to the people of the cultures Wintory’s instrumentation draws upon. The music itself wants everyone to feel at home in it.

Anyway, I don't know if this makes any sense, but these are just some first impressions. Wintory is very clearly a master of his craft, and I think all of his genius is on display in The Pathless.