Music I like

Celeste: Farewell (Original Soundtrack) Lena Raine Lena Raine (aka Kuraine)'s work is a perfect fit for Celeste's extremely clever precision platforming. For the Farewell expansion, she divereged from the base game's trademark synth-driven sound in favour of a more instrumental tack. And although I'm not good enough at Celeste to ever reach the new content, I can say it surpasses it. Celeste: Original Soundtrack, Reknowing

Derelicts Carbon Based Lifeforms For the longest time, I wasn't the greatest fan of ambient music. This album helped change that. From the childlike mystery of "Nattväsen", to the atmospheric beat of "~42°", Derelicts helps send me into an enthralling yet relaxing, sublime yet thoughtful experience.

The Devil's Walk Apparat Although it isn't exactly unique and groundbreaking, or exciting and innovative, The Devil's Walk remains a personal favourite, with its intricate synth backing and lurid pace. LP5

Ember Kubbi Chiptune-esque artist Kubbi doesn't get nearly the attention he deserves, continuing to release really powerful and relaxing work album after album. Taiga

Endless Light OBROTHER OBROTHER has a unique take on rock. Tracks such as "I Am (Become Death)" and "Complicated End Times" manage to meld several kinds of music in an almost-impossible way, knotting together heavy instrumentation and fevered vocals to create a rewarding combination. You and I, Departure Songs by We Lost the Sea

Hyper Light Drifter Disasterpeace Rich Vreeland (alias Disasterpeace) composed this evocative soundtrack for Hyper Light Drifter (which is a great game, by the way). His creative usage of synths successfully establishes a distinct ambience for each of its four areas - for instance, the 16-minute long "The Gauntlet", my favourite track, is a pulsing tune that continually ups the ante as the player plunges deeper into the final boss dungeon. FZ: Side Z, FZ: Side F, It Follows

The Inevitable End Röyksopp Röyksopp's last full album explores themes of sadness and reflection, compulsion and demise. While some critics weren't exactly keen on the Norwegian electronic group's closing note, deeming it too unvigorous, I liked it for that exact reason. Both the more contemplative tracks such as "Compulsion", and "Coup de Grace", and the more energetic affairs such as "Save Me", and "Monument" showcase the advantages of this more reflective tone. Lost Tapes, Infinity Mirror by Man Without Country, Running to the Sea (Remixes)

Jaime (feat. Jaime Brooks) Anamanaguchi This is one of the strongest tracks to come out of 2020 in my opinion. It's about being yourself and not taking shit from anyone - just what we need in this increasingly divided world.

Ladytron Ladytron After almost ten years, I was somewhat doubtful that Ladytron would be able to return from a hiatus and deliver a great album. Their whole musical style seemed to be almost a relic of the 2000s. But Ladytron delivers. "Far from Home", for instance, is a spectacular, engaging track, and both "The Island" and "Animals" are incisive looks into the darker parts of humanity. Far from Home: Night Versions, Paper Highways (Youryoungbody Mix)

Monument of Respite Laurent Désautels-Séguin Of all the albums on this page, Monument of Respite probably has the largest gap between how well it is known, and how much I like it. (If Laurent Désautels-Séguin is really famous when you read this, I've clearly forgotten to update this page. What I'm saying is that I really like his unique style of ambient electronic music, not the opposite).

Northwest Passage Merrin Karras Northwest Passage has a name fully suited to its content: an icy, synthy haze of ambiance representing a pale, yet strangely calm voyage through endless Arctic wastes.

Minecraft: Volume Beta C418 Minecraft is one of the top selling games of all time. C418's iconic soundtrack, also made up of two other parts, has undoubtedly helped it achieve that status. Its subtle electronic beats fit with the myriad adventures that take place in the game's expansive world, but they also hold up surprisingly well on their own - especially the more defined pieces, like "Concrete Halls" and "The End". Volume Alpha

One Eye Open Trentmøller I usually don't like Trentmøller's music, but "One Eye Open" is a rare exception and a strange favourite of mine. Perhaps that is why I most enjoy the remixes the most.

148 C418 Outside of his well-known gig as the "Minecraft music guy", C418 has managed to produce some great stuff. My personal pick is his most emotional and intimate work, 148. Dief, Excursions

OneShot Soundtrack Nightmargin In the darkness, carry the light. Nightmargin (aka Casey Gu) composed this for OneShot, which was produced by her and two other people. Tracks such as "Pretty" help enhance the charming and childlike, but also slightly mournful vibe of the game - which takes place in a world deprived of its sun. Oneshot: Solstice Soundtrack

One of These Days I'll Get It Right Jim Guthrie/Solid Mas A two-person experiment derived from the soundtrack of the indie game Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery. The combination of Mr. Guthrie's work and Mr. Mas's (I assume that's not his actual last name) beats works surprisingly well, producing a strange yet suprisingly listenable work.

Oxenfree scntfc Oxenfree was one of the first games that I played following a months-long stint in in hospital. Its themes really spoke to me at the time, and artist scntfc has successfully been able to transmute that into an ethereal, synth-filled musical form. GALAK-Z: The Dimensional, Side Stories

Panorama (Remixed) La Dispute The original Panorama is a great record, but its remixes take it to the next level. Many of the artists that were chosen are quite different in style from La Dispute, producing some really interesting results. For instance, my favourite track is "Footsteps at the Pond (Zeal & Ardor remix)", by metal group Zeal and Ardor - and I don't even like metal.

Rain World - Songs and Rhythms James Primate In the titular Rain World, the ever-demanding laws of nature are king. James Primate's work is a perfect complement to the otherworldliness and harsh ardour of this videogame. Some of this music, to more accurately portray the alien environment, is performed using distorted voice clips and household instruments. Other parts are a lot more melodic, like my personal favourite, "Pictures of the Past". Rain World - Ambients and Instrumentals, Rain World - Alphas, Gems and Junk

Safe Passage - S. A. P. A. S. M. L. Version 65daysofstatic If you've reading this in 2024 or thereabouts, the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 was a harrowing time, even for privileged asshats like me. 65daysofstatic made their cumbersomely titled "Spring 2020 Anti Pandemic Anxiety Slow Motion Looped Version" of "Safe Passage" as a salve for the wound. At the very least, it's an incredibly soothing, powerful track. Wild Light, Kazimir, We Were Exploding Anyway

The Silicone Veil Susanne Sundfør Some linked music videos are decidedly NSFW. Norwegian artist Susanne Sundfør's evocative vocals are a perfect pairing to her dark musical style, which combines elements of orchestral, electronic, and folk genres. In this album, she turns her palette to what she describes as "apocalypse, death, love and snow."

[USA] Anamanaguchi In [USA], chiptune legends Anamanaguchi look outside their Endless Fantasy and into the real world. Named after their country of origin, the album looks at the tension created by this new external territory with a pop-heavy lens. One of the strongest resulting tracks - at least in my opinion - is "Lorem Ipsum (Arctic Anthem)" which starts out with a heavy computerised chant of filler text, then devolves into a more bleak and foreboding hymn. Endless Fantasy

V MAINE MAINE produces compelling French synthy soundscapes, and V is the culmination of his work, including spectacular tracks such as "Beneath the Landslide (feat. Nina)". IV

Vessel LORN LORN's (Marcos Ortega) genre isn't usually my kind of thing, but his work is so good I'm compelled to make an exception. The tone of this record - at times dark and desolate - really shines through in places such as the captivating "Anvil". And during tracks like "Lock Bites Key", it resolves to an equally compelling tempered, meditative aura.

We Are Rising - Remixed Son Lux I really like remixes as a concept. Seeing fresh takes of some of your favourite songs is always interesting, and like many cases of creative limitation, it often ends up producing a stronger product. This album, containing remixes of songs from We Are Rising is one example of this. Tracks such as "Leave The Riches (Violetness Remix)" or "Let Go (Andrew Judah Remix)" easily surpass their original versions. Lanterns, Tear, Lanterns, Stranger Forms ".

Yesterday's Wake Son Lux The title track of "Yesterday's Wake" is by far the best on this album, but the others are also worth listening to. Despite suboptimal reception from critics, I find both the theme and the accompanying instrumentation speaks to me a lot. Tomorrows II

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