Level with Emily Reese

Level with Emily Reese

By Emily Reese and Sam KeenanLeisureVideo Games
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Level with Emily Reese episodes

  • Level 248: Jon Everist (The Lamplighters League)
    Composer Jon Everist's music for The Lamplighters League is a great blend of noir and adventure. The soundtrack paints such a perfect picture of the vibe of the game (which is a turn-based tactics game).
    So many wonderful solos and soloists, with an orchestra recorded live at Abbey Road Studios, and they all sound fantastic! Also, I swear I know what a trombone sounds like. Or I used to think I did.
    PLAYLIST by Jon Everist for The Lamplighters League unless noted otherwise
    00:00 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 02:38 Heist Prep 04:04 Nicastro Theme 07:51 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 12:38 Jungle Quiet 16:42 Nicastro Theme 20:43 Cloak and Dagger 21:35 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 23:00 Arctic Quiet 25:37 Arctic Quiet 28:18 Parisian Night 32:38 Spotted 35:58 The Undrawn Hand (Opening Cinematic) 38:09 Jungle Combat 41:06 The Tower 42:39 Marteau Theme 46:18 Light the Way (World Map Theme) 48:01 Heist Execution 48:42 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
    50 min
  • Level 247: Cris Velasco (Lords of the Fallen)
    It's always a joy catching up with composer Cris Velasco! This time around, we chat about his epic music for Lords of the Fallen, a souls-like action RPG with plenty of boss battles. He also clues me into another one of his recent scores, for a game called Fae Farm, He and I will talk more about that in a future episode, because it's delightful. Also couldn't be more different than his music for Lords.
    Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Cris on the Level with Emily YouTube channel.
    PLAYLIST by Cris Velasco for Lords of the Fallen unless noted otherwise
    00:00 Aphotic Judgment 06:29 Warmaster 06:56 Orian Ascendance 08:22 Deathless Duty 11:01 Molten Heart 12:30 Archnemesis 16:39 Bloodletter 19:44 Call to War 20:05 Howl of Devastation 23:02 Archnemesis 26:05 Maw of Faith 27:23 Maw of Faith 33:02 Bloodletter 37:13 Fiery Malice 43:15 Welcome to Azoria 45:00 Warm Winds of Adventure 45:55 Maw of Faith 46:41 The Sun on Your Back 47:28 The Market Dance 53:53 Rotting Whispers 54:25 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
    56 min
  • Level 246: Tom Salta (The Outlast Trials)
    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
    55 min
  • Level 245: Jason Graves (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone)
    During our Next Level discussion about this very episode, our friend Sacha counted up how many times we've had Jason Graves on an episode of Level, and Level's friend, Top Score. Six times on Top Score, six times on Level, and this marks the 13th ep dedicated to his music. Best part is, we know there will be many more!
    This time, it's all about battle royale and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II DLC called Warzone. The Warzone maps are DLC for Modern Warfare II players, and Jason's released a soundtrack of the music from them.
    It's always great having him on the show - I always learn something about his approach and I can't wait our next conversation!
    Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Jason on the Level with Emily YouTube channel.
    PLAYLIST by Jason Graves for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone unless noted otherwise
    00:00 Welcome to Al Mazrah 5:10 Unearthed 10:54 Unearthed 14:06 Enemy Anthem 15:07 Welcome to Al Mazrah 15:35 Power Broker 21:22 Resurfacing 24:13 Perilous 27:10 Controlled Chaos 38:11 Welcome to Al Mazrah 38:42 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
    40 min
  • Level 244: Steve Pardo (Cypher 007)

    Composer Steve Pardo got to write music for one of the most musically famous franchises of all time in Cypher 007, the newest game from James Bond. And it's great! I love how the soundtrack fits seamlessly into the fabric of the stealthy Apple Arcade game.

    Steve and I talk about how neat that is, how great John Barry's original music is and a lot more in this week's chat.

    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 Steve Pardo for Cypher 007 unless noted otherwise

    00:00 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry, arranged by Steve Pardo

    11:25 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry
    15:34 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry, arranged by Steve Pardo
    17:06 The John Dunbar Theme (from Dances with Wolves) by John Barry
    17:30 (Main Title) I Had a Farm in Africa from Out of Africa by John Barry
    21:07 Damp Echo
    23:02 Decipher
    29:02 Decipher
    30:17 Back of the Neck
    35:05 GoldenEye Watch Music by Grant Kirkhope
    37:29 Bloody Martini
    40:29 Broad Daylight
    41:25 Escape
    43:01 Escape
    44:25 The Traitor
    51:56 Ghost
    53:17 cut chase scene music
    55:55 Dark Hallways
    59:28 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry, arranged by Steve Pardo
    1:00:04 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

    1 hr 1 min
  • Level 243: Ross Tregenza (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Cyberpunk 2077)
    Composer Ross Tregenza is back for a deep dive into the music and sound he created and composed for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
    We also talk about his music for Deathloop, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, and his ubiquitous music in Cyberpunk 2077.
    I love every minute of all of it. And I loved talking with Ross about these projects, including his industrial band Goteki. Hot tip, all of their music is available as a FREE download on Bandcamp.
    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 Ross Tregenza for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre unless noted otherwise
    00:00 Who Will Survive (Overture) 10:53 Bizarre Crimes 14:15 Blunt-Headed Hammer 16:26 And What Will Be Left Of Them (Credits) 18:28 And What Will Be Left Of Them (Credits) 20:08 And What Will Be Left Of Them (Credits) 27:04 The Gas Station 33:20 Cyberpunk 2077 Ads 34:10 Cyberpunk 2077 Ads 35:06 Cyberpunk 2077 Ads 39:00 Wrong Side of the Mirror from Deathloop 39:46 Sun Goes Down from Deathloop 41:05 Sun Goes Down from Deathloop 42:03 Heartbreaker from Deathloop 42:45 Heartbreaker from Deathloop 43:44 The Dahlia’s Lounge from Deathloop 45:29 Wolves by Goteki from Songs from the Void 49:35 Wolves by Goteki from Songs from the Void 50:45 Saucermen by Goteki from MMXX 52:38 Boneshaker by Goteki from Boneshaker 1:11:58 The Massacre (Main Theme) 1:12:47 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
    1 hr 14 min
  • Level 242: Morla Gorrondona (Destiny 2, League of Legends, God of War: Ragnarok)

    Voice actor Morla Gorrondona has created some iconic characters in games, from Eris Morn in Destiny 2 to Naafiri in League of Legends. It's such a pleasure to hear her talk about her process of creating a new person or creature for a game. You'll hear samples of her acting in the show. Yay! 

    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.

    1 hr 1 min
  • Level 241: Darren Korb (Hades)

    Composer Darren Korb's music for Hades properly beloved. It's a great blend of metal with acoustic Mediterranean instruments to take you through the deep story of the game.

    Darren adds his voice acting talents to the game as well, voicing the main character, Zagreus, and the training dummy, Skelly.

    Hades is one of my favorite rogue-lite dungeon crawlers, and the music is the best. 

    Darren and I had this conversation about his music and acting in November 2021. For a handful of reasons, none of which have anything to do with Darren, we are sharing it now, with sincere apologies for a nearly two-year delay!

    Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and subscribe to Level with Emily's YouTube channel.

    PLAYLIST

    by Darren Korb for Hades unless noted otherwise

    00:00 No Escape

    06:44 Scourge of the Furies
    10:06 Out of Tartarus
    10:54 Out of Tartarus
    12:29 Through Asphodel
    13:54 The King and the Bull
    14:56 Mouth of Styx
    15:50 God of the Dead
    16:56 On the Coast
    17:32 In the Blood (feat. Ashley Barrett)
    23:14 Final Expense
    26:22 In the Blood (feat. Ashley Barrett)
    31:02 God of the Dead
    33:24 God of the Dead
    34:14 The Unseen Ones (feat. Daisuke Kurosawa and Masahiro Aoki)
    49:27 In the Blood (feat. Ashley Barrett)
    51:56 Good Riddance (feat. Ashley Barrett)
    54:54 The Unseen Ones (feat. Daisuke Kurosawa and Masahiro Aoki)
    57:48 From Olympus
    58:40 Primordial Chaos
    59:56 Primordial Chaos
    1:01:34 The Bloodless
    1:03:50 Field of Souls
    1:04:46 Rage of the Myrmidons
    1:05:38 The Painful Way
    1:06:24 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

    1 hr 7 min
  • Level 240: Brian Schmidt and Marty O’Donnell on Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved
    The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001. The person largely responsible for how audio worked in that original Xbox and what the Xbox would “sound” like was Brian Schmidt. We’ve had Brian on the show in the past, most recently to talk about Game Sound Con, which he runs in LA every October.
    In the late 1990s, Brian was working for Microsoft and began working on the Xbox right away as he’ll tell you, and achieved many technological breakthroughs in this work.
    One of the launch games for Xbox in that winter of 2001 was Halo: Combat Evolved, with music by Marty O’Donnell. And that was an audio achievement as well, as Marty will tell you.
    We are so honored Brian and Marty wanted to share these stories on Level!
    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
    00:00 Opening Suite from Halo: Combat Evolved by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori
    1:37:12 Rock Anthem for Saving the World from Halo: Combat Evolved by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori
    1:37:54 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
    1 hr 39 min
  • Level 239: Maclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure)
    It's always a fascinating discussion with composer Maclaine Diemer. In this episode, we talk about Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the newest expansion in the MMORPG.
    The last time he was on Level to talk about Guild Wars 2, we spoke of the End of Dragons expansion. Maclaine's music for End of Dragons was heavily influenced by Korean traditional music (called gugak) with synth undertones.
    The music for Secrets of the Obscure is quite different, as you'll hear Maclaine discuss, driven by a tight timeline. It's beautiful orchestral music - a very traditional Western orchestra - with few soloists, just beautiful sweeping melodies and mysterious turns, colored by polytonality and the influence of Debussy. 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 Maclaine Diemer for Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure unless noted otherwise
    00:00 Secrets of the Obscure 07:46 Whispers of the Misplaced 08:59 A Future Carved in Jade from Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons 10:09 End of Dragons from Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons 19:38 Opening Titles from Jurassic Park by John Williams 20:50 Curious Allies 23:53 A Fractured Horizon 25:12 A Fractured Horizon 29:30 Memories Forgotten 38:04 The Beast Emerges by Maclaine Diemer and Michael Paraskevas 44:59 Amnytas in Peril 49:43 Curious Allies 53:41 The Wizards 1:03:57 Secrets of the Obscure 1:09:14 Malaise by Jaimee Jimin Park 1:10:17 Malaise by Jaimee Jimin Park 1:12:31 The Beast Emerges by Maclaine Diemer and Michael Paraskevas 1:14:36 Otherworldly Threats by Bobby Rose 15:44 Courage and Regret by Bryan Atkinson 18:15 These Ancient Halls 22:56 Memories Forgotten 23:24 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
    1 hr 24 min

About Level with Emily Reese

From the publisher's feed

Great conversations about music in games, as well as voice actors, musicians, developers, audio directors, and more