Indie games. Sometimes I hate them; sometimes I love them. The ones I hate are usually all the clones out there. Tower defense, Geometry War clones, hack n’ slashers, etc. But occasionally there are a few gems that peek out through the rubbish. Most recent are Braid, Plants vs. Zombies (yeah it’s a tower defense but its just so charming), VVVVVV, and Explosion Man. Ones that are upcoming: Super Meat Boy and Unfinished Swan.

The one I’m talking about today is of course The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. It’s a puzzler akin to Braid but different in its own awesome way. It’s pretty hard to explain so check out this trailer for a bit of an explanation. Suffice it to say it is extremely fun and definitely worth checking out if you’re into puzzlers.

Also worth noting is its presentation. It definitely one of the best indie game soundtrack out there. I’m always a sucker for ragtime-esque piano. Hoping that it’ll be released or made available for download. Check out the trailer above to hear a bit of it. The visuals/art style are equally impressive. Each world has its own poster which I would purchase in a heartbeat. The game just has this je ne sais quoi about it that oozes style. Anyway if you’ve got Xbox Live and $10, check this little gem out.
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I’m probably years behind discovering Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte, but in case you are too, Pomplamoose is what you get when you Wonder-Twins the two of them (minus the whole sucky water-only power of Zan). With Dawn’s powerfully adorable (or adorably powerful) vocals and Conte’s plain awesomeness, it’s hard not to love what they produce. Alone they are both amazing, but together they are a force to be reckoned with. Anyway enough talky talk. Onto the good stuff.

If there’s one thing I can consistently count on in life it’s that Studio Ghibli can makes some awesome, emotional movies. Hayao Miyazaki is an incredible genius and one of the best filmmakers of our time. But this entry is about a different genius behind the films. Without him the movies would definitely not be as powerful. And that man of course is Joe Hisaishi, the composer of every single Ghibli film and undoubtedly also the best in his field.

A couple of years ago along the Japaense release of Ponyo, a concert was held celebrating the 25 years that Hisaishi had spent with Studio Ghibli. For this concert they assembled a 200 piece orchestra, a 400 person choir, and even a marching band possibly making this one of largest productions for this kind of concert. The concert featured music from various Ghilbi films while clips from the movies were projected onto a gigantic screen behind the orchestra.

Recently a Bluray/DVD of the concert hit the markets and I was finally able to watch it. Suffice it to say I was blown away. The emotion it welled up was practically unparalleled. It almost makes me depressed that I was not able to see it in person. It also makes me wish there were more big orchestra productions in the US. To give you all a little taste, I included one “track” from the concert. It features the pieces “One Summer’s Day” and “Reprise” from Spirited Away with vocals performed by jpop star Ayaka Hirahara. Normally two hauntingly beautiful instrumental pieces, she elevates them even further with her sweet voice. Definitely one of my favorites from the concert.

So give it a list down below and I definitely recommend seeking out either the CD or Bluray/DVD to get the full experience. It will be money well spent. Hopefully this won’t be the only one because I’d travel to Japan just to see another concert on this scale.

Spirited Away - Joe Hisaishi feat. Ayaka Hirahara
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Sis introduced me to a bunch of new bands over break so lately I’ve been slowing going through them finding some favorites. Finally accumulated a good amount and thought I’d share a few of them for today. I’ll share s’more later on.