When ACL began, we decided to rededicate ourselves to album reviews, rather than focus on news, reviews of live shows or tracks, and other kinds of features that had bogged down our previous endeavor. Still, we used the opportunity to branch out in other ways, with sub-sites and features gathered within ACL.
Under the heading LOST CHILDREN, I curated a mix series which ran for 100 installments before settling into a less regular occurrence. I also began Sound Propositions as an in-depth interview feature, trying to foster a new space for discussion about creative practices that didn’t seem like it was designed to sell consumer electronics. That series ran for 21 installments, before my focus shifted to the podcast, bearing the same name. Jeremy Bye began Electronic Observations, a periodic batch review column focusing on electronic music. More recently, he has organized many excellent features, including lists dedicated to compilations, art books on music, and our much loved seasonal music lists. Nayt Keane has been on hiatus since 2015, but his contributions, including Best Album Covers and Music for Haunted Houses, have continued to birth new installments under Richard’s stewardship, and Nayt’s original posts remain some of our most widely shared ever! And most recently, our friend Gianmarco Del Re has joined us, mostly dedicating his efforts to his series, Ukrainian Field Notes.
But in this post, I wanted to highlight the incredible body of work David Murrieta Flores and Chris Redfearn-Murray have produced exploring video game music (#VGM) with their series *Press A*.
*Press A* is devoted to coverage of videogame soundtracks and is a source of quality reviews and longer-form analysis in a fast-growing field. The department is run by international collaborators and avid gamers Chris Redfearn-Murray and David Murrieta Flores. Also found under their individual genre categories, the direct links are collected here in order of their appearance.
Gamers, rejoice ~ when your thumbs are tired, treat your ears!
The Music of Zelda, Breath of the Wild
The Music of the Sonic and Mario Rivalry, Part One
The Music of the Sonic and Mario Rivalry, Part Two
2018’s Best Videogame Soundtracks So Far
The Rhythm of Violence in the Hotline Miami Soundtrack
2018 ~ The Year’s Best Videogame Soundtracks
Tasty 2018 Leftovers: Kingdom – Two Crowns
Even more 2018 Leftovers: The Colonists, Beasts and Exploration, Dusk
The Eternal Castle, Cultist Simulator, Night of the Blood Moon
Pikuniku, She and the Light Bearer, Fated Era
Art Sqool, The Window Box, Apex Legends
Outer Wilds; Sigma Theory: Global Cold War
2019’s Best Videogame Soundtracks So Far
Far Cry: New Dawn, Can Androids Pray, Katana ZERO (Remixes)
The Music of Red Dead Redemption II
Hell Is Other Demons, A Plague Tale: Innocence
Wilmot’s Warehouse, Chicory EP, Kind Words
2019 ~ The Year’s Best Videogame Soundtracks
Tasty 2019 Leftovers: Mutazione
Overland: Biomes, Iris and the Giant
Alex Burnett ~ The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature
The Year’s Best Videogame Soundtracks
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood; Vampire: The Masquerade ~ Coteries of New York
2021 ~ The Year’s Best Videogame Soundtracks
2022 ~ The Year’s Best Videogame Soundtracks
2023 ~ The Year’s Best Videogame Soundtracks
Write to Chris and David at press_a@acloserlisten.com