- The Visible Cloaks member attempts to preserve the natural world through video game music.
- The relationship between nature and technology is central to the work of Spencer Doran—something he's explored as one half of Visible Cloaks and through his own mixtapes and compilations, including 2019's celebrated Kankyō Ongaku. Through his combination of real-world recordings and otherworldly synths, he envisions a place where the digital and analog not only meet but also coexist and flourish.
A soundtrack to a video game about preserving the natural world, then, is a welcome new canvas for Doran. On SEASON: A Letter To The Future, the American producer takes inspiration from the soundtracks of other open-world video games to create a rich, gentle experience even for those of us who don't have a PlayStation or PC to play the game itself.
SEASON's protagonist, Estelle, wanders across her serene village on a bicycle with a camera and tape recorder in a shoulder bag. She meets with other residents along her journey who encourage her to document her surroundings before they are drastically changed by an unknown force. Those surroundings, which stretch from forest to ocean, are depicted in vivid colors and simple brush strokes that bring to mind earlier indie games like Sable and Flower.
Doran's soundtrack accompanies Estelle as she travels worn and rugged paths. The result is a self-described "musical wind" that drifts between synths, strings and more traditional journey music. Doran's atmosphere settles easily over Estelle's world and encourages roaming and discovery. Only a couple of the tracks near the end of the soundtrack feature percussion, most notably "The Golden Bells - 'Leave Your Coats On The Bed,'" a Latin jazz groove buoyed by soft hand drums.
Doran and SEASON's creators used the audio software Wwise to keep the audio moving with the characters and story maps. "The Seaside," for instance, features synths that resonate above the water and toward the horizon. Chimes and piano keys occasionally ring out as if to signal a character's accomplishment or offer a nudge in the right direction, like in "The Road Out Of Caro" or "Ascending To The Shrine." The soundtrack also includes recordings of Estelle's discoveries, like a wind-up music box and other acoustic instruments.
In SEASON, Doran veers from the digital glitches and electroacoustic improvisations central to the music of Visible Cloaks. His compositions are soft and unhurried, which recall other, famous video games of yore. "Caro Village" will remind many of the chintzy harps from the PC game Runescape, while the beds of strings and piano notes in "The Road Out of Caro" evoke the gorgeous title theme of The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.
The soundtrack also calls to mind the field and neighborhood recordings—combined with wondrous synths—of Ernest Hood, a hobbyist whose music was recently reissued on RVNG Intl.'s Freedom To Spend imprint. Like Hood, Doran draws the listener into a nostalgic environment that offers a welcome respite from the pings and buzzes of the modern world. It takes time and patience to feel its full effects. Given how breezy and wandering the music is, that meditative mindset may not linger long after the console shuts off.
Tracklist01. Title Screen
02. Estelle's House
03. "We all rested together until it got dark…"
04. Village Sleep Music Instrument
05. Caro Village
6. Mountain Air Instrument
07. The Road Out of Caro
08. Cycling in the Rain
09. Lulkanto Op. 34 (Music Box)
10. Tieng, Through the Mist
11. Tieng Winds
12. Wind Harp
13. Cemetery
14. Sophon's Lament
15. Morning Song – Azen Islands (Radio)
16. De belles choses vues à travers une vitre sale (Radio)
17. Matyora's Song
18. Mom (Dream)
19. Ascending to the Shrine
20. The Golden Bells – "Leave Your Coats On The Bed"
21. Easel's Prayer
22. The Seaside
23. Credits