Some of the scores for video games are incredibly intricate and deserve recognition, which is why we've created Top Score: a series of podcasts dedicated to the music that accompanies soldiers through battle, sorcerers through forests and aliens through space.
157 Available Episodes (157 Total)Average duration: 00:17:50
Aug 20, 2015
Top Score: SonicPicnic and Awesomenauts
00:23:31
The soundtrack for the game 'Awesomenauts' sounds like an alien radio station. The music was created by a group of composers who call themselves SonicPicnic.
Aug 13, 2015
Composer Ryan Ike got his career started at 'Gunpoint'
00:21:42
Composer Ryan Ike got his first big break in video-game composition by answering an open call for composers on Twitter for a game called 'Gunpoint'. He got the job -- and a BAFTA nomination. Hear more about Ryan Ike on this week's episode of Top Score.
Aug 06, 2015
Serious music for a casual game
00:14:31
Millions of people around the world play the 'casual' game Candy Crush Soda Saga, but composer Johan Holmstrom took the music very seriously, even recruiting the London Symphony Orchestra for the recording session. Holmstrom is Emily Reese's guest on this week's Top Score.
Jul 30, 2015
A musicologist's look at 'Final Fantasy VI'
00:19:59
Ryan Thompson is a PhD candidate in musicology at the University of Minnesota, with a special interest in ludomusicology. What is that, you ask? Ludomusicology is a growing field in which musicologists study the impact of music in video games.
Jul 23, 2015
Tom Salta's bold choice for subtle music
00:19:50
The new game 'Spartan Strike' exists in an audio-dominant world. To make sure he could still capture a player's attention, composer Tom Salta decided to record quieter, more subtle cues. He also enlisted the help of the New York Film Chorale and the Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra. Hear more about it on this week's episode of Top Score.
Jul 22, 2015
Top Score says, 'Thank You, Pierce'
00:13:01
Top Score says "thank you" to production assistant Pierce Huxtable for one year of great work. Pierce's position was funded by a (non-renewable) grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, an award for which Top Score is forever grateful.
Jul 16, 2015
What's old-school is new again for Michael Schiciano
00:19:39
Michael Schiciano joins Emily Reese on this week's Top Score to talk about old-school and modern approaches to composing. Thanks to the burgeoning mobile market, many composers use old-school techniques to create music for smartphone games.
Jul 15, 2015
Do a Barrel Roll create innovative covers of game music
00:21:30
The orchestral-rock video game cover band Do a Barrel Roll stopped by Classical MPR to record a set and to chat with Emily Reese, host of Top Score. 'They played a set and stole my heart -- I've always wanted to say that,' Emily says. Listen to the full session.
Jul 09, 2015
Sam Dillard is a one-man music-making machine
00:20:41
Completely self taught, Sam Dillard not only composes music, but he also performs and records his work. Recently hired by Kinect for its new Harry Potter trailer, Dillard joins Emily Reese on this week's episode of Top Score.
Jul 02, 2015
Chris Huelsbeck's career leaps to next stage
00:15:48
The enduring success of composer Chris Huelsbeck's early works has created a fan following in his native Germany and across the world. His work inspired a 2008 concert series, and more recently, he's crowd-funded a new album of piano works. Learn more about Chris Huelsbeck on this week's Top Score.
Aug 20 | 00:23:31
Top Score: SonicPicnic and Awesomenauts
Aug 13 | 00:21:42
Composer Ryan Ike got his career started at 'Gunpoint'
Aug 06 | 00:14:31
Serious music for a casual game
Jul 30 | 00:19:59
A musicologist's look at 'Final Fantasy VI'
Jul 23 | 00:19:50
Tom Salta's bold choice for subtle music
Jul 22 | 00:13:01
Top Score says, 'Thank You, Pierce'
Jul 16 | 00:19:39
What's old-school is new again for Michael Schiciano
Jul 15 | 00:21:30
Do a Barrel Roll create innovative covers of game music
Jul 09 | 00:20:41
Sam Dillard is a one-man music-making machine
Jul 02 | 00:15:48
Chris Huelsbeck's career leaps to next stage
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