Top Score

Emily Reese
  • 4.9 (77)
  • VIDEO GAMES

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.

  1. 08/20/2015

    Top Score: SonicPicnic and Awesomenauts

    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.

    24 min

  2. 08/13/2015

    Composer Ryan Ike got his career started at 'Gunpoint'

    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.

    22 min

  3. 08/06/2015

    Serious music for a casual game

    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.

    15 min

  4. 07/30/2015

    A musicologist's look at 'Final Fantasy VI'

    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.

    20 min

  5. 07/23/2015

    Tom Salta's bold choice for subtle music

    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.

    20 min

  6. 07/22/2015

    Top Score says, 'Thank You, Pierce'

    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.

    13 min

  7. 07/16/2015

    What's old-school is new again for Michael Schiciano

    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.

    20 min

  8. 07/15/2015

    Do a Barrel Roll create innovative covers of game music

    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.

    22 min
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4.9
out of 5
77 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Emily Reese
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2015
  • Episodes
    157
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2014 American Public Media
  • Show Website
    Top Score

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