8 .:E a ae@technew5iit.com TechNews | Tuesday, November 8th, 2016

Music Review: OutRun Soundtrack Comes to Vinyl

David Sobel
CO PY E D ITO R

Let me begin with a brief recounting.
On Saturday, November 5, after a doorbell
ring and a trip to the front door, I found
myself in possession of an order I’d made: a
vinyl pressing of the original soundtrack of
"OutRun." With that in mind, here’s my review
of "OutRun" on vinyl, produced by Data Discs,
a small, recently founded company located in
the UK. specializing in being “purveyors of
quality game soundtracks on glorious vinyl.”

I’ll start with the visual, because
Data Discs has a wonderful presentation
alongside all (currently) seven of their
soundtrack pressings. The record jacket itself
has a “window” in the center, looking similar
to one ofthose 3D pop—up books, which allows
for the record owner to customize the look.
There are two two—sided inserts that come
with the record, each featuring a scenic view
from the game, along with a note from the
original composer of "OutRun"’s soundtrack,
Hiroshi “Hiro” Kawaguchi, noting his
excitement to see this vinyl pressing happen
in 2015. Depending on when you placed an
order for this vinyl release, you had a limited
opportunity to receive the version pictured in
this article. Sadly, I was unaware of Data Discs
before I knew of the option. That said, I ended
up purchasing the mint green edition, which
mostly sufficed, still looking quite nice with
the purple and white record label in the center.

if; Reviews:

So how’s it sound?

The first thing I noticed was what
we’ve come to expect of vinyl: every sound
was so defined and on point, creating an
amazing experience. Music from the Genesis
era was itself analog, being played through a

Side A

Magical Sound Shower

Passing Breeze

 

16—bit MIDI, so soundtracks from the era had
a very exact sound to begin with. Combine
that with the analog sound of vinyl, and you’ve
got yourself in for a treat. Video game fan or
not, this particular experience in itself can be
appreciated by anyone. As far as the track list
goes, it’s short but sweet, each track being five
to six minutes long:

Photo courtesy SEGA
Splash Wave
Last Wave
Side B
Step on Beat

Cruising Line

Camino a Mi Amor

Anyone who had the chance to
read my previous article, a retro review of
the "OutRun" game, will be at least somewhat
familiar with the songs on side A, along with
"Step on Beat" on side B. The last two songs
of side B, featured in the 3DS rerelease of
"OutRun", I had not previously heard before,
and the new experience was very welcome.
They both sound like tracks that could have
been in the original release, although "Camino
a Mi Amor" sounds a lot more original in
my opinion. If you’re interested in hearing
these tracks before or just without ordering
the album, you can easily look them up on
YouTube.

DATA006: "OutRun" comes out
swinging before you even drop the needle,
providing an amazing visual accompaniment
to an equally amazing vinyl pressing quality.
I’m no record reviewer, but taking these two
factors into account, I have no qualms with
issuing a solid 9/10 to the overall presentation
of this album. However, I have to rate the cost
at about 6/10, because £30 (British pounds)
converts to approximately $40, which made
my wallet cry just a little bit.

If you’re interested in investing in a
video game soundtrack on vinyl like this one,
take a look at data—discs.com, which currently
provides seven soundtracks, with an eighth
and ninth release coming soon.

Jim James Turns from Mystic to Skeptic on “Eternally Even", his second solo LP

Soren Spicknall
WIIT STATIO N MANAG E R

In more ways than one, the roots of
the newest solo album from My Morning Jacket
frontman Jim James can be traced back to 2008.
That year, his pioneering southern psych rock
band released their most adventurous album
to date, the R&B—influenced “Evil Urges”.
Having just found broad international acclaim
with their previous album, the instant indie
rock classic “Z”, the band debuted “Evil Urges”
to a public that perhaps wasn’t quite ready for
such a dramatic shift in style. 2011’s follow—
up, “Circuital”, was considered an intentional
return to form for My Morning Jacket, but
James’s interest in exploring grooves outside
the broad spectrum of rock was privately still
strong.

In early 2013, the deeply spiritual
singer recorded his first full—length solo
album, “Regions of Light and Sound of God”,
a reflection both of a personal philosophy

drawing from multiple religions and a musical
atmosphere at the time that was very receptive
to neo—hippie exultation (see: Edward Sharpe
and the Magnetic Zeros, The Mowgli’s, and
others who rose to prominence in that period).
Barack Obama had recently been elected for
a second term, the specter of the Tea Party
seemed to be diminishing, and the sudden
rise of the Islamic State was yet to come. While
these may seem to be incongruous topics,
they hold great relevance in an examination
of James’s work, which has responded clearly
to his mindset over the last decade and a
half of professional performance. “Regions
of Light and Sound of God” was a 40—minute
exploration of pseudo—religious feelings and
ruminations on the potential of mankind,
instrumented in an ethereal fashion to match.

Three years on, the social climate
of the United States is very different. As a
result, the latest solo album from James is
very different as well. “Eternally Even”, which
hit stores on Friday, November 4, is more

immediate and vital than the album which
preceded it both in music and in lyrics. Analog
synths, clean bass guitar tones, and intimately
rendered drums wash over melodies which
confront more earthly subject matter than
James’s first solo LP, touching on topics of
disillusionment and division among mankind.
The album never turns explicitly cynical (even
the tellingly titled “Same Old Lie”, perhaps
James’s most overtly political track to date,
ends with the optimistic lines “they say we
can't live together but we know that's a lie /
'cause we know it in our heart we can make
it if we try”), but it presents a grittier, more
grounded vision of human relationships than
on “Regions of Light and Sound ofGod”.

In addition to marking a shift in
emotional tone, “Eternally Even” more clearly
demonstrates James’s ongoing infatuation with
R&B, soul, and blues than anything since “Evil
Urges”. The majority of the compositions on
the album are danceable in the slow, smooth
way that evokes scenes of smoke—filled lounges

in the velvet—cushioned ‘705. The psychedelic
synth and drum production, on the other
hand, is reminiscent of Tame Impala and even
has echoes of My Morning Jacket themselves,
blending Memphis and California without
coming off as forced. Where 2008’s critically
controversial “Evil Urges” was an experiment
in stadium—size neo—soul, “Eternally Even”
is a measured cutaway of a more traditional,
smaller—scale sound. James keeps his voice
low and rumbling, rarely reaching his upper
register, which is perhaps the only major
shared element that this release has with
James’s earlier solo work. It’s territory at once
novel and familiar for the singer, who has the
financial comfort to take risks and explore his
interests to their fullest extent. And though
“Eternally Even” won’t likely appear on any
year—end lists, it’s a strong album and a clear
demonstration of James’s current picture of the
world. 6.7/10

Up-and-coming Scottish band Honeyblood plays intimate show at Subterranean

Liza McQueney
WIIT MUSIC DIRECTOR

Although the crowd gave them
little to work with, Scottish duo Honeyblood
put on a formidable performance at Chicago’s
Subterranean last week.

Opener Jay Som, a slowcore band
from San Francisco, started the show on
a reflective note. Jay Som is the musical
pseudonym of multi—instrumentalist and
songwriter Melina Duterte, who has supported
artists such as Mitski and Peter Bjorn and
John. Their set closed with “I Think You’re

 

Alright”, a lengthy jam rife with fuzzy guitars.
It was a beautiful and emotionally captivating
performance, and displayed Jay Som’s live
prowess.

The show happened to coincide with
the North American release of Honeyblood’s
latest album, "Babes Never Die." The album
has been receiving positive reviews from
many major media outlets including NME,
The Guardian, and Line of Best Fit. The pair
worked their way through all of "Babes Never
Die," as well as some older tracks from their
2014 self—titled debut. Truly impressive was
the amount of sound produced from only

”W

having two musicians on stage: their sound
was full and developed and left no impression
that another musician was needed. The small
audience could have made for an awkward and
unenjoyable show, but Honeyblood’s strong
performance filled in the gaps and their on—
stage banter warmed up the sparse crowd and
created a lighthearted, familiar atmosphere.
Topics covered included Belle and Sebastian’s
drinking habits (the duo toured with the famed
fellow Scottish indie rockers in 2015), their day
in Chicago, and the names for all of the extra
electronic noises that made it onto the new
album (Sebastian). A dark spot on an otherwise

stellar show came from a boisterously drunk
super—fan who insisted on heckling the band
between each song. Other audience members
were visibly embarrassed by the fan’s behavior,
and Subterranean is a small enough venue that
the yelling could hardly be ignored, but they
handled the situation with grace and humor
and didn’t let it affect the quality of the show
they were playing. With the release of their
latest album, Honeyblood continues to expand
their sound and live shows, and hopefully this
will result in gigs with fuller audiences and
more enthusiasm for the work they are doing
onstage..

 

Photos by Liza McQueney