Civilization 7 Soundtrack/Music discussion

[Kankan]

Based on the fact the sample of what seemed to be Meiji Japan’s theme in the Switch trailer it seems like all the modern themes might be orchestrated which I’m sort of split on.

As whilst just like with the industrial and atomic themes in Civ6 both the revealed modern age themes are good, an orchestra may be a bit immersion breaking for some civs namely Qing, Mughal and Buganda (and to an extent also Siam). Albeit either way whatever themes they receive will still likely be good.

 

[Kimiimaro]

I like it. It has a clear pleasant enough melody that got stuck in my head. Builds up well, and the ending sounds acceptably grand to me.

 

[Morningcalm]

The American theme is one of my favorites. Thematically rich and sounds quite fitting for a country built on patriotism and Revolution. It also mixes two song influences. Overall it reminds me of Civ V's peace themes quite a bit too, which is welcome.

 

[Willie5000]

Think I just found the basis for the Songhai theme;

 

[seasnake]

Overall think civ 7 is a step backwards in music. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, just think they really nailed a lot of themes in V and VI. Tbh, nothing was goin to top America in civ vi, Hard Times Come Again No More. I like to listen to the ancient banjo version theme followed the industrial orchestral version. Makes for a wonderful piece.

 

[Zaarin]

Overall think civ 7 is a step backwards in music. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, just think they really nailed a lot of themes in V and VI. Tbh, nothing was goin to top America in civ vi, Hard Times Come Again No More. I like to listen to the ancient banjo version theme followed the industrial orchestral version. Makes for a wonderful piece.

Overall, I like Civ7's soundtrack, but the America theme is a definite downgrade.

 

[canadamufc]

I liked America's and Mexico's theme. The Antiquity and Exploration themes were all bleh for me, hoping the Modern Age can produce some good ones.

 

[Leucarum]

As much as I usually found I had a favourite age for each theme, I really enjoyed Civ6's evolving themes. Very much a pity they aren't in 7...

 

[PauI]

I find that the music in Civilization VII is more subtle and nuanced, which might feel unusual in these fast-paced, content-intense times, where "more is more".

Listening to the same melody for more than 10 seconds seems hard today and may grant you less dopamine short-term than previous soundtracks, but I like it. Its less "ear" candy.

Not everything needs to fit in a gaming playlist, which has to have you hooked 24/7 imo.

If the music can set the atmosphere right, it has the potential to feel even more rewarding long-term in a much "healthier" way.

 

[Naokaukodem]

Its less "ear" candy.

Less than what for example ? Civ6 ?

 

[PauI]

Less in terms of that the Civ7 tracks don’t try to do or be everything at once.

They’re still evolving, as in previous games, but without the mission to accompany one through time, the transformation remains rather instrumental.

You might compare it to Civ5 and Civ6’s music, for example, and find that there is less in Civ7. This is technically true, as there is quite literally a reduced demand to depict a civilization chronologically and culturally.

But does less quantity automatically mean that Civ7’s tracks are worse? I say no. Music (and, by extension, art) doesn’t function this way for me.

Civilization 7’s music is less than its predecessors, and that is okay. It doesn’t have to be “more.”

 

[seasnake]

Less in terms of that the Civ7 tracks don’t try to do or be everything at once.

They’re still evolving, as in previous games, but without the mission to accompany one through time, the transformation remains rather instrumental.

You might compare it to Civ5 and Civ6’s music, for example, and find that there is less in Civ7. This is technically true, as there is quite literally a reduced demand to depict a civilization chronologically and culturally.

But does less quantity automatically mean that Civ7’s tracks are worse? I say no. Music (and, by extension, art) doesn’t function this way for me.

Civilization 7’s music is less than its predecessors, and that is okay. It doesn’t have to be “more.”

More doesn’t mean more in quantity of minutes. I refer to the quality of the music compositions overall, and it is a step down. It is a test of which would rather listen to independent of the game setting, just as musical arrangements.

I think of England, Brazil and Indonedesia war themes in civ 5, or America, scythia civ 6 industrial, or Spain and Khmer civ 6 atomic and compare them to civ 7s offering. There’s no question which one is going to be heard when I click through a leader screen, and which are going into a playlist on my computer.

 

[Zaarin]

Taste is definitely subjective. I hated almost all the war themes in Civ5 and nearly all the Industrial and Atomic themes in Civ6. So far I have liked one Modern theme (Mexico) and been neutral towards one (America), but I liked the majority of Civ7 Antiquity and Exploration themes.

 

[Kankan]

I feel like the music of the civs in Civ6 tended to have an issue which most of the music of the civs in Civ7 lack (still an issue for Majapahit and Inca though) and it's the issue of lacking in authenticity (which was especially the case with some of the Medieval themes as well as some of the industrial and atomic themes). Most medieval/renaissance themes in the game feature the hurdy-gurdy which for the most part was either less common or entirely unused outside of Europe during medieval times. This kinda becomes more noticeable in the themes for civs such as the Cree and Mali however they still preserved some traditional instruments which for some civs end up lost in the Industrial and Atomic themes (a lot of Zulu music on the other hand is acapella so the use of autotune in their atomic theme actually works very well). Nubia's industrial and atomic themes on the other hand don't seem to include any traditional Nubian instruments with Ethiopia's Industrial and Atomic themes being a complete departure from the more blues/jazz feeling of Tizita in its ancient and medieval themes (as well as in performances of Tizita in general). With most of the themes in Civ 7 so far it doesn't feel too much a departure from the respective civ's music as the way the game works means there's less of a risk of losing a sense of authenticity since the music of the civ itself doesn't change from era to era, age to age.

 

[Guandao]

@Zaarin, Were the Civ5 war themes too bombastic for you?

I'm actually a fan of most of them.

 

[Lord Lakely]

@Zaarin, Were the Civ5 war themes too bombastic for you?

I'm actually a fan of most of them.

The War Themes in Civ5 are in the "when they hit, they HIT" category. I think 4 of my personal five favourite themes in that game are War themes - and the rest of the entire Top 10 are all Peace themes.

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

I never even played Civ V, but I came to love the Bond-esque drama of Brazil's War Theme, for what it's worth.

Agreed with the poster on the authenticity bit. That's something I value in music as well. However, as someone who also adores Knorr and Rizzo's creative and lush orchestration from Civ VI, I am a little sad to see that relegated to just one Age. It forces Rizzo especially into doing what I think he struggles at- arranging authentic music with no frills. This is the man that puts folk songs into unusual time signatures for fun. He's not the best choice for "keeping it simple."

 

[Zaarin]

I never even played Civ V, but I came to love the Bond-esque drama of Brazil's War Theme, for what it's worth.

Agreed with the poster on the authenticity bit. That's something I value in music as well. However, as someone who also adores Knorr and Rizzo's creative and lush orchestration from Civ VI, I am a little sad to see that relegated to just one Age. It forces Rizzo especially into doing what I think he struggles at- arranging authentic music with no frills. This is the man that puts folk songs into unusual time signatures for fun. He's not the best choice for "keeping it simple."

With a few exceptions (Scythia and Norway spring to mind), I overall prefer Knorr's work to Rizzo's.

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

I would tend to agree, but as someone very partial to Civ VI’s soundtrack as a whole I actually hold many of Rizzo’s pieces as some of my favorites, if only because they tend to follow a vastly different formula to Knorr’s.

 

[Kankan]

I never even played Civ V, but I came to love the Bond-esque drama of Brazil's War Theme, for what it's worth.

Agreed with the poster on the authenticity bit. That's something I value in music as well. However, as someone who also adores Knorr and Rizzo's creative and lush orchestration from Civ VI, I am a little sad to see that relegated to just one Age. It forces Rizzo especially into doing what I think he struggles at- arranging authentic music with no frills. This is the man that puts folk songs into unusual time signatures for fun. He's not the best choice for "keeping it simple."

To be fair even with this considered most of the civ music composed by Rizzo for Civ 7 that we’ve heard so far is pretty authentic (Songhai being a pretty big example of such as it sounds far less western than Mali’s medieval theme in Civ6 although it’d be a bit better if it had the lyrics). Inca and Majapahit’s themes however sound a tad too western.

Rizzo however is still a fantastic composer nonetheless however I do appreciate Knorr’s bigger focus on authenticity.