Civilization 7 Soundtrack/Music discussion

[Ryansinbela]

Sounds great
And now, the excruciating wait for Bulgaria

 

[Zaarin]

Best painting so far

Carthaginians didn't use tiled roofs. Overall looks too Greek. Missed opportunity to highlight Phoenician textiles and dyework, and Carthaginian terrazzo and tilework. Feels super lazy to me. (The background beyond the city looks nice. And I do appreciate it shows how densely urban Carthage was, though it doesn't quite highlight the degree of urban planning that went into Carthage. It was a highly structured city.)

 

[Nikolai II]

Carthaginians didn't use tiled roofs. Overall looks too Greek. Missed opportunity to highlight Phoenician textiles and dyework, and Carthaginian terrazzo and tilework. Feels super lazy to me. (The background beyond the city looks nice. And I do appreciate it shows how densely urban Carthage was, though it doesn't quite highlight the degree of urban planning that went into Carthage. It was a highly structured city.)

Then again, we all know you would only be satisfied with an actual photograph taken at the time by a time traveler, and even then you'd complain it's a photograph and not the real thing.

 

[Ryansinbela]

What did Carthaginian roofs looked like

 

[Zaarin]

Then again, we all know you would only be satisfied with an actual photograph taken at the time by a time traveler, and even then you'd complain it's a photograph and not the real thing.

Nah, the paintings from the Alix comic look great. (That being said, if you can find a time traveler, I have lots of questions to ask. Starting with could they smuggle back some Punic papyri and codices? )

What did Carthaginian roofs looked like

Flat with parapets, with virtually all houses built around courtyards. Roofs were living space.

 

[TheGhostEnthusiast]

Carthage. Best painting so far, I think. But the guy on the right has some Eric Cartman head.

Can't comment on the historicity, but an angle overlooking a dense urban settlement and a port is very cohesive with the themes of the civ's gameplay: a single big city that interacts with the rest of the world through its naval prowess. The Britain art isn't as visually complex, but it still gets "industry" across very well, as well as some themes of wealth with the workmen and the chatting top-hat wearers. Glad one Anglophone empire is willing to do its key art right...

 

[RedCourtJester]

Carthaginians didn't use tiled roofs. Overall looks too Greek. Missed opportunity to highlight Phoenician textiles and dyework, and Carthaginian terrazzo and tilework. Feels super lazy to me. (The background beyond the city looks nice. And I do appreciate it shows how densely urban Carthage was, though it doesn't quite highlight the degree of urban planning that went into Carthage. It was a highly structured city.)

I'm a little bored by the music, too. It's more drum and horn heavy, but still feels a lot like the Greece theme.

I think my problem with the Roland tracks is that he doesn't vary the beat/tempo enough, both within the tracks, and across civs in the same general region/musical heritage. And to some extent the orchestrations also seem a bit samey.

 

[Zaarin]

I'm a little bored by the music, too. It's more drum and horn heavy, but still feels a lot like the Greece theme.

Yes, I criticized the modern-skewing choice of instruments, lyre notwithstanding, elsewhere. The opening is nice, but the latter half feels jarringly modern. We have period-appropriate instruments--lyres, ouds, goblet drums, neys, shofars...

I think my problem with the Roland tracks is that he doesn't vary the beat/tempo enough across civs in the same general region/musical heritage. And to some extent the orchestrations.

Yes, with a few exceptions like Norway, I prefer Knorr's compositions to Rizzo's; most of Rizzo's compositions feel a little forgettable. Part of that is taste--Rizzo definitely favors woodwinds, whereas I prefer strings. But I think Knorr is overall the better composer.

 

[Kimiimaro]

Seems I was correct regarding my guesses about who composed which theme.

My indicator was that I felt that British theme had more organic development to it than the Carthaginian one. I suppose Rizzo's compositions tend to be more... noticeable in their transitions between differents parts/instruments of the song, where you can more easily tell where one ends and where another starts? I don't mean it as a criticism, it can work absolutely wonderful in some cases (Meiji, where it both suits the image of Japan as a particularly organised society and manages to portray several different faces of the Meiji period, or VI's Roman industrial theme, where the progressive layering of more and more instruments on the part which plays on repeat for the latter half of the theme builds up increasingly triumphant atmosphere).

That said, I must say, the British theme is really growing on me. There is a lot of beauty to its calmness.

 

[raven_nevermore]

Don't own a platform where Bulgaria got dropped early, but I heard a clip of the music and managed to track down a recording of what I believe is the base song (Snoshti e Dobra) for the part I heard.

 

[Vandlys]

I'm a month late posting this but the Dust to Dust soundtrack is a MASTERPIECE.. stirs up so many emotions in me for some reason, so moving.. I'm obsessed! Long live Christopher Tin!

Well... Knorr composed that song so maybe long live Geoff Knorr?

I'm always so sad that Tin gets so much attention that people think he did the whole soundtrack.

 

[Ryansinbela]

Don't own a platform where Bulgaria got dropped early, but I heard a clip of the music and managed to track down a recording of what I believe is the base song (Snoshti e Dobra) for the part I heard.

I need the full version of the Bulgaria theme. I’m hungry

 

[raven_nevermore]

Don't own a platform where Bulgaria got dropped early, but I heard a clip of the music and managed to track down a recording of what I believe is the base song (Snoshti e Dobra) for the part I heard.

Here's the original clip. I not super confident in my guess after taking another listen. The lyrics don't seem to line up, but at least the rhythm sounds similar.

 

[Kimiimaro]

Here's the original clip. I not super confident in my guess after taking another listen. The lyrics don't seem to line up, but at least the rhythm sounds similar.

The snippets of both the Bulgarian and the Nepali themes sound quite nice. I'm looking forward to hearing them in full.

 

[RedCourtJester]

Here's the original clip. I not super confident in my guess after taking another listen. The lyrics don't seem to line up, but at least the rhythm sounds similar.

Okay pack it up guys, the soundtrack is finished and world peace is achieved.

 

[Ryansinbela]

Aren’t you forgetting something?

 

[raven_nevermore]

Finally tracked down Bulgaria! A user by the name of MrMihov left a comment on the video I sent earlier which led me to the linked video. The song is called Рано ми е, море, слънце огреяло (Early in the morning, dear, the sun has risen.). This video features the instruments used by whoever composed the theme, but I implore you to find a video with multiple vocalists. The harmonies in Bulgarian folk music are godly.

 

[Siptah]

Thanks for tracking down the track!

This video features the instruments used by whoever composed the theme, but I implore you to find a video with multiple vocalists. The harmonies in Bulgarian folk music are godly.

Indeed. There‘s a record by the Bulgarian Angelite Voices with Huun Huur Tun and the Moscow Art Trio called Mountain Tales which I consider one of the best „world music“ recordings ever made.