Overview
Like many game music fans before me, I first discovered Michael "Piano Squall" Gluck while surfing YouTube for some game-related music videos. I came across a recording of Michael performing the "Final Fantasy Battle Medley" for a live audience at a gaming and anime convention. The description of the video linked to his site, PianoSquall.com, so I decided to check it out and see what this guy was all about. I learned a bit of his history, found some excellent arrangements, and read a bit about his passion for charity work. I was floored to see that he expected no payment for performing at these events, and only asked for the opportunity to sell his merchandise after the show to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. I decided to contact him, and we've been good friends and site affiliates ever since.
Naturally, when Michael approached me to help him promote the release of his CD "GAME: Game and Anime Emotions," I was more than pleased to help out. Based on the videos I'd seen, I knew he was an extremely talented pianist, many of the tracks are favorites of mine, and his plight is as noble as they come. After a month or so of pre-orders, the CD has now been released, and I'm hear to tell you what I think about it. So without further adieu...
Body
GAME's 18 tracks are a culmination of Michael's unique piano arrangements from various video games and Anime movies, with a little arrangement by Shiro Hamaguchi, Michael Huang, and Shiro Satou mixed in for good measure. The recordings are performed by Michael himself, and audio quality is very good throughout. The track selection features some of the most well-known compositions from legendary composers such as Koji Kondo (Super Mario, Zelda), Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono series, Xenogears), and especially Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy), who Michael credits with kindling his desire to learn piano to begin with. Regardless of your tastes in music, even the most casual fans of video games and anime would be hard-pressed to find a track on this album that they didn't recognize. For game music fans, there are tracks from Final Fantasy, Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, Mega Man, Chrono Cross, Full Metal Alchemist, Tetris, and more. Anime fans will also be delighted to see music from Naruto, InuYasha, Cowboy Bebop, and Evangelion. As music from Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and Chrono Cross is what brings a lot of users to SquareSound, the tracklist on this CD should be very pleasing to most visitors.
In terms of arrangement, each piece would fall into the advanced category. Perhaps not quite "Piano Collection" advanced, but on the whole quite difficult and highly arranged. Michael is a very gifted pianist, and these arrangements showcase his talents very well. The CD begins in resounding fashion with a beautiful and accurate rendition of "Scars of Time" from Chrono Cross. This piece really sets the stage for the rest of the album because it contains two unique personalities, and Michael demonstrates his ability to portray vastly different emotions and feelings on the piano right from the get-go.
As we move down the tracklist, we see some really popular old favorites. Such tracks as "Frog's Theme" and "Battle with Magus" from Chrono Trigger should send listeners spiraling into nostalgia. If those two tracks aren't enough to send you back in time, pieces like the excellent Super Mario World theme "The Athlete's Rag" or (especially), "Korobeiniki" (the insanely hum-able tune that plays as the blocks fall in Tetris) almost certainly will.
Rounding out the list of familiar tracks for me were Final Fantasy staples "The Prelude," and "Ending Theme," both of which have been heard at the beginning and end of nearly all games in the Final Fantasy series. Both of these arrangements are quite good while retaining the magic of the originals. It's amazing what some simple arpeggios and well-timed embellishments can do to spice up these old favorites. For fans of more recent Final Fantasy games, Michael also presents us with renditions of "Vamo' alla Flamenco" from Final Fantasy IX, and a couple of vocal tracks: "1000 Words" from Final Fantasy X-2, and "Kiss Me Good-bye" from Final Fantasy XII. I especially enjoyed "Kiss Me Good-bye," which literally sounded as if the left hand was playing accompaniment while the right hand was singing. It was clearly evident that Michael really poured his heart and soul into playing this piece, much like Angela Aki did when performing it.
Putting an emphatic cap on the Final Fantasy tracks featured in "GAME" is the "Final Fantasy Battle Medley," which seamlessly combines 10 well-known battle themes from Final Fantasy V - X. A slight variation of this performance is what introduced many people to Michael's performances on YouTube. The medley includes snippets from the official Piano Collections, such as "Battle With Gilgamesh" (FFV), "Final Battle" (FFIX), and "Those Who Fight" (FFVII). It also features bits of Michael Huang's excellent Fantasy Reborn arrangements, and several of Piano Squall's own. For many people, this track alone will justify the meager purchase price of the album.
The rest of the album consists mainly of tracks I'd never heard before. I'm not really a fan of Anime, and haven't played some of the other games. I'm also the type of person that has a hard time getting into game music without first hearing it in-game. That said, I was very pleasantly surprised with most of the unfamiliar tracks. For instance, "Brajta" from Full Metal Alchemist is a very beautiful piece that Michael played with great emotion. Meanwhile, I found "Every Heart" from InuYasha to be excellent; one of the most well-developed and polished tracks on the whole CD.
No album is averse to criticism, and though it's hard to find significant fault with "GAME," there were a few criticisms I'd offer. The main issue to me was the development and length of some tracks. "Battle with Magus," for example, is one of my favorite tracks from the Chrono Trigger OSV, but didn't seem like a good candidate for piano arrangement. The resultant track was pleasing to listen to, but seemed really short and under-developed. Other tracks really picked up momentum as they went along, only to end really abruptly, leaving the listener longing for more. Most pieces are dynamic and well-arranged, so it was a little disappointing that they didn't end with a little more "gusto." If you watch some of Michael's YouTube videos of previous concerts, you'll notice that most of the pieces on "GAME" have been performed previously in medleys. This would explain why some tracks end rather suddenly -- there were never true endings written for many of them to begin with. This is by no means a major issue though. The meat of the tracks are good enough to make up for this minor shortcoming.
Summary
On the whole, I think "GAME" is an excellent album -- definitely worth the bargain-basement $9.99 asking price. The album contains a wonderful array of game music favorites -- especially for fans of Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, and other composers who worked for Square Enix. For those like me who may not have been exposed to Anime music or music from lesser-known games, I think you'll be pleased with the unfamiliar tracks as well. While some pieces could've been taken to the next level if they had stronger endings, the main melody of each piece is usually more than enough to make up for it. Even the most casual of game music fans should be more than happy with this CD, and if nothing else, buying it is supporting an excellent cause.
Percentage Overall Score: 89%
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Album Coverage
