A blindingly obvious but frankly essential Music Monday this week. In the latest Cane and Rinse the podcast (issue 149) we review BioWare’s five-year-old (how?!) RPG, Dragon Age: Origins.
Returning to the game after all this time highlighted for me how rough-looking the visuals were even for the time, but also how glorious the game’s soundtrack is.
Inon Zur (Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs, Prince of Persia 2008 – to name but three) has provided award-winning scores for film, television and numerous games over the past 20 years.
To my mind these Howard Shore meets Clannad-esque pieces for Dragon Age remain some of his most striking work. Never more so than in the case than of the main theme, which plays to mesmerising, tantalising effect on the title screen.
Aubrey Ashburn (Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny, Devil May Cry 4, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition) provides the sweet, breathy vocal which segues beautifully into a state of deep urgency as the Seattle Sinfonia Orchestra’s backing veers into a doom-laden and more strident section, signalling the threat of the incoming storm that is the Darkspawn invading the land of Ferelden.
Hara afah eo
Hara afah eo
Post nubila
Hara afah eo
Turas mor
Turas mor
Na stoirmaecha
Which roughly translates to something along the lines of:
After the clouds
After the clouds
After bad weather – the sun
After the clouds
The great journey
The great journey
Through the storm
So there you have it. You can sing along next time.
Better yet, at the time of writing – so be quick, Dragon Age: Origins is available for the bargain basement price of $/£/€ 0.00 on EA’s digital service Origin. LOOKIT:
https://www.origin.com/en-gb/store/buy/dragon-age-1/pc-download/base-game/standard-edition
Do yourself a favour and grab it now (along with previous Music Monday subject the arse-numbingly addictive Bejeweled 3)!
