Everything Is Final Fantasy

We listen to and analyze six pieces of music from Final Fantasy XI. With all of us having limited experience with the game itself, we pull primarily from Distant Worlds and New Worlds albums and think on the nature of medieval or renaissance music. Xenogears, Final Fantasy VIII, and FFVII Rebirth all get comparative listens as does the 1996 film The Rock.

We listen to some weird, cooky, odd, strange, silly, and spacey music from the first nine Final Fantasy games. What makes a piece of music weird? What storytelling techniques does Nobuo Uematsu use to upset expectations? And how cool is it when the strange music gets beautiful?
#finalfantasy #videogamemusic

We discuss the history of Final Fantasy music live in concert, most especially the long-running Distant Worlds series. Then we listen to an analyze the song Distant Worlds from Final Fantasy XI in four different variations. Plus, some cherished memories of going to see, and of performing, live music.

We listen to and analyze the primary battle themes from Final Fantasy I-VI. Distant Worlds, Black Mages, and Pixel Remasters all get involved in the conversation as we dive deep into what makes Nobuo Uematsu battle music so compelling.

We listen to and analyze the battle themes from Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, and Super Mario RPG. Then each of us brings two other non-Final Fantasy pieces of battle music to discuss including one of the most famous pieces of video game music ever written.