REMINISCENCE Review
Buy REMINISCENCE
Patti Rudisill and Paula Bressman have teamed up once again to provide nine high-quality tracks on REMINISCENCE: Ethereal Game Music for Strings and Harp. As with their previous album, Goblets and Gauntlets, the arrangements are simple, yet elegant, and the chemistry between them is stronger than ever. In fact, it’s impossible to review this album without mentioning the almost hypnotic effect of pairing Paula’s harp with Patti’s violin.
While Goblets and Gauntlets was a lively, intimate affair, REMINISCENCE sees the duo taking a different route. Each of these tracks feels like a different page of a photo album, and the tone varies between wistful and dreamy. Despite the variety of games represented on the album (Final Fantasy, Chrono Cross, and the Legend of Zelda, to name a few), the album remains cohesive throughout its thirty-minute runtime thanks to the tight pacing. Of course, much of that cohesion is due to the purposeful song selection.
The arrangements themselves don’t take many creative liberties, but this allows the listener to bathe in nostalgia. Nostalgia has become something of a dirty word lately, perhaps due to Hollywood’s over-reliance on sequels and remakes, but in this case, I would argue that nostalgia is the cornerstone of REMINISCENCE. Patti and Paula want to evoke those happy memories that come from hearing a familiar tune, and by keeping the arrangements close to the original, it allows their nuanced performances to be on full display. This creative decision is not one born out of devotion or lack of originality, but out of respect and admiration for these soundtracks. Indeed, it’s hard not to hear the love practically pouring out of these instruments on tracks like “Midna’s Lament” and “Radical Dreamers.”
REMINISCENCE is a gateway to the past, a clarion call to anyone who wishes to slip into that special world made of dreams and memories. Whether you’ve played these games or heard these tracks before is inconsequential—by the time this album ends, you’ll be reminiscing about each and every exquisite moment brought to life by Patti and Paula.
RATING: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
(Most VGM Fans Should Enjoy)