Train Station At 8: A Video Game Music Podcast

Welcome to Season 2 of Train Station at 8! We're still here every Saturday, ready to talk about video game music-- that hasn't changed-- but now we're looking at just one piece of music per week. The shift in structure was inspired by our Island Swing episode during which we learned how much mileage and excitement you can get out of a single song. Not only that, but the eight question format is gone, replaced by a simpler set of dual topics: the song and our history with it. We hope you enjoy the change in tempo, and please let us know what you think! It's just the two of us (Stephen and Bryan) in this season opener, and we've gone back to our roots for a closer look at our new theme song. "8pm" from Animal Crossing: Wild World is the source tune, taking us back to warm summer evenings in the good company of K.K. Slider and the Monkey Porter. A new chapter fueled by nostalgia!

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a lot of things (most of them radical), but today it is a music box that serenades us with pleasant memories. It was a magical time back then in the '90s, and the past has a lot to teach us music-lovers in the future. Here to join in on the fun are Joe and Christina Walker, two Train Station at 8 veterans and SNES enthusiasts; they also fill the gaping Earthbound hole, which is really just a public service.

Sometimes the world becomes a little brighter when a certain song enters the scene, and that's what this episode is all about. Raheem Jarbo (also known as Random or Mega Ran) joins Zachary Walton (fellow Disembodied Voices member) and your regularly scheduled co-hosts for a look at music that inspires them.Head over to Twitter and follow Raheem and Zachary both!How did you like this episode? If the answer is "lots" then consider following Train Station at 8 on Twitter, subscribing on iTunes and YouTube, or maybe sending an email to TrainStationAt8@gmail.com. Hearing from you would make our day and then some!The 8 Questions. Give us your answers, too, so we can talk and stuff!1. What have you been listening to?2. Is there a specific moment you recall mu

The Elder Scrolls world is vast, epic, beautiful, and archetypal/archetypical; so is the music, which is mostly the part we care about right now. Josh Wise (old podcasting buddy and PhD student of systematic theology) and Kevin VanOrd (another fellow podcaster and GameSpot senior editor) lend their voices to a rigorous discussion on the sights and sounds of Tamriel. Join the adventure!

Mario Kart 8's live jazz band ensured that Train Station at 8 would be dedicating an episode to the series. Composer (and Mario Kart remixer) Christophe Blondel agreed that this would be a swell idea and here is the result!

Emotion is a complex beast, but composer Mike Raznick has made a video game song or two thousand in his time (you've probably played a game he wrote tunes for) and helps to figure out which musical elements have power over our feelings and why. You might learn something about composition, instrumentation, and most importantly, yourself.Mike is on that Twitter thing and also has a website of his own, so click on Mike-related things!How did you like this episode? If the answer is "lots" then consider following Train Station at 8 on Twitter and subscribing on iTunes, or maybe send an email to TrainStationAt8@gmail.com. Hearing from you would make our collective day!The 8 Questions. Give us your answers, too, so we can talk and stuff!1. What have you been listening to?2. 

Karl and Will Brueggemann, collectively known as the Marcato Bros., are back again to bring knowledge and enthusiasm to Train Station at 8. This brings the group count to four, but only one song is on the menu today; namely, the world famous Island Swing from Donkey Kong Country. You might think that such a focused, limited discussion would mean a shorter episode this week, but you would be wrong, good listener. You would be wrong.By all means, you should be following the Marcato Bos. on Twitter, but don't forget about their website, too!How did you like this episode? If the answer is "lots" then consider following Train Station at 8 on Twitter and subscribing on iTunes, or maybe send an email to TrainStationAt8@gmail.com. Hearing from you would make our collective day!The&nbs

The inescapable drumbeat of change has caught up with Train Station at 8 and now-- if you will pardon the pun-- it's time to face the music. The soundtracks of some game series stagnate over decades while others can't help but to reinvent themselves at every turn, so we brought Episode 1 veteran Jayson Napolitano on board to help dig into this reality and what it means for us all. You can catch up with Jayson on Twitter (via his company or personal account) and, of course, visit the highly classy Scarlet Moon Productions website.How did you like this episode? If the answer is "lots" then consider following Train Station at 8 on Twitter and subscribing on iTunes, or maybe send an email to TrainStationAt8@gmail.com. Hearing from you would make our collective day!T

The year is about halfway over, so it's time we look to the future. 2014's E3 exploded with loudness and excitement, so it taks a more careful ear to parse the fragmented songs from trailers and uncertain hints at soundtracks to come. Stephen and Bryan, fearless and guest-less, take on the task with whatever strength they can muster.

All ships, report in! Slippy's out for repairs, but we've got Matthew "Major Third" Tucciarone as a wing man this week, and the soundtrack of Star Fox is in his sights. Lylat is a system at war, and its music is every bit as conflicting thanks to a bumpy ride across multiple composers, genres, and degrees of quality. It certainly isn't a boring trip!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? We at Train Station at 8 have a brief announcement, and it’s rather super important. If you are subscribed to our iTunes or RSS feeds, we recommend switching over to the new ones just recently created. They’re bigger, faster, and stronger too-- not to mention active, which the old ones won’t be for much longer. If you’re on iTunes, simply subscribe to the new podcast; the one with Whales are Whales listed as the author. If you follow us via RSS feed, it’s as simple as using the brand new link included on the website. Any past reviews and ratings for iTunes have been lost in the transfer, so we would dearly love to hear your thoughts in the new version. Taking a bit of time can help us out a great deal. Thank you for listening and have a pleasant life.

It's an all-you-can-eat buffet and Kirby music's on the menu! Float along with returning guest Morgan Sleeper and all-new ally Jon Wahlgren (both of whom write for Nintendo Life) as they rejoice in the musical whimsy of Dream Land. Feel the beat of Butter Building and the gusto of Grape Garden in a shower of MP3 stardust as we salute the chipper good times our pal Kirby has provided.

The first ever direct Train Station at 8 sequel picks up where the last episode left off. After exploring the obtuse differences between Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask with Cameron Nutter, fellow Disembodied Voices member Zachary Walton joins us to sail the seas of Wind Waker and fall into the shadows of Twilight Princess. The two games couldn't be more contrary to one another, and they provide a whole mess of opinionated analysis-- even if the people holding those opinions admit they have no idea what they're talking about.

Worlds collide as Link falls from the classical music of Hyrule into the experimental noises of Termina; meanwhile, Disembodied Voices member Cameron Nutter finds himself in the unfamiliar Train Station at 8. He's a big fan of both Zelda classics, but knows full well that Ocarina of time and Majora's Mask are like backward versions of one another-- this provides for a twisting, fascinating journey into the depths of thematic meaning. How deep are these depths? The very conception of Majora's Mask falls into question repeatedly, forcing everyone on the show to ponder the passage of time and death itself. That's how deep.

Stephen and Bryan are joined by a pair of brothers who run a video games music podcast and no cloning was involved! Will and Karl Brueggemann of the Super Marcato Bros. keep the sibling theme rolling with enough Mario Bros. love to fill Soda Lake three times over. Information and enthusiasm are interchangeable in this episode, and you just might gain a new favorite podcast along the way!

Matthew Tucciarone-- known as Major Third on his video game music show-- has amicably agreed to expound with us on the nature of dynamic music, spreading knowledge throughout the world as he goes. What's the difference between dynamic and static music exactly, and where does Luigi's Mansion fit into the picture? These sorts of questions are exactly what Train Station at 8 tries to answer this week.

A trio of newcomers appears on the scene this episode with retro thoughts in their hearts: Joe Walker of The Backlog, Christina Walker of Reginald the Vegan Zombie, and Morgan Sleeper of Nintendo Life (a music-maker in his own right). The good old days bask in the glory of this week's discussion, guaranteed to bring you back to another time whether you're a fan of Genesis voice samples or prefer the classically constructed WonderSwan.

Longtime Blizzard composer Jason Hayes is here to tackle the topic of live instrumentation and the long, twisting journey from the days of MIDI. This timeline spans from the creation of the Protoss briefing room theme to cautious placement of the erhu in Mists of Pandaria-- the Lost Vikings even gets a brief mention because life is grand.

Kevin VanOrd, Senior Editor of GameSpot and musical aficionado, pays a visit to Train Station at 8 for the express purpose of chatting about orchestral video game music. Nigh countless soundtracks are recalled and discussed with relish-- and speaking of relish, this episode dips into Kevin's dinnertime, proving his dedication to the arts (and multitasking skills) once and for all.

You may know him as the tiny yet enthralling voice from Extra Credits, or perhaps as OC ReMixer sephfire, or possibly as an animator with a good eye for quality cartoons. Regardless, Daniel Floyd is here with Train Station at 8 to talk about fond memories of days gone by and how video game music taps into that sentimental spirit we all have. He also shares a bit of cinema wisdom and agrees that the Nintendo 64 is great.