If (like us) one of your guilty pleasures is submitting to the corporate machine from time to time in order to buy special and limited editions, your bedroom – possibly your whole house/flat – will be full of gaming related tat. Toys (sorry, figures), soundtracks, t shirts, keyrings, art books, and guides. Perhaps you’ve gone a step further and plastered your bedroom wall with gaming posters; got yourself that Resident Evil alarm clock you’ve always wanted; ordered Call of Duty: Advanced Cutlery; laid your hands on some Pokémon curtains. Well, now you know what you’re still missing – videogame flavoured lullabies.
It really is no exaggeration to say that Prescription For Sleep is an album of lullabies. While it on occasion drifts dangerously close to the world of lift muzak, it is nonetheless a consistently thoughtful and lovingly composed collection of music. Plus you can nerd out knowing that the saxophonist is Norihiko Hibino, who’s worked on the Snake Eater theme amongst other Metal Gear Solid pieces (Bayonetta, too). While that particular music isn’t present, there are tunes from games as varied as Demon’s Souls, Super Mario 64, and Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night. They’ve each been given a very unique twist, too. Song of the Ancients from the beautiful Nier soundtrack, for example, has been transformed into something even more sedate.
The titterworthy title of Gentle Love is the name of the act Hibino forms with pianist AYAKI (whose name you must presumably shout). What demands respect, however, is the fact that Gentle Love have toured Japan with their soothing music after the horror of the 2011 tsunami, hoping to bring comfort to those affected. They’ve given many charity appearances, and “continue to explore the therapeutic applications of music as a part of the Hibino Sound Therapy Lab”. Which is awesome.
You can get yourself a digital copy of Prescription For Sleep: Game Music Lullabies from Loudr for ten dollars; or a higher donation, should you so wish.
Comments